This Wednesday is New Year’s Eve, and we’ve been hard at work researching the best events—from fireworks to parties to free festivities—where you can go to bid a “good riddance” to 2025. Between pyrotechnic-filled celebrations at theme parks, Downtown music festivals, cocktail parties, comedy shows and even ice skating, there’s something here to fit every need, whether you’re looking to stay out all night or be in bed before the clock strikes midnight (though it’s still TBD how some of these events may be affected by the rain predicted in this week’s forecast). Whatever your perfect celebration looks like, we’ll help you make it a memorable New Year’s. Hello, 2026! (Please be good…)
1. Celebrate at a massive free block party
Going out for New Year’s Eve can become one of the priciest dates of the year, but thankfully DTLA’s Gloria Molina Grand Park continues to offer an affordable and family-friendly option for the holiday. Flanked by the Music Center and City Hall, every inch of this three-block green space and three surrounding blocks will be covered in culture, including City Hall, which will be used as a 22-story canvas for a countdown projection enhanced with vibrant visuals.
During this year’s event, which will pay tribute to the resilience L.A. showed throughout 2025, crowds will groove to a soundtrack of DJ-driven tunes and live bands—including rapper Ruby Ibarra, Ceci Bastida and Bardo—across a pair of stages while hitting up a selection of 30 local food trucks (but do note: There’s no alcohol permitted or sold here). While you’re there, get your portrait taken by Community Collage, which is in the process of photographing 40,000 Angelenos for public murals leading up to the 2028 Olympics.
If you attempt to drive, you’ll find $10 parking at the Music Center, but taking Metro is a much better bet—especially since fares tend to be free for NYE.
Photograph: Courtesy David Sprague/Universal Studios
2. Seek some thrills at a theme park
Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm—called Knott’s “Merry” Farm this time of year—all stay open late and host countdown festivities and fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Disneyland has two displays of its “New Year’s Eve Fantasy in the Sky” show at 9pm and midnight, while Knott’s also offers family-friendly swing-dancing lessons and comedy, and EVE at Universal hosts themed parties and live entertainment at Universal Plaza, Springfield and near Jurassic World: The Ride.
Theme parks aren’t the only places shooting off fireworks on December 31. You can also catch a couple of free dazzling displays along the water. Marina del Rey rings in the new year with two pyro-filled countdowns: at both 9pm and midnight (or a minute before, to be precise). While the fireworks are set off near Burton Chace Park (which also hosts a family-friendly “glow party” from 7pm to midnight), all of the restaurants with harbor views should have visibility of the fireworks. Some of the restaurants host ticketed (read: pricey) dinners, so if you don’t feel like spending a lot, we suggest finding a spot along the water and enjoying the fireworks for free.
Or you can head to downtown Long Beach to catch its waterfront fireworks show at midnight. You can glimpse the display from pretty much anywhere near the water, like Shoreline Park and Shoreline Village, and you can expect dinner specials and parties at plenty of local businesses nearby (including the Queen Mary—more on that below).
Lastly, if you’re up for a trek to Orange County, the annual Winter Fest OC in Costa Mesa—a holiday event with light walk-throughs, snow play, ice tubing and photo ops aplenty—is hosting its own NYE celebration, staying open late to ring in the new year with DJ sets, tunes from tribute band Queen Nation and a fireworks show at midnight.
Photograph: Courtesy Giorgio’s Discotheque
4. Mask up at a masquerade
Don’t worry: We mean the fun kind of mask. Several celebrations bidding farewell to 2025 have adopted a masquerade theme this year. Embrace the Eyes Wide Shut/Fifty Shades Darker vibes with an ornate getup at these mysterious masked balls.
At the Queen Mary’s Masquerade Soirée, you can travel between elegant ballrooms and secret speakeasies on the opulent ocean liner, where each deck will be transformed into a distinct experience. Also on board will be roaming performers, fortune tellers, magicians, casino games, burlesque performances and dueling pianos. When the clock strikes midnight, share a New Year’s kiss under a dazzling fireworks display over the Pacific Ocean.
In Downtown L.A., Level 8’s Midnight Masquerade will fill the eight venues of the Houston Brothers’ nightlife destination with an immersive world of spectacle and live entertainment, from aerial artists and burlesque dancers to magicians and illusionists to DJs and live bands. Wander throughout the different concepts—including Que Bárbaro, Lucky Mizu, Mr. Wanderlust, Maison Kasai, Brown Sheep, Mother of Pearl and rooftop bar Golden Hour—there’s even a luchador wrestling match on the lineup. To eat, there will be passed hors d’oeuvres and globally inspired bites, which you can pair with premium cocktails from the four-hour open bar (8pm–midnight). You’ll have to spring for VIP tickets for access to the eighth venue, Sinners y Santos Nightclub.
The ultra-exclusive, A-list favorite Giorgio’s Discotheque is again popping up at West Hollywood hotel nightclub Sunset at EDITION for a New Year’s Eve Black & White Masquerade Ball celebrating the end of the year with high-style hedonism. Dance underneath 400 disco balls to a soundtrack from Studio 54 original DJ Nick Siano and Heidi Lawden. Your ticket will get you a welcome drink; if you want, make a whole night of it and start off with dinner at the hotel’s five-star Ardor ($275).
And Maxim once again takes over the Hollywood Roosevelt for the magazine’s Black and White Masquerade Ball, transforming the historic hotel into a glitzy winter wonderland for the night. Don your best semi-formal or cocktail attire (required) and masquerade mask (provided upon entry), and walk the red carpet amid celebs and models before enjoying live entertainment, music, photo ops and festive party favors to take home.
Photograph: Kit Leong/Shutterstock.com
5. Sip cocktails at a swanky soiree
If you still want sexy vibes but don’t want to cover up your NYE look with a mask, there are plenty of other parties you can dress to the nines for. Cocktail attire is required at Skybar’s party, which offers a four-hour open bar, plus a midnight champagne toast and skyline views. Given the weather, the pool will be covered and transformed into a light-up dance floor, so you can groove into the new year to tunes by DJ Thurston.
Nearby, the h.wood Group’s celeb-favored, ’20s-inspired lounge-slash-supper club Delilah will be ringing in the new year in style. Dine on selections from the handpicked à la carte menu (buttermilk fried oysters, anyone?) and join in a champagne toast at midnight. (Note: Wiz Khalifa was originally scheduled to perform, but has since had to cancel.)
You can also welcome 2026 against sweeping views of L.A. from a hilltop perch at Yamashiro. The Japanese restaurant—housed inside a historic Hollywood mansion from 1911—will host a bash with a premium open bar and a DJ spinning hip-hop, house and top 40 tunes, capped off with a champagne countdown and party favors.
Photograph: Courtesy Insomniac
6. Get in the groove at a music festival
Ring in the new year with confetti, pyro and thousands of your closest friends at Countdown, touted as the largest New Year’s Eve celebration on the West Coast. John Summit, Above & Beyond, Pryda, Madeon and a couple dozen other dance acts top Insomniac’s year-end fest, which moves from San Bernardino to Downtown L.A. this year—the L.A. Convention Center, to be precise. Advance tickets are sold out, but check the fest’s official ticket resale page for a way in.
The Gatsby-esque Prohibition NYE bash that typically took over Union Station at the end of the year seems to be no more—at least for now—but in its place this year is the also-KCRW-presented Resolutions, which will fill the historic train station with a party stretching from 8pm on New Year’s Eve into New Year’s Day itself. On December 31, hear a three-hour set by Bonobo; the next day, German techno duo Âme, plus Colyn, Jimi Jules and Marsh will perform, accompanied by state-of-the-art production, 10-point sound and visual elements, making for an immersive sonic experience.
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Justly venerated Philadelphia rap crew the Roots, anchored by Black Thought and Questlove, will take a recess from the Tonight Show stage to bring their jazzy take on hip-hop to L.A. for two year-end concerts at the Walt Disney Concert Hall this New Year’s Eve. KCRW’s Novena Carmel will kick things off with a DJ set and complimentary champagne toast. After the show, you can walk across the street and join the free N.Y.E.L.A. celebration at Gloria Molina Grand Park.
8. Ring in 2026 at a rooftop bar
Gain some perspective with a bird’s-eye view of L.A. at one of these rooftop bars—you might even be able to spot some NYE fireworks from above. Pioneertown-by-way-of-Hollywood Desert 5 Spot is once again hosting its Honky Tonk New Year’s Eve celebration, complete with music from country singers Johnny Travis Jr. and Nikki Lane and a live set by DJ Revel. At midnight, you can supplement the five-hour premium open bar and passed hors d’oeuvres with a special tequila toast—who needs champagne?
Downtown, the Freehand hotel will bring the house down during its Higher Grooves NYE Rooftop Party at rooftop oasis Broken Shaker. Local music collectives Made to Move and LOW Recordings have curated a lineup of artists—agraybé, Akumen, Andy Oro, Beggar, Dirt Vibes and Naomi Green—who will be spinning infectious house, disco and electronic music all night long. Grab a handcrafted cocktail and dance with the DTLA skyline as your backdrop. The best part: Entry is free (last year there was a complimentary champagne toast at midnight too).
Osa Rooftop—Pasadena’s new and only rooftop bar, located atop the AC Hotel—is celebrating its first New Year’s Eve with a party, complete with a premium open bar, light fare from the menu of California cuisine, live DJ performances and hillside views. Take note: The hotel sits along the route of the Rose Parade, Pasadena’s world-famous New Year’s Day tradition, and is offering a front-row seat to the action, along with a brunch buffet, the following morning from 7 to 11am ($125).
9. Head to a celebration with no cover charge
Every bar seems to be hosting some kind of shindig for New Year’s, but often this means you’ll need to buy a ticket that will cost upward of $100 to secure a spot. On the other hand, there’s Angel City Brewery’s annual No Cover New Year’s bash, which is going Art Deco this year, ringing in 2026 with gilded glamour and great beer. Dress to impress and show off your fabulous flapper energy at themed photo ops. As the name implies, there’s no cover to attend—just make sure to secure a seat early. You can grab dinner from ACB’s on-site House Made food truck.
And while most New Year’s Eve parties in L.A. celebrate the stroke of midnight on the West Coast—and a bunch mark the ball drop on the East Coast—Los Feliz’s Big Bar celebrates the occasion with 10 countdowns. That’s nine themed cocktails (for purchase) and one complimentary champagne toast at midnight. This year’s “Alice in Oz” theme mashes up two fantasy favorites—Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz outfits are encouraged—and culminates in three cheers with a ruby glass.
10. Cosplay at Clifton’s Republic
Any night at the historic Clifton’s Republic is a whimsical, transporting experience, but the storied Downtown destination is upping the whimsy with its NYE Midwinter Monster’s Ball, “a gathering of creatures from every realm.” Soak up the dark fantasy vibes as you dance under the boughs of the three-story faux redwood. Providing the soundtrack will be a lineup of both live music and DJs, including Machinedrum, who’ll be performing a high-energy set right into midnight. Costumes are encouraged but not required—though there will be a cosplay contest with a pretty covetable prize: dinner and an overnight stay at a four-star Santa Barbara hotel, with cash prizes for two runner-ups.
Photograph: Luke Fontana
11. Catch a comedy show
They say laughter is the best medicine—and we could definitely use some cheering up after making it through 2025. You’ll be in good hands at a trio of comedy shows taking place December 31. Spend New Year’s Eve with A-list comedians including Nikki Glaser, Iliza Shlesinger, Patton Oswalt, Todd Glass and more, who’ll take the stage at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre—an epic setting for a comedy show. (The show it starts at 6pm, so you might want to make plans for afterward—luckily the Roosevelt is right down the street.)
Each year, renowned career-launching comedy troupe the Groundlings puts on a New Year’s Eve Spectacular, full of improv and sketches. Add gourmet treats, wine and a traditional champagne toast at midnight, and you’ve got everything you need for the perfect evening. You might even catch a glimpse of the next Will Ferrell or Lisa Kudrow while you’re at it.
And Dynasty Typewriter’s namesake comedy show Dynasty Tonight! brings stand-up and assorted entertainment to the theater, including for this NYE show with sets from hilarious comedians like Aparna Nancherla, Brent Weinbach, Jared Logan, Ashley Ray and Tony Sam. Each ticket includes a champagne toast at midnight.
12. Add some puppets to the party
While all of the above celebrations sound amazing, you know what they’re missing? Marionettes. Enter Ron Lynch’s Tomorrow! NYE Party at Bob Baker Marionette Theater. The comedian’s long-running, bizarre variety show—filled with comedy, music and puppetry—returns to the Highland Park theater for a 21+ New Year’s Eve bash. The show will also feature a TBA lineup of all-star acts and culminate with dancing at midnight.
13. Count down early with the kiddos
If little ones are part of your New Year’s celebration, chances are they won’t be staying up with you till midnight. But there are earlier, family-friendly NYE options that are still lots of fun: Hands-on slime museum and playland Sloomoo Institute is hosting “Noon Year’s Eve,” counting down at 11:59am till an epic glittery slime drop cascades into the 350-gallon Lake Sloomoo, a la the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.
And located just blocks from the ocean, Ice at Santa Monica brings a bit of winter to the coastal city each year. The 8,000-square-foot outdoor rink on the corner of Fifth Street and Arizona Avenue will be counting down to East Coast midnight (a.k.a. 9pm) at a family-friendly NYE celebration from 7:30–10pm.
While they’re not hosting dedicated celebrations for New Year’s Eve, there are other local rinks where you can glide and spin the remainder of the year away. Holiday Ice Rink Pershing Square will be open till 10pm—the perfect precursor to subsequent Downtown reveling. And L.A. Kings Holiday Ice at L.A. Live will be open till 12:30am, in case you want to spend the stroke midnight on the ice itself. Winter Fest OC also boasts an ice rink, which you can enjoy before the fireworks show.
Photograph: Time Out/Michael Juliano
And last but not least, we love the idea of doing something fun on New Year’s Eve—but being nice and cozy at home before the ball drops sounds great too. To that end, we have the perfect solution: these festive displays that are keeping their lights on into early January.
If you haven’t gotten the chance this winter, check out Enchanted Forest of Light at Descanso Gardens. The interactive, nighttime program sets up illuminated installations around the botanical garden grounds, from luminescent forests to free-standing hands-on art pieces to the whimsical model railroad. It’s open till 10pm on New Year’s Eve. And at South Coast Botanic Garden, Astra Lumina, an hour-long Palos Verdes light trail, guides you through nine cosmically mesmerizing installations. Time slots for visiting the celestial-inspired display are available through 8:45pm on New Year’s Eve.