New Year’s Eve celebrations in and around Ottawa

Want to mark the beginning of 2020 in style? You have lots of choices when it comes to celebrating New Year’s Eve.

New Year’s Eve in Ottawa

The Scottish Society of Ottawa is staging a family-friendly celebration in the Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park. Hogman-eh!—a Canadian twist on the traditional Scottish Hogmanay party—starts at 5pm and includes pipers, children’s activities, the Next Generation Leahy and lots of other Celtic music, and Scottish food and drink, all culminating with a singing of Auld Lang Syne and fireworks at midnight. New this year: Admission is by donation from 5pm to 7pm, and $10 per person thereafter.

There’s more family-oriented fun at Alcohol-Free New Year’s Eve at Ben Franklin Place in Nepean, starting at 6pm. Along with magicians, face painting, skating, live music, an IKEA furniture assembly contest (!) and sleigh rides at various times throughout the evening, there will be fireworks at the kid-friendly hour of 10pm. Admission is free.

Photo by Joseph Chan on Unsplash.

For grown-ups, the Craft Beer Market at Lansdowne Park is holding a brewmaster’s dinner and dance with two options: come for the dinner and dance, or just for the dance. Tickets start at $20 per person and include a personal 200mL bottle of bubbles (Prosecco or Champagne).

Looking to splurge on something posh and elegant? Try the fundraising New Year’s Eve dinner and charity ball at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre on Coventry Road. The fun includes a four-course dinner, a silent auction, live music, a DJ and a 50/50 draw for $50,000. Proceed benefit Journey House, which provides housing for people with autism and other special needs.

If standup comedy is your style, you can check out the always-popular New Year’s Eve comedy night at the Shenkman Arts Centre. This year, it features comics Jen Grant, Christina Walkinshaw and Julien Dionne.

You can see the free Magical Winter Landscapes multimedia show on Parliament Hill at various times throughout the evening, until midnight.

Want to dance the night away? The Bourbon Room on Dalhousie claims its NYE bash will be Ottawa’s biggest, with room for more than 1,000 revellers spread across two floors to party until 2:30am.

That’s just the tip of the Ottawa New Year’s iceberg. For more ideas of things to see and do in town, check out this comprehensive list from Ottawa Tourism.

New Year’s Eve in Eastern Ontario

If you’re looking for out-of-town fun on December 31, I have no shortage of ideas.

At the Cove Inn in Westport, a Turpin’s Trail New Year’s Eve features the namesake East Coast/folk band from Kingston, along with a buffet, champagne and more.

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash.

Over a dozen performances are taking place in churches in and around Brockville on New Year’s Eve, featuring music in a wide range of genres.

The Perth Civitan Club is hosting a dance with local band Limit. Details for buying tickets are on the Civitan website.

The Pembroke Inn and Conference Centre is presenting New Year’s Eve in the Valley, featuring a buffet, party favours, Yuk Yuk’s stand-up comedy and live music by Station Hill.

And in Kingston, the NYE Bash at BluMartini features music by Funkyard. You can buy tickets for dinner and tunes, or music only.

New Year’s Eve in the Outaouais and Montreal

All three restaurants at the Casino Lac-Leamy are offering special menus on New Year’s Eve, ranging from a $49 per person buffet at Banco Bistro to a posh, $235 per person, seven-course meal at Le Baccara.

The 2020 Resolutions gala at the Hilton du Lac-Leamy is the place to hit the dance floor to house, deep house, hip hop and R&B with DJ Carl Müren.

Le Rituel restaurant in Gatineau is offering a four-course meal, DJ music, sparkling wine and more.

On the edge of Gatineau Park, the Chelsea Pub is celebrating with both DJ tunes and live music, as well as bubbly wine and a poutine bar.

And in Old Montreal, the party goes until the wee hours, with street entertainment starting at 7pm, a multi-act concert starting at 10pm, fireworks at midnight, and a dance party until 2am. It’s part of the Merry Montreal festival (December 19 to 31).

New Year’s Eve in upstate New York

Saranac Lake in New York’s Adirondacks region hosts First Night, a family-friendly arts celebration with performances ranging from folk music to improv comedy, capped by fireworks over Lake Flower.

In Syracuse, the New Year’s Eve Cirque party at SKY Armory promises tarot readers, illusionists, circus performances, live music, a four-hour open bar, food stations and more.

A very happy New Year to you all, and all the best in 2020!

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