Oh, 2016. Has it really been 365 days, already? Seems like only yesterday that we were wondering who Becky with the good hair was. And what ever happened to Bridget Jones’s baby, anyway? Yes, you were certainly a wild ride — what with the whole Brad and Angie split. But now it’s time to move on. Of course it’s not you, it’s … the calendar. We’ll always remember you, 2016. But to help get over you, here are our selections of last-minute ideas on how to spend the final hours of the year — from NYC nightlife options of the less-crowded kind to the comfy and cozy stay-at-home route.
GOING OUT
For a last laugh
Start the new year off with a laugh. hosts an🎉 evening of stand-up, hosted by comedian Chris🍷 Distefano. Tickets range from $30 to $120 for VIP access to an open bar. Shows are at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. 208 W. 23rd St.
For classical -music lovers
Welcome the new year with joyous music from the biggest pipe organ in NYC. with songs by their music director, William K. Trafka, complete with Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” at midnight. Admission is free and a Champagne reception will follow. The ch𓆏urch usually has room for last-minute attendees. Music kicks off at 11 p.m. 325 Park Avenue.
For disco dancers
Do as Dirk Diggler would and disco the past away with a special . Tickets are $20 at the door ($50 VIP) and the eve🌊nt typically doesn’t sell out till just before midni🃏ght, organizers say. The party kicks off at 8 p.m. 308 Bedford Ave.
For bikers
Meet under the Washington Square Arch for : The group will ride up to Belvedere Castle in the middle of Central Park for a festive anℱd free dance party. Brooklyn bikers will meet at 9:45 p.m. on the Brooklyn side of the Williamsburg Bridge, and the Washington Square squad will shove off at 10 p.m. Washington Square Park.
For runners
Get a head start on your fitness reso📖lution with in Central Park. Music and dancing gets runners warmed up starting at 10 p.m. at Rumsey Playfield. Participation ranges from $65ꦯ for non-members to free for certain members of the NYRR. The four-mile run will begin at midnight, just as the park’s annual fireworks display sets off. 14 E 71st St.
For confetti lovers
What better place to welcome the new year than in a giant ball pit? That’s where you can watch the rock band Titus Andronicus from at . It’s possibly the only place you can bring your w✤orst moment of 2016, written on paper and turned into confetti to shower you at midnight. The whimsical celebration offers games for grown-up kids, music, snacks and more, starting at 8 p.m. Admission is between $40 and $80. 150 Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn.
For fireworks fans
Pack up the blankets or head to the roof for . Live music and hot chocolate are part of the bash. Locations for viewing include Grand Army Plaza, the Park’s West Drive, and along Prospect Park West be🌄tween Grand Army Plaza and🍸 Ninth Street. The fun begins at 11 p.m. Prospect Park.
For the masked
Visit the home of the immersive hit Sleep No More for a b🦄ohemian soiree. — true to form, guests are encouraged to wear masks. Festivities kick off at 10:15 p.m. Package options run from $385 for those who’d like to 💃experience Sleep No More and dine in-house to $100, for those who don’t mind arriving fashionably late (12:30 a.m.) to the party. 530 W. 27th St.
For history buffs
Before there was the ball at T𝐆imes Square, there was a simpler celebration on the streets of the Financial D𓂃istrict. quite literally rings in the new year with their historic bells at the stroke of midnight. A small crowd gathers at the corner every year to watch the clock and hear the bells. It’s free, it’s historic and you likely won’t encounter too many drunk revelers. 75 Broadway.
Go for the classics
head merchant Michael Scibilia recommends the gourmet market’s Jonah Crab Claws ($90) to compliment a nice dry Champagne, or a whole Brie de Nangis ($50): the cheese’s creamy and smooth texture with a slightly chalky center becomes runny with age and pairs excellently with bubbly on th🔥e fruitier side. 560 Broadway and other locations.
For jazzheads (and rockers)
. On New Year’s Eve, the venue hosts acclaimed jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington with special guests the Budos Band. Doors open at 6ܫ p.m. for the 8:30 p.m. s🏅how. 61 Wythe Ave., Williamsburg.
PARTY AT HOME
Prefer to keep your distance from the horde💎s of tourists? Nothing wrong with welcoming 2017 in the comfort of your own home. Here are some tips for keepin’ it fun.
Shuck it all
Fresh oysters will add a touch of elegance to your night i✤n: Buy a bunch ($1.15 to $1.80 per oyster) from and shuck them yourself at home. Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave.
Cold comfort
sells frozen food with an elegant twist, from coq au vin ($20.99) to♋ chocolate lava cake ($8.99). 1422 Third Ave.
Make festive cocktails (and drink them)
There’s no need ꦜto spring for overpriced drinks which will have you “celebrating” liꦛttle but the annual New Year’s Eve markup.
Meaghan Montagano, bar manager at Mario Batali’s new restaurant at La Sirena, recommends this festive prosecco cocktail, which you can mak🦹e at home — by the glass or made in a large-batch cocktail punch.
“Sparkling white wines are great for lengthening a cocktail or punch,” says Montagano. “I enjoy using prosecco or cava as the🌸 base of a cocktail to help keep it less boozy and more drinkable, something you won’t regret come New Year🔯’s Day.”
And getting festive in the garnish department —🐟 lemon twists, rosemary sprigs, pomegranate seeds — can elevate the simplest of cocktails.
JOIN THE CROWD — ON TV
Whether you’re by yourself or h♔ave friends over, it’s difficult🐼 to ignore the likes of Pitbull and the “Fuller House” gang. That’s just two of the choices for New Year’s Eve televsion.
Classic countdowns
“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest” startꦏs at 8 p.m. on ABC. Rapper Pitbull’s𝓡 “Miami New Year’s Revolution” gets the party started on Fox at 11 p.m. And NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly begins at 11:30 p.m.
Binge on this
AMC will air a marathon of “The Walking Dead” all day Sat𒅌urday and into the new year, ending at 2:15 a.m. Monday.
Join Guy Fieri on an explosive flavor journey for a “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” marathon, which airs Saturday from 6 p🌟.m. to 3 a.m. New Year’s Day on the Food Network.
Winter has obv🐠iously ꦰcome, and with it a “Game of Thrones” extravaganza. HBO 2 is running all Season 6 “GoT” episodes Saturday from noon until 10 p.m.
Syfy will run its traditional “Twilight Zone” marathon starting Sa🦩turday at 6 a.m. with 1983’s “Twilight Zone: The Movie” and airing episodes till 3:30 a.m. Jan. 3.
Family-friendly
Netflix won with parents the last couple of years by offering an early kid-friendly themed countdownsཧ with characters from shows like “Beat Bugs,” “Puffin Rock” and “ﷺTrollhunters.”
And diehard “Fu𝓡ller House” fans can ring in the ne🅘w year with the Tanner family: A 2017 countdown features the reboot’s characters.