If you haven’t planned your New Year’s Eve in Connecticut yet, time’s a wastin’. Here are some suggestions.
Happy New Year! For some of us, resolutions and long-term planning don’t kick in until after New Year’s Day itself. So we understand if you haven’t figured out how and where to spend New Year’s Eve in Connecticut. Here is a mix of last-minute suggestions from a James Bond-themed fancy dinner and dancing event to hard-rocking tribute bands and stand-up comics. Make the last few hours of 2023 special.
All these events take place on Sunday. Call ahead or check the websites to make sure there’s still room. And check the Courant’s general online events listings at courant.com/events/#!/ for dozens of other festive options.
First Night Hartford rings in 2024 with fireworks, food and festivities
Noon Year’s Eve
Can’t stay up late? Family-friendly “Noon Year’s Eve” celebrations happen at mid-day, not midnight. You can spend the last afternoon of 2023 at:
D’n’A Art & Events Studio: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 73 Old County Road, Windsor Locks. $10, dnaartandeventstudio.com.
EverWonder Children’s Museum: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 11 Mile Hill Road, Newtown. everwondermuseum.org.
Maritime Aquarium: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a ball drop at noon. 10 North Water St., Norwalk. Free with aquarium admission. maritimeaquarium.org.
Discovery Museum: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 4450 Park Ave., Bridgeport. Museum admission is $18, $15 children. shudiscovery.org.
Countdown to Noon: 10 to 4 p.m. at KidsPlay Museum, 61 Main St., Torrington. $10. kidsplaymuseum.org.
Nomads Noon Year’s Eve: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Nomads, 100 Bidwell Road, South Windsor, with bounce houses, face painting, games, a DJ games, a lunch buffet and a noon balloon drop. $45 children, $20 adults. nomadsadventurequest.com.
Ski Sundown: The Ski Sundown slopes at 126 Ratlum Road in New Hartford are open from 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 31. Nighttime lift tickets are $44, $30-$40 for children. skisundown.com.
Lake Compounce: Join Kyle the Crocodile and his holiday friends at Connecticut’s oldest amusement park at 185 Enterprise Dr. in Bristol from 3 to 8 p.m. for the Kid’s New Year’s Eve Bash featuring a bubble dance party, a juice box toast and a fireworks show. lakecompounce.com.
New Year’s Eve
Plenty of restaurants and bars are marking the end of 2023 with special celebrations. Here are a few that stood out to us.
New Year’s Eve Stand-Up Countdown: Seven Angels’ annual gathering of top regional stand-up comics will ring in the New Year with good humor. This year’s lineup features Nancy Parker, Tom Daddario, Davin Rosenblatt and headliner Joey Koala. There are two separate shows, at 5 and 8 p.m. Complimentary champagne is served after the early show and before the later one. $50. sevenangelstheatre.org
New Year’s Eve Live Music Bash: Aquila’s Nest Vineyards at 56 Pole Bridge Road in Newtown has the Frandango Band playing in its indoor tasting room from 6 to 9 p.m. Children welcome. $15. aquilasnestvineyards.com.
Four Seasons by the Lake: The restaurant and bar at 51 Old Springfield Road in Stafford Springs has two separate events on Dec. 31: A “Pre-game New Year’s Eve Party” with the Deep Purple/’80s metal tribute Beyond Purple, which is being turned into a celebratory memorial for the band’s drummer Mark Vito who died last week, from 3 to 6 p.m.; then an evening New Year’s Eve Party from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. with the AC/DC tribute act Back in Black and the Southern rock tribute Cold Train. Reservations can be made at 860-851-9445 for the Beyond Purple show, with some of the proceeds being donated to Zito’s family. The evening show is $25. facebook.com/fourseasonsbythelake/.
A Casino Royale New Year’s Eve: The Charles, 161 Main St., Wethersfield, holds a thriller-themed party “in true Bond style” with a four-course prix fixe meal. There are two seating times: from 5 to 7 p.m. for $125 per person or between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. for $150 per person (which includes music and dancing and a champagne toast). Dressing like you live in a James Bond world is “suggested but not mandatory.” thecharlesct.com.
Black-Eyed Sally’s: The revered BBQ restaurant and bar at 350 Asylum St. in Hartford has a special Sunday night live music show starting at 9 p.m., with a blues band of local all-stars: Tommy Whalen, Ray Morant, Tom Petri and Liviu Pop. You can either pay a $10 cover to hear the band or pay $47 to get a three-course dinner, a party hat and a noisemaker. blackeyedsallys.com.
New Year’s Eve Midnight in the City: The West Indian Social Society of Hartford at 3340 Main St. has a special party and New Year’s countdown with two DJs, DJ Cris Cross and DJ Schoolaz. $20. westindiansocialclub.org
And don’t forget First Night Hartford, celebrated from 2 p.m. to midnight at Bushnell Park, Union Station and many other locations on Dec. 31. A full schedule is at firstnighthartford.org/.
