Some parting thoughts for ringing in 2023
It’s time to kick ’22 to the curb and ring in 2023 in your own favorite way, Boston. Whether you’re looking to go big, get home early, or never leave the couch, we’ve rounded up a bunch of ways to spend the last day/night of the year. Let’s start with some options for going out.
GOING OUT
First Night Boston
First Night Boston has all the classic #NewYearsVibes, including a parade, ice sculptures (this year’s theme: The 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party), live music and dance, a Pipes and Pops concert, light and laser show, interactive drumming, skating, midnight countdown, and multiple fireworks shows, among other activities, according to the current schedule. Much of the activity happens in Copley Square (if you’re keen to avoid indoor crowds, plenty of First Night’s activities take place outdoors). Free and open to the public. Indoor performances may have capacity limits and are first-come, first-served. Find the schedule at firstnightboston.org.
Spectacle on ice
Don’t miss this First Night Boston tradition, worthy of singling out: the Skating Club of Boston’s Skating Spectacular at 6 p.m. at the Frog Pond. Catch national and international competitive figure skaters, soloists, groups, and more, followed by fireworks at Boston Common at 7 p.m., according to event billing. bostonfrogpond.com
Snowport stroll
Boston’s Seaport has transformed into “Snowport” and hosts a day’s worth of fun, including their 10th annual New Year’s Eve on the Waterfront Ice Sculpture Stroll, winding through 32 sites. Get your curl on at their curling lanes from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Kids might like to snap a photo with Betty the Yeti at the Envoy (1-2 p.m.) or One Seaport Courtyard (3-5 p.m.), or touch a truck or boat at the Envoy (1-4 p.m.), according to event billing. bostonseaport.xyz
Foxborough festivities
Families (and Pats fans) can celebrate early with First Night at Patriots Place from 4-7 p.m. You’ll find ice sculptures, a “roving magician,” and a “light-up stilt walker,” according to the website, plus temporary tattoos, caricature artists, outdoor movies, giveaways, an appearance from Pat Patriot, and fireworks at 7 p.m.
The 21-plus crowd can stick around for toasts and comedy — Six String Grill & Stage greets 2023 with live music from Pulse, favors, and a champagne toast (doors 7 p.m., show 9 p.m., tickets from $35), while Boston comedian Will Noonan brings the LOLs to the Comedy Scene. (Sets at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., online tickets $29.20.) patriot-place.com
“Avatar” + bubbly
If your New Year’s Eve tradition is catching a movie on the big screen, here’s the collab you need: Showcase Cinemas rings in ’23 with an 8:15 p.m. screening of the three-hour-plus “Avatar: The Way of Water” followed by champagne, dessert, and a bigscreen live-feed of the ball-drop in Times Square.
Participating theaters include: Showcase SuperLux Chestnut Hill in Newton, Showcase Cinema de Lux Legacy Place in Dedham, Showcase Cinema de Lux Patriot Place in Foxborough, and Showcase Cinema de Lux in Warwick, R.I., according to a press release. 21+ Tickets $20.23.
Buy tickets via the Showcase Cinemas app or at showcasecinemas.com/New-Years-Eve-Celebration.
Reelin’ in the years
Many a Boston venue hosts NYE parties this year — far too many to mention here. But we found a few turning the clocks back to party like it’s 1999 — or 1979, ’89, or ’09.
Peg your jeans and crimp your hair for a ’90s-themed New Year’s dance party with complimentary champagne at Article 24. 458 Western Ave., Brighton. Starts at 10 p.m. Pre-sale $10, door tickets $20 if available. article24boston.com
The “Saved by the Bell”-themed bash at Boston’s Warehouse will get you dancing to hits from the ’90s, ’00s, and today. Tickets from $30. 40 Broad St. Doors 9:30 p.m. thewarehouseboston.com
Sip your way through time at the “Fenway All-Access NYE Bar Crawl: A Time Warp.” Each bar time-travels to a different decade. Inhabit the 1970s at Game On!; the 1980s at Lansdowne Pub; the ’90s at Bill’s Bar; the early 2000s at Bleacher Bar and — feel old yet? — the 2010s at Loretta’s Last Call. Tickets start at $74.99 and include admission to any of the bars, space permitting. Buy them at the Eventbrite web page or on the individual bars’ websites.
The Dude approves
Slide into 2023 in a pair of rented shoes at the Annual Rock & Bowl New Year’s Eve at Lucky Strike in Somerville and Fenway. Expect live DJ, dancing, games, and balloon drop, according to event billing. General admission $25. $35 to bowl 8-10 p.m.; $45 to bowl 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Buy tickets on eventbrite.com.
Top o’ the year to you
In Canton, the Irish Cultural Centre’s New Year’s Eve Gala includes live music by Erin’s Melody, mulled wine and apps, dinner and dessert, champagne toast at midnight, and prizes. $85. Starts 6:30 p.m. Buy tickets on eventbrite.com or irishculture.org
Noon Year’s Eve
Got tots in tow? High Street Place food hall’s Noon Year’s Eve Celebration is for kids, with coloring board, wishing wall, noontime balloon drop, and more. Free. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 100 High St. Reserve a spot at highstreetplace.com.
The grown-ups’ Casino Royale party starts at 8 p.m. and includes appetizers, casino games, DJ set, dancing, complimentary makeup and hair-styling, late-night snacks, party swag, champagne, and more, according to event billing. $100. Buy tickets at highstreetplace.com
STAYING IN
You may have heard of a place called home, where your favorite snacks and comfiest clothes live, parties start and stop at your command, there’s no cover charge, and the guest list is made by you. Yup, home is pretty cool. If you feel like staying in, we see you. A few ideas on what to stream:
Anderson Cooper gets giggly
Since 2017, BFFs Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper have been getting drunk and silly on CNN’s “New Year’s Eve Live from Times Square.” The show has been raucous, and unpredictable — Don Lemon had his ear pieced on live TV, and popped out of a lemon cake, as two examples.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens this year — the network reportedly told correspondents and anchors to cut down on the booze, though Cohen told Rolling Stone he and Cooper can still imbibe. Typically, Cooper giggles after taking shots, and he and Cohen banter with a who’s who of famous guests, from John Mayer and Snoop Dogg, to Gwen Stefani and Patty LaBelle. Starts at 8 p.m.
Dolly & Miley
Meanwhile, Miley Cyrus and her godmother, someone named (checks notes) Dolly Parton, star in an NBC special. “Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party” with guests Sia, rapper Latto, and “SNL” comedians, starts at 10:30 p.m. Tune in #BecauseDollyParton.
Movie night, 2023-style
Back in the day, going to a video rental store on New Year’s Eve was both treat and tricky — the movie you wanted could be out at another family’s house. That was life, kids. Of course, now you can stream most everything, and what you can’t get for free is always available to rent, without ever leaving your couch.
A few 2022 blockbuster and indie suggestions to catch before the year ends. #JustAddPopcorn.
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” is a murder-mystery movie to cozy up with. In Rian Johnson’s sequel, set on a Greek Island, Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc is, once again, pure fun. Netflix
“Jurassic World Dominion,” the latest in the epic franchise, starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard — and with returning faves Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill — is the kind of movie that movie nights were made for. Now available to rent on various platforms, including Amazon Prime and AppleTV.
Austin Butler is the King in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” costarring Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker. HBOMax
Thirty-six years later, Tom Cruise returns to his Naval aviator role in “Top Gun: Maverick,” the top-grossing film of 2022, which has been winning awards too. Paramount+
Director Charlotte Wells’s acclaimed feature debut, “Aftersun,’’ from A24, is about a woman’s memories of a childhood trip with her father. Available for purchase on Amazon Prime and AppleTV.