Skip to content

Plan Your New Year’s Eve With Our Guide to All the Parties, Restaurants and More

With New Year's Eve falling on a Sunday this year, there's a whole weekend worth of festivities.

By Megan Toal December 12, 2017

needle-new-years-eve-fireworks

New Year’s Eve comes with a lot of excitement, but also a bit of stress. There’s a lot of pressure to plan the perfect night among myriad party options and tough-to-get dinner reservations. Fortunately, we’re here to help.

Whether you’re looking for an early fete with the kiddos, dinner and dancing, or wish to skip the NYE mayhem by celebrating the night before, here are some of the best options in Seattle.

New Year’s Eve at Chihuly Glasshouse
Dine, dance and watch the Space Needle fireworks surrounded by fanciful glass sculpture. Guests encouraged to arrive by 10 p.m. $250. Seattle Center, Chihuly Garden and Glass, 305 Harrison St.; 206.753.4940; chihulygardenandglass.com.

Indulgence
A comedy stage, cover bands playing the hits and admission to MoPop exhibits all come as part of Seattle’s biggest NYE party. 8 p.m. Prices vary. MoPop, Seattle Center, 325 Fifth Ave. N; 206.770.2700; seattlebash.com.

Fireworks at the Space Needle
Gather on the grounds to ring in the new year as our city’s icon blows its top. Show starts at midnight. Free. Seattle Center under the Space Needle, 400 Broad St.; 206.905.2100; spaceneedle.com.

Spectra 2017
This bash features KEXP DJs, science demos, a view of the Space Needle fireworks from under the courtyard arches and much more. 9 p.m.–2 a.m. Prices vary. Seattle Center, Pacific Science Center, 200 Second Ave. N; 206.443.2001; pacificsciencecenter.org.

New Year’s Eve Celebration
DJ Freddy, King of Pants, will get the crowds on their feet during the light show at the International Fountain while cover band Sway rocks in the Armory. 8 p.m. Free. Seattle Center Armory, 305 Harrison St.; 206.684.7200; seattlecenter.com.

Steve Byrne at Parlor Live + Boogie Nights party
Laugh your heart out at Parlor Live as Gary Cannon hosts a comedy show starring Steve Byrne and Corinne Fisher this New Year’s Eve. Afterward, dance the year away with the Disco Ballz and other DJs at post-show dance party Boogie Nights. Tickets to the show includes Boogie Nights admission (VIP upgrades available). Times and prices vary. Parlor Live, Bellevue, 700 Bellevue Way NE #300; 425.289.7000; parlorlive.com.

Slammin’ Jammin’ New Year’s Eve Celebration
Ajente.com and DJ Robin Summerrise present the Slammin’ Jammin’ party at Hilton Doubletree. Come for the party with jazz, hip hop and R&B, or choose packages to add dinner, a hotel suite and a New Year’s Day breakfast. Semi-formal to business casual dress code enforced. Doors open at 9 p.m. Prices vary. Hilton Doubletree, Tukwila, 16500 Southcenter Parkway; 206.557.3242; ajente.com.

Resolution at WaMu (Dec. 29)
If you can’t wait until New Year’s Eve (or want to avoid the official party holiday chaos), there’s the New Year’s Resolution at WaMu two nights before the ball drops. Enjoy a pre-New Year’s dance party with EDM stars Alesso, Duke Dumont, Nero, Ferry Corsten and more. 6:30 p.m. Dec. 29. Prices vary. SoDo, WaMu Theater, 800 Occidental Ave. S; 206.381.7848; resolutionseattle.com.

Seattle Children’s Museum
Ring in every time zone of the New Year with your little ones at the New Year’s Eve Celebration at Seattle Children’s Museum. As 2018 reaches different parts of the globe, guests may raise a glass of juice and enjoy a craft or activity that represents a tradition in countries like India, Ethiopia and Brazil. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Prices vary. Seattle Children’s Museum, Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St.; 206.441.1768; thechildrensmuseum.org.

Jai Ho! Bollywood Masquerade (Dec. 30)
Jai Ho! returns to Seattle for one final time in 2017 for a pre-NYE Bollywood masquerade party at Columbia City Theater. Enjoy dance lessons, henna and dance group Live2Dance, while DJ Ki and DJ Skee play Bollywood dance music. Fret not, mask-less partygoers. Your ticket includes one. 9 p.m.–2 a.m. Dec. 30. Prices vary. Columbia City Theater, Columbia City, 4916 Rainier Ave S; 206.722.3009; columbiacitytheater.com.

Prix Fixe dinners
Ethan Stowell’s restaurants feature four- or five-course prix fixe NYE dinners starting at $55. Enjoy varieties of truffles, seafood and wine pairings to go around. Check out Goldfinch Tavern for a midnight champagne toast and party favors for sale. Times and prices vary. Reservations at ethanstowellrestaurants.com or by calling the individual restaurants.

Gatsby & Gold at The Shop
Gearhead hangout The Shop in SoDo rings in the New Year with a 1920s-themed Gatsby & Gold party. Festivities include aerial artists, casino games and a whiskey and dessert bar, plus a chance to peep The Shop’s classic cars and private members-only rooms. Come for the cars, stay for the party. Cocktail and ‘20s attire strongly encouraged. 9 p.m. Prices vary. 206.736.9966; SoDo, The Shop, 2233 6th Ave. S; theshopclubs.com.

Tarsan i Jane
Fremont tasting menu aces Tarsan i Jane offer seven- or nine-course dinners (early seatings are seven courses) of their high-end Valencian food. Beverage pairings and other add-ons are available for an extra $119 a head. Times vary. $155-$185 per person. Tarsan i Jane, Freemont, 4012 Leary Way NW; 206.557.7059; tarsanijane.com.

Dinner and a ferry
Fancy a NYE ferry ride? Snag a ressie for an upscale eight-course dinner at Hitchcock and make the trek to Bainbridge Island. For something more casual, stroll into neighboring Bruciato with a few friends at your leisure. Times and locations vary. Bainbridge Island. Hitchcock: 133 Winslow Way; 206.201.3789; hitchcockrestaurant.comBruciato: 236 Winslow Way; 206.201.3462; pizzabruciato.com.

First Night Tacoma
Performers of every stripe grace multiple stages in this family-friendly, arts-oriented, alcohol-free celebration. Games, s’mores, music and “the world’s shortest parade” precede a fire spectacular just before midnight. 6 p.m. Prices vary. Tacoma, 900 block of Broadway; firstnighttacoma.org.

Dina Martina
To her usual stage shows—promising “ludicrous song, horrifying stories and overburdened costumes”—this entertaineress’s Christmas wingding adds audience gifts, holiday pathos and award-winning composer Chris Jeffries at the keyboard. Times and prices vary. Re-bar, 1114 Howell St.; 800.838.3006; dinamartina.com.

Follow Us

Ferry Tales: Eight Indie Bookstores Worth the Ride

Ferry Tales: Eight Indie Bookstores Worth the Ride

Plan a summer day around these bookshops in Seattle, Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Kingston, and Poulsbo.

Independent bookstores tend to be cornerstones of the communities in which they reside, and Seattle is no exception. In addition to helping customers discover their next read, these neighborhood hubs host weekly gatherings and events, like publication release parties, author talks, and book clubs. Many of them have cafés and reading tables that encourage lingering…

Rearview Mirror: Seattle Art Fair is Back, Nordstrom Throws a Block Party, and a Must-Try Ice Cream Sundae

Rearview Mirror: Seattle Art Fair is Back, Nordstrom Throws a Block Party, and a Must-Try Ice Cream Sundae

Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).

SEATTLE ART FAIR RETURNS  The buzziest event of the summer (well, aside from the World Cup), is returning next week. Now in its 10th edition, the Seattle Art Fair will once again take over the Lumen Field Event Center, packing it to the gills with art from 101 local, national, and international galleries. This year,…

Studio Sessions: Jennifer Leigh Harrison

Studio Sessions: Jennifer Leigh Harrison

Seattle artist Jennifer Leigh Harrison uses layers of paint and abstraction to explore what we carry beneath the surface.

Jennifer Leigh Harrison’s paintings are dense with movement. Color and texture gather into mosaic-like fields, as if they have been fractured and reformed. There are places in the work where a frenetic buzz seems trapped between the canvas and the first layer of paint. That energy runs through Patterns of Belonging, her current exhibition at…

ENHYPEN’s Jay Has K-Pop Stardom and a Seattle Heart

ENHYPEN’s Jay Has K-Pop Stardom and a Seattle Heart

The Federal Way-raised singer talks hometown memories, Ivar’s clam chowder, and how it feels to perform in the place he grew up.

Long before he was performing in sold-out arenas around the world and representing brands like Prada, ENHYPEN’s Jay called the Puget Sound region home. Born Jay Park (not to be confused with the other famous K-pop star of the same name, who is also from Seattle) in Seattle and raised in nearby Federal Way before…