On the last night of the year, North Texas does what it has always done best — it gathers, it celebrates, and it makes a little noise doing it. From the brick-paved streets of the Fort Worth Stockyards to the bright lights of downtown Dallas, New Year’s Eve arrives not as a single party, but as a constellation of them, each with its own soundtrack, its own rituals, and its own version of how to cross the threshold into the new year.

81 Club at Billy Bob’s Texas — “A Cold-Hearted Christmas”

Inside Billy Bob’s, the 81 Club takes a darker — and funnier — turn with Lone Star Murder Mystery Dinner Theater’s “A Cold-Hearted Christmas.” Set in a town pushed to the brink by the villainously named E.B. Neazer, the interactive comedy invites guests to help Marshal Jim Courtright solve a holiday murder before the spirit of the season disappears entirely. Part dinner, part theater, and part participatory chaos, it feels perfectly Stockyards-appropriate.

Rundown:

  • Where: 81 Club, Billy Bob’s Texas, 2520 Rodeo Plaza, Fort Worth, TX 76164

  • Date: December 31, 2025

  • Time: Evening show

  • Cost: Ticketed event

  • Info / Tickets: Billy Bob’s Texas

Billy Bob’s Texas — Dylan Gossett NYE Party

Billy Bob’s Texas, the world’s largest honky-tonk, hosts a New Year’s Eve that feels both contemporary and deeply rooted. Rising country star Dylan Gossett headlines the Main Stage after Pawn Shop Pearls warm up the Honky Tonk crowd, with four balloon drops and a champagne toast punctuating the midnight countdown. It’s live music, boots on concrete, and the sense that there’s no better place to mark time than where Fort Worth first learned how.

Rundown:

  • Where: Billy Bob’s Texas, 2520 Rodeo Plaza, Fort Worth, TX 76164

  • Date: December 31, 2025

  • Times: Doors 6 pm | Pawn Shop Pearls 8 pm | Dylan Gossett 10 pm | Midnight balloon drops & champagne toast

  • Cost: $25–$75

  • Info / Tickets: Billy Bob’s Texas

Cowtown Coliseum — Buckin’ New Year’s Eve

Across Exchange Avenue, Cowtown Coliseum offers a more kinetic farewell to 2025. Buckin’ New Year’s Eve delivers bronc riding, bull riding, American freestyle bullfighting, and a slate of live country performances that build toward a midnight pyrotechnics show. The celebration begins early, with Gracie Yates and Carson Clay setting the tone before the main event kicks off inside the historic arena. When the fireworks finally light up the roofline, the year doesn’t just end — it explodes.

Rundown:

  • Where: Cowtown Coliseum, 121 E Exchange Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76164

  • Date: December 31, 2025

  • Times: Preshow Gracie Yates 6 pm | Preshow Carson Clay 7:15 pm | Main rodeo 8 pm | Midnight fireworks

  • Cost: Starting ~$115

  • Info / Tickets: Cowtown Coliseum

Dallas — American Airlines Center / Stars vs. Sabres

If Fort Worth feels rooted in tradition, Dallas leans into spectacle. The Dallas Stars host the Buffalo Sabres at the American Airlines Center, offering a fast-paced, family-friendly way to ring in the new year amid the roar of Victory Green.

Rundown:

  • Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX

  • Date: December 31, 2025

  • Times: Evening game (check official schedule)

  • Cost: Ticketed event

  • Info / Tickets: American Airlines Center

Dallas Symphony Orchestra — New Year’s Eve Concert

Across the Arts District, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra welcomes 2026 with waltzes, polkas, marches, and celebratory classics — including a nod to Johann Strauss Jr.’s 200th birthday — under the baton of assistant conductor Shira Samuels-Shragg.

Rundown:

  • Where: Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas, TX

  • Date: December 31, 2025

  • Times: Evening concert

  • Cost: Ticketed event

  • Info / Tickets: Dallas Symphony

Dickies Arena — Parker McCollum NYE Concert

For those who prefer a polished, arena-style celebration, Parker McCollum takes over Dickies Arena with heartbreak, hooks, and hands-in-the-air singalongs.

Rundown:

  • Where: Dickies Arena, 1911 Montgomery St, Fort Worth, TX 76107

  • Date: December 31, 2025

  • Times: Evening concert

  • Cost: Ticketed event

  • Info / Tickets: Dickies Arena

El Chingon — West 7th Street

On West 7th, El Chingon keeps things loose and liquid-forward. The restaurant stays open late with specialty champagne cocktails designed for toasting, not overthinking.

Rundown:

  • Where: El Chingon, 2821 W 7th St, Fort Worth, TX 76107

  • Date(s): December 31, 2025 & January 1, 2026

  • Times: 3 pm – 2 am

  • Highlights: Specialty cocktails $12 each (Kir Royale, Sparkler)

  • Info: El Chingon

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History — Noon Year’s Eve

Earlier in the day, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History flips the script entirely. Noon Year’s Eve is a family-focused celebration with crafts, activities, and a confetti drop at exactly 12 noon — a reminder that not everyone needs to stay up late to welcome a new year.

Rundown:

  • Where: Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, 1600 Gendy St, Fort Worth, TX 76107

  • Date: December 31, 2025

  • Times: 10 am – 12 noon

  • Cost: Included with museum admission

  • Info: FWMuseum

Kimpton Harper Hotel — Cowtown Countdown: Rhinestone Rodeo / Starry Night in Cowtown

The Kimpton Harper Hotel hosts rooftop celebrations at Refinery 714, from a “Starry Night in Cowtown” to a Rhinestone Rodeo complete with DJs, skyline views, activations, and a midnight champagne toast.

Rundown:

  • Where: Kimpton Harper Hotel, 600 Main St, Fort Worth, TX 76102

  • Date: December 31, 2025

  • Times: Evening into late night

  • Cost: Ticketed event

  • Info / Tickets: Kimpton Harper Hotel

Meow Wolf Grapevine — Adulti-Verse NYE

Elsewhere in North Texas, Meow Wolf opens the portals for an adults-only New Year’s Eve in its Adulti-Verse, complete with burlesque performance and a champagne toast at midnight.

Rundown:

  • Where: Meow Wolf Grapevine, Grapevine, TX

  • Date: December 31, 2025

  • Times: Evening, 21+ event

  • Cost: Ticketed

  • Info / Tickets: Meow Wolf Grapevine

Four Day Weekend — NYE Show

The improv troupe Four Day Weekend turns comedy into a midnight ritual with dinner, laughs, and party favors at Stage West Theatre.

Rundown:

  • Where: Stage West Theatre, Fort Worth, TX

  • Date: December 31, 2025

  • Times: Cocktail-style dinner 8:30–9:45 pm | Show 10 pm onwards

  • Cost: Ticketed

  • Info / Tickets: Stage West Theatre

Dining in Fort Worth

Food, as always, plays a starring role:

  • Clay Pigeon: December 31, 2025 | Prix fixe | Reservations 817-882-8065

  • Eddie V’s: December 31, 2025 | Luxury seafood & prime steaks | Reservations 817-336-8000

  • Emilia’s: December 31, 2025 | Five-course prix fixe 5 pm ($225) & 8 pm ($300) | Crescent Hotel access optional

  • Toro Toro: December 31, 2025 | Five-course Pan-Latin dinner 5–10:30 pm

  • The Mont: December 31, 2025 | Seven-course menu 5–9 pm, $125 | Reservations 817-502-3400

Taken together, North Texas’ New Year’s Eve offerings read less like a checklist and more like a portrait. Rodeo and symphony coexist, families celebrate at noon, and revelers dance until 2 a.m. Whether you’re in the Stockyards, the Cultural District, or downtown Dallas, all that’s left is to show up — and let 2026 in.