Where to Find the Most Over-the-top New Year’s Eve Parties in the U.S.

Fontainebleau (Miami)

No East Coast city symbolizes excess like Miami, and it has the New Year’s Eve parties to prove it. For the city’s most over-the-top blowout, head to legendary Fontainebleau. To ring in 2018, the party kicks off at the resort’s beachfront pool terrace with exclusive performances by Demi Lovato and DJ/producer KYGO. Grammy-nominated Travis Scott keeps things going well after midnight at the world-famous LIV nightclub. Tickets don’t come cheap. Prices start at $275 for general admission, while private tables run $4,000 and stage-side VIP spaces for up to 25 people top out at $40,000. But, hey, at least the drinks are free until midnight.

The Cosmopolitan (Las Vegas)

It’s impossible to round up the best New Year’s Eve parties in the United States without a mention of Vegas. In the city that knows how to throw an all-night party every night of the year, few are as legendary as The Cosmopolitan. The weekend-long, pre-2018 celebration starts Friday, December 29 with Zac Brown Band and Sir Rosevelt (a southern-pop-meets-EDM side project of Brown’s). Duran Duran takes the stage at the hotel’s The Chelsea on December 30, followed by Foo Fighters on New Year’s Eve. From there, the party spreads to every corner of the hotel — from the rooftop ice rink to DJ sets at Marquee Nightclub and Clique Bar & Lounge to An Enchanted New Year’s Eve at The Chandelier — and goes all night.

BangOn!NYC (Brooklyn, New York)

What started as a semi-secretive, one-off holiday event in a warehouse has evolved into the annual BangOn!NYC event. The nine-hour party starts at 9 pm New Year’s Eve and runs all night. Featuring an intergalactic Time and Space theme, the party features two massive music stages, a silent disco, a planetarium, art cars, and psychedelic creative installations. There are also fire-breathers, zip-line performers, and aerial acrobats. It’s a bit like Burning Man, but without the pesky desert heat.

Hotel del Coronado (San Diego)

San Diego’s Hotel del Coronado is well-known for throwing over-the-top New Year’s Eve galas befitting its luxury reputation. This is no all-night rave for booze-soaked Millennials. Guests rang in 2017 with a black-tie event inspired by Far East Fantasy. Ahead of 2018, the party’s theme is A Passage to India — a premier gala designed to celebrate everything that makes India exotic. The near-$400 ticket price includes a five-course gourmet meal, open bar, and live dance music.

If you’re throwing your own party, play this thumping New Year’s Eve playlist we put together:

Originally published by Ann Binlot on December 30, 2016. Updated by Mike Richard on December 20, 2017.