Craig Winzer
Whether you wish to bid a fond farewell to 2014 or just say good riddance, there are plenty of ways to party and dance your way to 2015. Here are some spots around town where bands will be rocking, bootys will be shaking and booze will be flowing.
For additional options, see isthmus.com/theguide.
1980 Atwood Ave.
"Nasty New Year's" celebrates its fifth anniversary with Stevens Point party band the Mustache playing from 11:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. You can expect champagne at midnight and plenty of hirsute revelers. All proceeds from the $10 cover will go to WORT 89.9 FM.
418 E. Wilson St.
Fresh off a string of dates commemorating its 40th anniversary, "the Bird" welcomes another year with music by DJ Chamo and a special guest from New York City, DJ Ronald Zee. Night owls take note: doors open at 8 p.m. but dancing lasts until 5 a.m.
508 & 514 E. Wilson St.
Ringing in the New Year at Come Back In and Essen Haus is twice the fun. Starting at 6 p.m., celebrants can enjoy two bars and two buffets and, later in the evening, two bands. Half-liters of German imports and craft brews will be on tap at 9 p.m., when Tom Brusky takes the floor at Essen House and Live at Nine at Come Back In. Free champagne will also be served at midnight. This all-inclusive, ticket-only event is $65 before Dec. 23 and $70 after.
202 State St.
If you're looking for a more laid-back New Year's Eve, the Comedy Club on State is the place to be. Comedian Theo Von, who first hit cable airwaves in 1999 on MTV's Road Rules and now hosts TBS game show Deal With It, will perform three stand-up sets (5:30, 8 and 10:30 p.m.). The inventor of "crank texting" -- the sending of text messages to random phone numbers to start a conversation -- Von has been called one of the "brightest up-and-comers in standup comedy." Von returns to the Comedy Club Jan. 2-3.
1 W. Dayton St.
Odds are a night on the town will cost you, but the Concourse Hotel's pricey celebration sounds like a safe return on investment. Packages start at $169 for a room for two, two tickets to a jazz show with Madison's Harmonious Wail and a champagne toast at midnight. For $479 you get all this plus a room with a Jacuzzi, a cocktail and hors d'oeuvres reception, four drink vouchers, two steak and lobster dinners, a comedy show featuring Bob Zany, a VO5 concert, a DJ dance party and New Year's Day brunch for two. As the Concourse advertises, "get toasted at midnight and get juiced in the morning."
117 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
For a less expensive yet still extravagant celebration, get dolled up to visit DLUX. The night's schedule runs from 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. and includes an open bar with draft beers, signature kegged cocktails, Scotch whisky and more. DJ Eugene M. Craven provides the beats, and there's a champagne toast at midnight. Individual tickets start at $75; reserved table packages have sold out.
3735 Monona Ave.
The Urban League of Greater Madison Young Professionals has organized this inaugural "One Night, One Community New Year's Celebration" to demonstrate that Madison is a place where diversity lives, works and plays together. Community members and young professionals of all backgrounds are encouraged to ring in the New Year with an evening of food, music and dancing. The ticketed $40 event begins at 8 p.m.
121 W. Main St.
If 2014 is a year you'd like to leave behind, your best bet for New Year's Eve may be the Frequency. Whisky Pig will be headlining a $5 lineup featuring hard rock, whiskey and more whiskey. What more can you ask for from a night with Madison's partying-est band?
227 State St.
Start the New Year in style at Fresco's "New Year's Eve ArtPOP." This party features DJ Billy the Kid, 20 bottles of champagne from around the world and three flutes of sparkling wine from the Bubbly Bar. Festivities start at 9:30 p.m., and a midnight balloon drop will fill the windows of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Tickets are $60.
123 E. Doty St.
The Great Dane Downtown will be partying into the New Year with DJ Vilas Park Sniper. For just a $5 cover charge, guests receive party favors and a glass of champagne for a midnight toast. Prefer to steer clear of downtown? Check out the Great Dane Fitchburg (featuring DJ Landology) or Hilldale (DJ AudioMaxx and WheelHouse).
701 E. Washington Ave.
Taking a page out of the playbook normally reserved for Halloween, High Noon Saloon is lining up a bunch of one-off local tribute bands to take on the classic catalogs of Iron Maiden, Oasis, Jesus Lizard, Social Distortion, Turbonegro and the Hanson Brothers. A $10 cover gets all this and champagne, snacks and party music from DJs Lovecraft and Easy Data.
116 W. Mifflin St.
A masquerade ball doesn't provide much anonymity, but it could help loosen up the guests. Ivory Room invites masked patrons in for a New Year's Eve of dueling pianos, champagne toasts and all-you-can-drink beer, wine and mixers. A $75 door charge is steep for bar hoppers, but folks who stick around all night will find out what the touted "fun surprise" is and surely wind up in a "Rocket Man" sing-along.
119 King St.
DJ Brook will entertain from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. at what is being billed as an "ultra sophisticated dance party." A $20 cover charge gets you in the door, but groups might want to take advantage of the perks that accompany a four- or six-person VIP option: a one-liter bottle of vodka and a reserved table all night. This will run your group $220 to $260, but even the most sophisticated dancer needs to take a rest now and then.
115 King St.
There's no time like New Year's Eve to look back on the past and ahead to the future. For the third straight year, the Majestic aims to do just that with "Decadance," a night commemorating the last 100-plus years of music -- everything from Louis Armstrong to the Beatles to Prince to Iggy Azalea. DJs Nick Nice and Mike Carlson will spin the tunes, and there will be a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets are $15.
121 S. Pinckney St.
There are two options for breaking in the New Year at this craft cocktail bar. Revelers can start with Merchant's three-course New Year's dinner ($50, or $75 with wine and cocktail pairing) and then receive free admittance into DJ Phil Money's dance party; otherwise it's $10 at the door. Either way it's a night of delicious drinks and dancing.
1524 Williamson St.
A cozy bar for celebrating, Mickey's Tavern should be packed full of party animals this New Year's Eve. Madison punk brats Fire Retarded, still kicking it with 2014's Scroggz Manor, return from last year and will be joined by instrumental rock vaqueros El Valiente, new garage punkers the Minotaurs (featuring members of Double Ewes and the Wood Chickens) and one-man band Trin Tran.
924 Williamson St.
Celebrate this New Year's Eve in style at Plan B, which Isthmus readers have chosen as Madison's favorite gay bar for three consecutive years. For just $10 you get a champagne toast when the ball drops, a midnight buffet and hours of dancing to DJ Amos Smith.
120 E. Wilson St.
Evan Murdock and the Imperfect Strangers visit the seafood restaurant's shell at 10:30 p.m. for a night of Midwestern Americana and a touch of sass. They will be joined by Chris Plowman, and a midnight champagne toast is included in the $10 cover.