New Year's Eve, Party?

Ithaca Blog gets a lot of hits in December by people searching for "New Year's Eve party."

It's hard to accommodate these seekers of seasonal fun, because NYEve is an amorphous time in Ithaca.

All bars and clubs are open, of course. For the most part, however, they don't have A-list entertainment.

A-list entertainers want pay, and there is no incentive for bars and clubs to pay large coarse notes on 12/31, as patrons will come out anyway.

Even if the pay were good, it is a hard night for musicians, as people are listening to them even less than usual. The people are howling for beverages, as it is a night when, shall we say, giddiness, is not a source of opprobrium, in a public that is less than observant.

Against the odds, anyway, local big guys The Sim Redmond Band will have a show at Castaways, and it will be the largest event of the night. Opening is Sunny Weather, old Ithaca favorites in reunion.

SRB does it every year, so it must work for them, and one and all. It also sells out, so if interested, you should get ticketed by Castaways soon.

Overall, the party line is this: anyplace will do tonight, if you are interested in being among the drunk, disorderly, and disoriented. Every place you can think of will be packed.

Personally, what we like to do on New Year's Eve is meet some friends and eat sushi and drink champagne. Then, even if nothing else good happens all year, at least you had sushi and champagne.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca NY Blog