Not Another New Year’s

Forget Times Square and those huge gatherings that leave you out in the cold.  Get your new year off to a good start with these fun alternatives that won’t break the bank.

By Shiwani Srivastava for MSN City Guides

Fireworks, noisemakers, champagne and the famous Ball Drop in Times Square—the four elements of New Year's Eve.  It's like a scientific formula.  As long as New Year's Eve includes some combination of these, the night can’t possibly disappoint—can it?

With all the pressure we put on making big plans for New Year’s, it's easy to drown out any enjoyment from the holiday with the commotion and uncertainty. To spend or not to spend?  Watch the main event on TV or witness the action in person?

To answer that last question, it depends on how you define "action."  If you want to brave the cold for hours to see a ball drop with a million other people from really far away, hey, go for it.  Here's some information from the Times Square Alliance FAQ to help you prepare: "Will there be portable public restrooms available? No. Is alcohol or champagne allowed? No. Will there be food and drink vendors in the square? No. Can revelers return to the same viewing areas after dining? No."  Have fun!

I don’t mean to be a New Year's scrooge.  But skipping the main event doesn’t mean either staying home or dropping hundreds of dollars.  There are plenty of fun, affordable and family-friendly alternatives out there.  So, here are some ideas for having a New Year's Eve to remember that won’t leave you out in the cold or put you out more than 50 bucks.

Button up for a First Night
If you’re from Boston, the concept of First Night—a non-profit artistic and cultural New Year’s celebration—is probably not news to you.  The celebration started in 1976 when artists and community activists wanted to create “an alternative, arts-oriented event for New Year’s Eve” in Boston.  Today, the event isn’t exactly alternative, attracting almost a million revelers to its indoor performances, as well as the Grand Procession and fireworks displays.

But unlike Times Square, Boston’s First Night allows participants to roam freely and disperse into over 200 indoor and outdoor performances starting as early as 1 p.m.  All you have to do is buy a First Night button for $15 (children under 4 are free) and you’ve got access to ice sculptures, a Family Festival and all kinds of films, museums and cultural performances.

Fortunately, the tradition has spread and there are now First Nights all around the country.  So your city doesn’t have a First Night celebration?  Check out the nearby towns—you might be surprised by how fun much fun it is to get out of a major city on such a hectic holiday.  For example, not far from Chicago, Evanston hosts a substance-free First Night, where buttons are $15. These get you into over 80 indoor performances and a grand fireworks display.