Themed sweaters and eggnog have run their course this holiday season. It's time to welcome in the new year. Break out your party hat and festive attire -- Baltimore has plenty of events for singles, couples and families who are getting a late start on planning their New Year's Eve celebrations. Here's a sampling:
Bars, clubs and parties
Enjoy an eclectic mix of live musical performances by Big in Japan, All Mighty Senators, Technicolour Brother, Lucid, DJ Impulse, Remix Renegades and Turnstyle Soundsystem. There will be complimentary food and a champagne toast at midnight. Everything begins at 8 p.m. Monday at Sonar, 407 E. Saratoga St. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Call 410-327-8333 or go to ticketmaster.com.
Affectionately nicknamed the "Godfather of Go-Go," Washington-based singer/ songwriter and guitarist Chuck Brown will ring in the new year Monday with a performance of songs spanning a career almost five decades long at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. N.W., Washington. Tickets are $50. Call 800-955-5566 or go to tickets.com.
Rams Head Live will once again host Germantown-based rockers Clutch. The Canadian metal group Priestess and the band Puny Human will open the show, beginning at 8 p.m. Monday. Tickets are $35-$38. Call 410-244-1131 or go to ramshead live.com. The venue is at 20 Market Place.
The Beatles tribute band The Mahoney Brothers will perform three sets of hits from the British rockers, changing costumes throughout the show, beginning at 8 p.m. Monday at the Recher Theatre, 512 York Road in Towson. Tickets are $25. A hot and cold buffet is included. Call 410-337-7210 or 410-547-7328 or go to tic ketmaster.com.
Baltimore native comedian Tim Hall, who has performed in clubs and colleges around the country and appeared on BET's Coming to the Stage and HBO's The Wire, will perform at 7 p.m., 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. at the Baltimore Comedy Factory, 36 Light St. (above Burke's Restaurant). Tickets are $20 (there is a two-drink minimum). Call 410-547-7798.
The 8x10 will offer two shows on New Year's Eve. The first, beginning at 7:30 p.m., will feature an open bar and performances by Grilled Lincolns, the Cheaters and Hot Box. Admission is $50 (including a midnight champagne toast). The "Sunrise Show," 3 a.m.-6 a.m., will feature a performance by 3 Fifths. Admission is $10. For tickets to either show, call 410-625-2000 or 410-547-7328. The venue is at 8-10 E. Cross St. in Federal Hill.
Laugh in the New Year at Magooby's Joke House, where comedians Marc Unger of "The Fighting Ungers" AM 1570 radio show, D.C. Comedy Festival winner Seaton Smith, Erik Myers and Guy Paparell will perform a two-hour comedy show. Tickets are $80 and include a champagne toast, a disc jockey, an open bar and a buffet that begins at 8 p.m. Call 410-356-1010. Magooby's is at 9306 Harford Road.
Take part in Big Night Baltimore, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center (formerly Wyndham Baltimore), 101 W. Fayette St. Hosted by 105.7 WHFS' Kirk, Mark and Shamrock, the event will offer hors d'oeuvre buffets, multiple dance floors, live performances by Mr. Greengenes, Fools and Horses and the Kelly Bell Band, a balloon drop, a midnight toast and discounts on hotel rooms. Tickets are $109-$170 and will increase as Monday draws closer. Go to bignightbaltimore.com.
Attend the launch of Beyond Midnight at Maritime Park, an event that will benefit Maritime Park's educational programs. Live entertainment will include a choir, a ballroom dancing demonstration, a performance by a jazz trio and line dancing. Guests can view the Inner Harbor fireworks from the premises and enjoy champagne, hors d'oeuvres and samples of collard greens and black-eyed peas from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park and Museum, 1417 Thames St. Admission is $65 per person and $120 per couple. Call 410-685-0295, ext. 487 or ext. 252, or e-mail maryliz@douglassmyers.org.
Ring in the new year and support a good cause at the Top of the World New Year's Eve Extravaganza. Entertainment will include live performances by vocalist Chandra Lewis, The Ryze Party Band and DJ Tony T. The ticket price will include a top-shelf open bar, hors d' oeuvres, crab cakes, carved beef and dessert. A champagne toast will be provided at the celebration, 8 p.m.-1 a.m. in the Constellation Ballroom on the 21st floor of the World Trade Center, 401 E. Pratt St. Admission is $179 per person. Portions of the proceeds will benefit the Rosa Pryor Music Scholarship Fund. Call 443-801-1100.
Ring in the new year with the Mobtown Players at A Mobtown New Year's Eve, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. at the Waterfront, 1710 Thames St. Guests can enjoy an open bar, light fare, a view of the fireworks and a champagne toast at midnight. Admission is $55 per person and $100 per couple. Go to mobtownplayers.com.
Rock your way into the new year at the Hard Rock Cafe, 601 E. Pratt St. Beginning at 9 p.m., there will be live music by BiggerBetterFasterMore, dancing, light fare, party favors and a view of the Inner Harbor's fireworks. Admission is $95 per person; reservations required. Call 410-347-7625.
Enjoy a late-night dinner, live entertainment and dancing at Pisces restaurant in the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 300 Light St. There will be an open bar, plus stuffed rockfish, lamb chops, lobster macaroni and cheese and chicken and sausage paella. Admission is $150; reservations are required. Call 410-528-1234 or 410-605-2835.
Family
Witness the largest fireworks show in the Baltimore region when the clock strikes 12 at the Ports America New Year's Eve spectacular. Festivities run 9 p.m.-12:20 a.m. at the Inner Harbor Ampitheatre, 201 Pratt St., beginning with a performance by the Players Band, a Baltimore-based, eight-piece band whose sound combines elements of ska, rock and reggae. At midnight, those in Canton, Fells Point, Locust Point, Dundalk and especially in the Inner Harbor will all be able to watch the fireworks. The event is free. Call 877-225-8466 or go to promotionandarts.com.
Let the kids take part in New Year's Eve celebrations and still get them to bed on time. Visit Noontime New Year: An International Celebration at the Port Discovery Children's Museum, 35 Market Place. The event will educate children and parents on Japanese culture, history and traditions from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be a countdown to noon. After the countdown will be streamers, confetti and a celebratory milk and cookies toast. Admission is $10.75, and children 2 and younger get in free. Call 410-727-8120 or go to port discovery.org.
Parents and children can celebrate the new year without staying up too late with the countdown to noon at the "Noon Year's Eve" celebration at the Bel Air Athletic Club, 658 Bolton St. There will be balloon sculptures, crafts and demonstrations for children younger than 12, plus a DJ, refreshments and other activities, beginning at 10 a.m. When the clock strikes noon, "snowballs" will be dropped from the ceiling. Admission is $2 (free for children 2 and younger). Call 410-838-2670.
Spend the last night of 2007 on board the historic Constellation at the seventh annual New Year's Eve Deck Party. Guests can enjoy a variety of appetizers and desserts and various beverages, including cider and coffee. Local ales, wine and a champagne toast will be available to those 21 and older at the event, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. on the Constellation, docked at 301 E. Pratt St., Pier 1 at the Inner Harbor. Admission is $20-$75 and children 5 and younger get in free. Call 410- 539-1797, ext. 422 or go to constellation.org.
brad.schleicher@baltsun.com