Where to party like it's 2025

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Happy Tuesday, Capital District! Today, we’re setting you up to ring in the New Year right with a roundup of the best parties in the land 🪩🍾 Plus, we’ve got a slew of Christmas shows on deck.

Let’s get our holiday bells on 🔔🎄 

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Where to welcome in 2025 💃🪩 🍸️ 

It’s almost time to usher in the new year. Yes, we know, you haven’t even finished your holiday shopping yet! But you still gotta get tix for the big night if you’re planning on painting the town.

Whether you’re looking for a raging party or a more chill celebration, the Capital District offers a bit of something for everyone. Here are some of the best bets we’re seeing:

Saratoga NYE: Saratoga has one of the more interesting events this year. The city’s got an excellent lineup of musicians playing at City Center, Universal Preservation Hall and Caffe Lena, including Ben Folds and Dogs in a Pile. One ticket gets you into everything.

The Desmond Hotel in Albany puts on one of the best New Year’s Eve parties in the entire Capital Region. Sadly, it looks like tickets are already all sold out. Make a mental note for 2026!

If you’re looking for a hoppin’ bar scene with dancing and drinks, we’d hit up one of these joints:

• Dove & Deer: A Pristine New Year, Albany

• City Beer Hall: New Year’s Eve Party with Miller High Life (yes, the champagne of beer), Albany

• New Scotland Spirits Tasting Room: New Year’s Eve Party, Albany

• Larkin Hi-Fi: New Year’s Eve for the People, Albany (no cover!)

• Lark Street Tavern: 2nd Annual New Year’s Eve, Albany

• No Fun: New Years Honkin' Eve w/ Brule County Bad Boys, Troy

• The Pickle: NYE Party, Troy

Want something a bit more, shall we say, classed up? Check out these places:

• NYE Party at the Queensbury Hotel, Glens Falls

• NYE’s Soiree at Vice & Virtue, Schenectady

• Bootlegger’s Ball at Bootlegger’s on Broadway, Troy

• NYE Celebration at Vapors Nightclub, Saratoga

• Gatsby Ski Weekend, Lenox, MA

• Midnight Masquerade at the Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge, MA

• Fireside Countdown at Hotel Lilien, Tannersville, NY

• Woodlands Masquerade Party at Deer Mountain Inn, Tannersville, NY

And for something totally different, but still fun!

• Opal Essence’s New Year’s Eve Dragtacular!, theREP in Albany

• Monster Prom NYE Party at Bard & Bakers, Troy (board games for NYE? yes please)

• NYE at the Mopco Improv Theatre, Schenectady (no bar, but lots of laughing)

• NYE Family Show & Ball Drop at the Mopco, Schenectady (this family-friendly show ends at 8 pm!)

• First Night of Funny at Proctors, Schenectady (comedy > drunk randos)

Lastly, a shoutout to the Madison Theatre in Albany, which is putting on its own NYE’s party in the recently reopened theater/restaurant.

❄️ WEATHER WATCH

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🌚 Celebrate the longest night of the year with one of these winter solstice events on Saturday. OLANA Winter Solstice Celebration and the Catskill Winter Solstice stand out in this Times Union round-up (gift article), which features events in the Hudson Valley.

👏 Last week, the Pine Hills Land Authority won the auction for the entire College of St. Rose campus, with a $35 million bid. The community reaction seems to be one of relief and optimism. Albany Common Council member and co-owner of the Madison Theatre, Owusu Anane, sums it up: “This is many different levels of government all coming together to say we are going to save the Pine Hills neighborhood.” [News10]

🪶 Niskayuna is reconsidering its proposed new logo, which shows a heron flying over the Mohawk River. The redesign became a necessity when former town historian Denis Brennan noted that the existing logo—which features native Americans living in stereotypical teepees—was woefully inaccurate. But locals aren’t exactly loving the new logo either; some say it doesn’t show enough of the town’s rich history. [Daily Gazette]

Please, Santa, bring me this home for Christmas 🏡 🎄🎅 

This airy, well-balanced 1930s Colonial in Albany's desirable Melrose neighborhood blends classic charm with modern updates. Stand-out features include a thoughtfully redesigned kitchen with marble countertops, custom cabinetry, and Fisher & Paykel appliances. The colorful slate floor in the sunroom is an excellent example of elevating a space with a touch of high-quality natural material.

Original woodwork and custom built-ins add warmth and character, while the fenced, landscaped backyard offers a private retreat. Nestled on a picturesque tree-lined street near Rosemont Park, downtown Albany, and major hospitals, this home perfectly balances quiet living with everyday convenience.

The deets: 3 bd, 1 ba, 1388 sf. Asking: $350,000. Days on market: 2. See the full listing here.

🎟️ WHAT’S HAPPENING

Note: Our full weekend roundup publishes on Thursday! Keep an eye on your inbox.

🪐 On Thursday, scratch your astronomy itch as the Adirondack Sky Center Astronomy Hub presents StarLab Show: Back to the Moon for Good, narrated by Tim Allen.

🎅 Melodies of Christmas at Proctors is a symphony of holiday music presented by the ESYO Symphony Orchestra. Proceeds benefit the Melodies Center for Childhood Cancer & Blood Disorders at Albany Med.

🎄 On Wednesday, Troy Music Hall presents “Christmas with the New York Tenors.”

🥳 On Thursday, Albany County Legislator Sam Fein invites you to a free holiday party at the Argus Hotel. RSVP here.

🎄 A Sherlock Carol at theREP mashes up the stories of ol’ Scrooge and Sherlock Holmes for a charming holiday show. Through Dec. 22.

🖼️ Art Night Schenectady is a walkable celebration of the arts, taking place Friday.

🍸️ Fireside Friday at Saratoga’s Night Owl features 2-for-1 drinks. The following night, get to the Night Owl for their annual Xmas Party w/ DJ Trumaster.

🎥 Also Friday, the Palace Theatre’s free movie nights continue with the holiday classic, It’s a Wonderful Life.

🎅 On Saturday morning, Ten Broeck Mansion puts on a free Sinterklaas story hour for the kids. Sinterklaas is a variation on St. Nick celebrated in Belgium.

🍪 Also Saturday, Nine Pin hosts the Great Gingerbread Build-Off!

🎸 LIVE MUSIC & MORE

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