.New Year’s Eve 2020

December 31, 2019, marks the end of a strange decade. As with all 10-year spans since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, the world has once again seen many massive shifts in culture and technology. And yet, one can’t help but feel that the changes we’ve absorbed since 2010 have all come at a more disorienting clip than anything any of our ancestors witnessed in the recent past.

Touchscreen smartphones and tablets have morphed from status symbols to basic tools of modern survival—and nobody uses them to actually talk to one another. Vinyl records have taken revenge on compact discs, while the MP3 has become something of an artifact. The internet is everywhere. Cars are learning to drive.

As always, these short days and cold nights at the end of the year lend themselves to both reflection and celebration. And with the dawning of a new decade, which is sure to bring with it even more rapid and confusing shifts, it is a time to gather with friends and family, shut the laptop, put the handsets on silent and just be present in the moment.

Many venues across Silicon Valley will foster such gatherings this New Year’s Eve. Some will invite guests to share in a good meal; others will present live music; others still will turn up the volume and keep the drinks flowing into small hours of 2020.

Read on for a list of New Year’s Eve events, concerts, dinners and dance parties. We know it’s incomplete. But we’re only human, after all.

RAISE A GLASS

For Silicon Valley’s favorite bars, clubs and lounges, New Year’s Eve is not unlike every other Friday or Saturday night—but it’s a little bit bigger, a little bit louder and a lot more fun. There’s no need to overthink things. Trust the professionals at your local pub and the DJs on your favorite dance floor to help ring in the New Year.

Intimate Vibe
9pm, $20
55 South, San Jose
With room for about 150 and no ins-and-outs, this party will fill up quick. Entry gets you a glass of champagne and a seat in one of downtown’s best and most intimate craft cocktail lounges. The DJ starts at 10pm.

Double Trouble
7pm, $15+
The Continental, San Jose
Although there aren’t nearly as many leather-bound volumes in this downtown lounge as there are in Ron Burgundy’s apartment, one still gets wafts of rich mahogany when sipping top-shelf spirits at The Continental. This SoFA District hotspot rings in the new decade with two rooms of dance music. Inside, Mr. V & Rated R keep things high-energy with a set of house and EDM, while out on the patio Julius Papp & Franky Boissy spin the finest in classic and neo-disco.

Original Crafters
8pm, $20
Haberdasher, San Jose
Formerly run under the moniker Single Barrel, the space now known as Haberdasher was the first downtown drinking establishment to get serious about craft cocktails. They are also serious about their New Year’s Eve parties. They pride themselves on hosting a magical evening, including music, appetizers and champagne. Friends of the club (i.e. recipients of the mailing list) get first dibs on the coveted seating area. Everyone gets a free champagne toast, but those in the booths get a full bottle.

Dance, Dance Celebration
9pm, $20
LVL 44, San Jose
This nightclub has staked its reputation on booking top-notch touring talent. The club says farewell to 2019 with an evening of music by DJ and producer Mikos Da Gawd, known for his work with Anderson .Paak, G-Eazy and E-40. Guests get the red carpet treatment, party favors and complimentary glass of champs for the balloon drop.

Glitz & Glamor
9pm, $20+
Opal, Mountain View
They like to keep things classy at Opal, one of Mountain View’s only true night clubs. For their fifth New Year’s Eve bash, dubbed “Glitz 2020,” they’re pulling out all the stops and promising their most glamorous New Year’s party yet. In addition to party favors, a balloon drop and a champagne toast, they’ll be giving away drinks and rolling out some high-energy games. Adam Cova mans the decks. The free guest list is already full, there are a number of ticketed items starting at $20.

Get Literary
9:30pm, $20+ Pure Nightclub, Sunnyvale In honor of the coming decade, Pure Nightclub is hosting a Roaring ’20s-themed bash. So come dressed in your West Egg best. This party will feature champagne, balloons and—just like in Nick Carraway’s day—Top 40, hip-hop and EDM. Keep an eye out for that flickering green light on the other end of the dance floor. That will be DJ Sequence and DJ Ehash on the decks.

Auld Lang Syne
9:30pm, $20
The Brit Downtown, San Jose
For those who take their New Year’s Eve indulgences in liquid and solid form, the Brit’s NYE party aims to celebrate the arrival of 2020 like they do in Great Britain—with plenty of food and drink. There’s a free buffet to go with a complimentary champagne toast. And though this is still Sharks territory, the Brit will be classing up the end of the decade: formal attire is required. Music plays all night and the balloons drop at midnight.

Peninsula Party
10pm, $20
The Patio, Palo Alto
Over the past few years, The Patio has established itself as one of downtown Palo Alto’s livelier nightlife venues—and with good reason. With ample indoor and outdoor space for mingling and dancing, it’s a great place to have drinks with friends or boogie down. This New Year’s Eve, the entire space will be transformed into a giant dance floor. Patrons get party favors, a champagne toast and a balloon drop at midnight.

A Banner Year
8pm, $10+
The Ritz, San Jose
The past year was a big one for The Ritz. The venue hosted shows by some true legends, like Japanese doom-pioneers Boris and punk-disaster Flipper (to name a few). They celebrate the end of the decade with their annual New Year’s Eve Party, a rocking farewell to the hangovers of yesteryear, and a rocking hello to the hangovers of tomorrow.

Disco Inferno
7pm, $35+
The Saddle Rack, Fremont
The mirror balls will be glittering at the Saddle Rack, where ’70s disco will rule the night. Live entertainment will be comes courtesy of Toree McGee & Whiskey Business. Tickets include a party hat, party favors and a champagne toast at midnight.

DRESS TO IMPRESS

If there’s one night out of the year to dress to the nines, New Year’s Eve is it. Some of the South Bay’s swankiest hotels and halls are hosting evenings geared toward celebrating how good you look.

New Year’s Eve Extravaganza
7pm, $85+
San Jose Marriott
The downtown Marriott hosts hip-hop violinist Gareth Johnson and his band, along with Samulle & Valerie of Club Nouveau. Ten full bars, bottle service, DJs, balloon drop—the whole enchilada. No jeans, sneakers or sports gear.

Silicon Valley NYE2020
9pm, $75
The Grill on the Alley, San Jose
Top 40 dancing, champagne toast, party favors, balloon drop, confetti poppers: It’s all part of the New Year’s Eve celebration at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Jose.

Black & White NYE Ball
8pm, $75
The Glass House, San Jose
Elegant black and white rules the evening at The Glass House, with sets from two DJs, dancing all night and a champagne toast at the witching hour. Dress to impress.

Roaring Into the ’20s
8 pm, $75
The Corinthian Grand Ballroom, San Jose
Celebrate the coming of a new decade in black-tie elegance at the posh Corinthian Grand Ballroom. Featuring appetizers, party favors and DJs spinning all the hits of the 1980s and ’90s. Black tie attire required.

Black Tie NYE
9pm, $10+ SP2 Communal Bar + Restaurant, San Jose
For the seventh year in a row, SP2 is formally inviting guests to put on their formal best. It’s cocktail attire for the bar and restaurant’s 2019 send-off. Pricey bottle service packages are available, but the base cover charge won’t break the bank.

New Year’s Eve Dinner
6pm & 9 pm, $170
Hotel Valencia, San Jose
Like so many themed New Year’s Eve parties, Hotel Valencia at Santana Row plans to welcome the 2020s by harkening back to the Roaring ’20s. Enjoy a dinner at the Oveja Negra restaurant, followed by a lively celebration. It promises to be the cat’s pajamas.

ALL THE WAY LIVE

It’s 2019 and we can pull any song we want directly to our mobile devices. There are even digital DJs—algorithms they’re called—that can select tunes for us. However, it turns out there are still individuals who will perform music live, sometimes they even do it just for free.

The Sun Kings
9pm, $50-$75 Club Fox, 2209 Broadway St, Redwood City From “It’s a Hard Day’s Night” to “Here Comes the Sun,” celebrate the coming of 2020 with one of California’s premiere Beatles bands in their favorite Peninsula spot. No Fab Four cosplay with these guys, just Beatles songs just as fans remember them.

Kiss Off 2019
6pm & 9pm, $48+
Tabard Theatre, San JoseWill Durst
The Bay Area’s hardest-working political comedian, hosts a night of mocking the old year while welcoming the new. Special guests include Johnny Steele, Debi Durst, Arthur Gaus and many more.

Neon Velvet
9:30pm, $40+
The Fox Theater, Redwood City
One of the Bay Area’s most colorful and glam-oriented cover bands takes the New Year’s Eve celebration to new heights with a song list that includes everyone from Bowie to the Police to the Justins (Bieber and Timberlake). Full bars, balloon drop included.

Alignon Mitra
7:30pm & 10:30pm, $40+
Rooster T. Feathers, Sunnyvale
Daily Show writer and stand-up comic Alignon Mitra is ready to laugh 2019 out of the building with two shows at Rooster T. Feathers. The late show will feature a balloon drop, a champagne toast and a laugh-filled welcome to 2020.

The Joint Chiefs
6pm, $75
Poor House Bistro, San Jose
Santana singer Tony Lindsay and the long-time Bay Area R&B band Joint Chiefs are ready to rock it all night long until 2020 at the Poor House. The evening includes dinner, live music, desserts and champagne at midnight.

Tortilla Soup
7pm, $80+
Holiday Inn, San Jose
San Jose-based Latin and R&B band Tortilla Soup are joined by Tierra, a high-octane R&B outfit from Los Angeles. The show begins on a funny note, with comedians Zhivago Blea and Willie Barcena.

Orny Adams
7pm & 10pm, $25+
The Improv, San Jose
As a comedian, Orny Adams is somewhat of a generational marker. He is a clear dividing line between Millennials and the ever-more-crotchety Generation-X—like Bill Burr with more hair. Orny could be a case study in the way this decade has turned angry, aging dudes into even angrier men. He rails against the moving goalpost of social mores, which, if we’re being honest, may be moving faster than even the wokest of us can keep up with. Then again, maybe we’re just getting old. By the wayÉ what’s the deal with Gen-Z?