There's plenty to do around town this New Year's Eve, whether you're looking for an elegant ball, someplace fun to take the family or a chance to party until dawn.
Everyone in Baltimore is invited to the Inner Harbor to ring in the new year. There will be parties and events around the harbor, followed by a fantastic fireworks display outside Harborplace at midnight. Sunday is the rain date for the fireworks.
At the Baltimore Convention Center, there are actually seven parties going on under one roof. The event is alcohol-free, so it's a good place for families.
From 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. you can wander through the convention center listening to music by country singer Maria Rose, rhythm and blues band Bobby and the Braggers, the a capella group Regency or DJ Dan The Man Gladding. If you want to make your own music, there's the karaoke room, where anyone giddy on fruit punch can stand up and sing show tunes. There will also be a fortune-telling room for those who want to know what 1995 will bring, and there's a children's area. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for ages 12 and under.
Also at the harbor, country line dancers Jim and Mindy Ratliff will try to get people to dance the boot-scoot at the Harborplace Amphitheatre, and an assortment of jugglers, magicians, a stilt walker and other entertainers will be strolling the Harborplace promenade. All of these events are free.
If you want a truly unusual way to welcome 1995, and have a great view of the fireworks, the Inner Harbor Ice Rink will be open from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Admission is $3.75; skate rental is $1.75. For information about all these events call (410) 837-4636.
Another big event to help celebrate the new year is the annual First Night Annapolis celebration. Now in its fifth year, First Night is an alcohol-free party for all ages. From 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. there will be 260 performances of music, theater and dance at almost 50 venues in the downtown Annapolis area.
Look for performances in some unlikely places -- in churches, schools, office buildings and even store windows. At midnight, you can watch the fireworks over the Annapolis city dock. Tickets to First Night are $13 and can be purchased at most Giant Food stores and branches of First National Bank of Maryland. For more information, call (410) 787-2717.
With so many bars, nightclubs and restaurants having events for New Year's, it's impossible to include them all. See the list on the next page for some of the other New Year's Eve parties in the area.