If you’ve been following SpotZone on Twitter, you’ll have noticed the countless leads we have on Hollywood, DTLA, and Santa Monica parties and events this New Year’s Eve. In fact, if you’ve been to any bar or club in the past month you’ve probably received a flyer or promotional email advertising their upcoming New Year’s event` Let’s face it: this night is the biggest evening in nightlife. It’s the busiest night for restaurants besides Valentine’s Day, and it’s the one time that your friends who don’t go out do.
At SpotZone, we hate leaving things up to chance, which is why our app offers you real time ratings for how hot a place is on any given night, so you don’t end up somewhere that’s too crowded, too dead, or too boring.
But let’s face it, New Year’s Eve cannot be planned the night of, which is why we’re helping you figure out which places you should book tickets or bottle service tables at now. Start texting your promoters, this is SpotZone’s Definitive Ranking of Places to Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2015:
10. Salvage Bar and Lounge, DTLA
We’re going to start with the bars. Places that will be fun, having good music and fun crowds, but won’t be packed full of Hollywood clubbers pushing to get closer to their favorite DJ’s. You won’t find bottle service and the pretention that comes with it here. Tickets are pricey: $100, but it’s New Year’s Eve, and they’re going to be at least that much everywhere, except…
But let’s face it, New Year’s Eve cannot be planned the night of, which is why we’re helping you figure out which places you should book tickets or bottle service tables at now. Start texting your promoters, this is SpotZone’s Definitive Ranking of Places to Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2015:
10. Salvage Bar and Lounge, DTLA
We’re going to start with the bars. Places that will be fun, having good music and fun crowds, but won’t be packed full of Hollywood clubbers pushing to get closer to their favorite DJ’s. You won’t find bottle service and the pretention that comes with it here. Tickets are pricey: $100, but it’s New Year’s Eve, and they’re going to be at least that much everywhere, except…
9. 31Ten Lounge, Santa Monica
For a relaxed evening full of drinking and great service, you need only pay $65. The service here is generally pretty great, but keep in mind that every location on New Year’s Eve is going to be busier than they can handle and you might have to wait for your drinks longer than you normally would. That’s okay. You’re still going to have a great 2015. Plus, drinking near the beach means you can leave before the midnight ball drops and go ring in the New Year by drunkenly running into the ocean at the nearby beach. I’m not the only one that does that, right?
8. The Bungalow, Santa Monica
Tickets to this event are a little pricier, $150, but that’s because The Bungalow prides itself in being more upscale. The event is black tie, and if you don’t book a bottle service table, you will be standing the whole time. But, they will be serving premium drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Since I had to look up how to spell that, I know this probably isn’t my type of crowd, but it could be yours.
7. Avalon Hollywood
This place can get dangerously fun, and New Year’s Eve will not be an exception. It’s got a great, open setup, and has been newly remodeled. This year’s party features DJ’s BLASTERJAXX and D.O.D., so the music will be good, and you’ll probably have a fun Hollywood night. Set your Advil out on the bed the night before.
6. Argyle Hollywood
One of my personal favorites, Argyle boasts 60’s style décor and an upper dance floor, where the music will pump all night, and a basement lounge, which serves amazing drinks. It can be a hit or miss, depending on the crowd that’s there, though, and on New Year’s Eve, all bets are off. Everyone will be there. It’s a relatively small place, but a generally good time, which I’m placing it halfway up on my list.
5. OHM Nightclub, Hollywood
Everyone loves a theme party, so OHM is going #tbt and making their New Year’s Eve party Hollywood Prom themed. Jury’s out on whether or not prom dresses will make everyone in attendance act like they’re in high school, but for nostalgia’s sake, you have no excuse to not go in for the midnight kiss. General admission tickets are $30, and $100 for a hosted bar. They boast some surprise special guests this year, but their identities are under wraps for now. Warning: bottle service is generally emphasized over dancing, which means the guy to girl ratio will be more favorable toward the ladies, but hey, this means you don’t have to start the New Year paying for your own drinks.
4. Lure, Hollywood
Remember when I said that some places have a less pretentious, more relaxed atmosphere? Yeah, that’s not Lure. Their website boasts a “high-flying, nightlife in-crowd,” so you know this is a place to see and be-seen. Also the drinks can be accurately described as having “Hollywood Prices,” but if that’s in your budget, go for it. The music situation is definitely the best of both worlds: inside they’ve got DJ Brass Knuckles to satisfy you EDM lovers, and the outdoor patio area has the hip-hop music you’ll crave when you need a break. Warning: smokers mob the outdoor area, so if you’re asthmatic, maybe head somewhere else, like…
3. Playhouse, Hollywood
Playhouse has a “Solid Gold” themed New Year’s Eve. No idea what that means, but it sounds bougie enough, so count me in. You want to start your 2015 off glamorous, right? Your admission ticket also gets you an open bar and a champagne toast at midnight, but other than that, it seems like your standard club, where there’s music and people, but if you’re a guy, you might want to book bottle service. Ladies, you’ll have fun no matter what.
“DTLA for my New Year’s Eve?” you balk. “But I want the crazy nightlife that Hollywood offers!” Fear not, and hear me out. Every year The Standard books out the entire hotel for Rhondopolis, a four-club, thirteen-floor dance party frenzy that saves its 207 rooms exclusively for party guests. It’s got a rooftop bar with a pool, four different DJ sets, and a hangover party at the pool the next day. If you want your party to last all night (and you don’t want to pay Uber’s undoubtedly astronomical surge pricing this evening) book a room. It comes with your tickets to admission, which include an open bar that takes care of everything (including tips). This is where I’ll be New Year’s Eve, and I recommend it, unless you want something a little more “high-roller”…
1. Hakkasan Nightclub, Las Vegas
This year, fly your private jet to Sin City for the most expensive bottle service in the world, if you’re into that sort of thing. Hakkasan is offering what it calls the “Dynastie Package” for $500,000. This VIP treatment comes with a staff of forty at your service, diamond cuff links and a diamond necklace, a 30-liter Midas (the world’s largest champagne bottle), a gold disc signed by Calvin Harris, an exclusive championship belt, and the ability to say that you started 2015 the right way: by dropping half a million dollars on a night of debauchery.
Your New Year’s resolution: download the SpotZone app to make sure that every night is this amazing. Check in with your favorite clubs before you arrive to make sure they’re fun, the line isn’t too long, and the music is worth dancing to. And if you haven’t yet, follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook to hear more about great nightlife events and deals in Southern California. You’re welcome.