It's almost 2016, and you have no idea how you're going to send off 2015. Here are ten options ranging from free to very, very fancy, custom-made to make your December 31 as mild or wild as you want it.
10) New Year's Eve Extravaganza at Comedy Works Downtown and South
1226 15th Street
5345 Landmark Place, Greenwood Village
Leave it to a stand-up to bring together both the depression and joy of bidding last year goodbye. The two Comedy Works outposts are uncorking chuckles with an all-ages show (6 p.m. downtown/5 p.m. at Landmark), followed by a 21+ performance at 8 p.m./7:30 p.m. Countdown with the comics and a champagne toast starts at 10 p.m. The Larimer Street club is hosting Joe Rogan cohort and Soccer Ranter Ian Edwards, while Landmark's party is being started by the unconventional Nick Guerra, winner of 2015's NBC Stand Up Showcase.
9) New Year's Eve at the Mad Tea Party
Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art
1750 13th Street, Boulder
BMoCA rarely does anything in a typical fashion, so expect this New Year's Eve party to draw revelers through a psychedelic rabbit hole into 2016. Follow the signs and find tarot readings, magic, libations that may or may not shrink you, and all sorts of psychedelic trappings. Buy tickets online at BMoCA.org.
8) Celebrate Group Show/New Year's Eve Party
CORE New Art Space
900 Santa Fe Drive
A Denver fixture for 35 years, CORE is celebrating its well-earned longevity by inviting member artists for a special exhibition. If you're looking for a more thoughtful soireé backed with thought-provoking art, Celebrate has your ticket.
7) Noon Year's Eve
Children's Museum of Denver at Marisco Campus
2121 Children's Museum Dr.
What to do on New Year's Eve when your bedtime is a hard eight o' clock? All the hip tots will be at the Children's Museum, which offers the excitement of Times Square without the late hours and sharp objects of the real thing. The ball drops every hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., accompanied by confetti blasts, bubble-wrap fireworks, art projects and story times for kids.
6) New Year's Eve at The Little Nell
675 East Durant Avenue, Aspen
Do you put your watch in a safe every night? Do you carry two iPhones? Do you pop bottles for any and every celebratory occasion? Head to Aspen for what might be the classiest, ritziest, bubbliest shindig in the state. Dom Perignon is the sponsor, so bottomless bubbly is promised, along with a party that spreads over three different areas in this five-star hotel. Each room has a different band playing and a different vibe, and everyone gathers outside to see the fireworks over Aspen Mountain.
5) New Year's Masquerade Gala
Hotel Boulderado
2115 13th Street, Boulder
The Boulderado has celebrated the new year every December 31 since 1909. Take a sip from the flute of history at this masked ball, where Dressed in Black and Milestone will perform all night, and try out the decadent buffet. Overnight packages are available — if you're willing to be unmasked.
4) NATIV's New Year's Eve Gatsby Affair
Nativ Hotel
1612 Wazee Street
Heed the lesson of Jay Gatsby: You can be anyone you want to be in America, especially on New Year's Eve. One of the more interesting '20s-themed shindigs in Denver takes place at the new Nativ Hotel, where wannabe Jordan Bakers and Nick Carraways can enjoy an open bar, hors d'oeuvres, a midnight champagne toast and the stylings of DJ Manifesto, probably the only violinist/mix master performing tonight.
3) New Year's Eve at Mercury Cafe
2199 California Street
There's not just one but four cool things happening at The Merc on New Year's Eve — and who knows what other surprises are in store? At 7 p.m., blush to the words and sounds of the Annual Erotic Poetry Festival and the Beat Nomad Dancers, or enjoy a NYE dinner with jazz accompaniment. Later, Gora Gora Orkestar performs in the Jungle Room 'til the ball drops, and in the Dance hall, there's a masquerade Amy Winehouse tribute with a ska band. It'll make more sense when you get there.
2) Copper Mountain New Year's Eve Celebration
209 Ten Mile Circle, Frisco
Every resort worth shredding is holding a New Year's Eve celebration, but Copper provides a good balance between party and High Country charm. You can watch the Rocky Mountain Rail Jam, then the torchlight parade ski down the mountain, and top it off with fireworks at 10 p.m. The little ones will be kept busy with Kid's Night Out and a glowstick pageant, and adults can enjoy a moonlight dinner on the mountain and ski back down in time to join the festivities.
1) NYE Fireworks on the 16th Street Mall
This could be Denver's most sacred New Year's Eve tradition: fireworks exploding among the skyscrapers of downtown as a packed crowd marvels below. With shows at 9 p.m. and again at midnight, anyone can get in on the good cheer on the mall, and before and after the shows there are restaurant and club options aplenty downtown.
See many more options for December 31 in the New Year's Eve section of our online calendar.