Anyone else feel pressure to have an AMAZING New Year’s Eve year after year? More often than not, we wait until the last minute to make plans for NYE and end up scrambling to find an event to attend a few days in advance. If you’re sick of the traditional night out on the town to bring in the New Year try one of these alternative options for New Year’s Eve in the Bay Area:
- If your New Year’s resolution is to get back to your roots, head over to the Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda for some old school video games. No quarters are needed for this pinball free for all (although don’t forget $$ for the entry fee). Snacks & a “no-host bar” are included. Think you’ll miss the DJ at midnight? Cheer up – the Pacific Pinball Museum has a free Juke Box so you can choose your own tunes! Plus, you’ll get to save on babysitting fees since this event is family friendly!
- If your resolution is to become more self-aware, try writing a letter to yourself at midnight. Include hopes for the future, highlights from this past year, or a silly doodle. Seal the letter and open it at midnight next year!
- If you’re hoping to be more physically active in 2017, get a head start on your resolution at the Church of 8 Wheels. Sacred Heart Church sat empty for nearly a decade when skate-master David Miles Junior turned it into a skater’s dream, an old school roller rink. Miles knows how to host one heck of a party – snacks, party favors, and a traditional champagne midnight toast will be offered. It’ll be wheely fun!
- If you’re promising yourself you’ll become one with nature this year, go camping! One of the best parts of living in the Bay Area is how many options we have for spending time outdoors. No campsite reservation? No problem! Pitch a tent in your own backyard and countdown to midnight while counting the stars (or the amount of s’mores you’ve eaten). If it’s too cold for your liking or you lack a yard, pitch a tent in your living room or make a kid-style blanket fort!
- If you’re insisting on partying this NYE, be safe and plan your ride home ahead of time. Avoid paying surge prices for Uber or Lyft by utilizing the FREE B Downtown Oakland Shuttle Bus. This bus will be running every 12 minutes, giving you just enough time to hop off, grab a drink, and hop back on to head to the next bar! The shuttle runs near The Paramount, The Fox, The Uptown, Telegraph Ave., Cafe Van Kleef, Uptown Arts District, Jack London Square, and the 12th & 19th st. BART stations.
- If you’re like us, “exercise more” made it to your list of resolutions. Grab a group of friends and go on a midnight run around Lake Merritt. Anyone know if this is already a thing? Because it should be. Next year we’ll get ahead of the game and start a midnight event so we can run into the New Year together.
Whether you’re spending New Year’s Eve with loved ones, getting some much needed alone time, partying all night long, or catching up on your beauty rest, we hope you spend it doing something that brings you joy.
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