10 best New Year's Eve parties in Hong Kong that aren’t in Lan Kwai Fong

If you don’t make plans, a Hong Kong New Year’s Eve inevitably ends up as a relentless traipse around Lan Kwai Fong’s one-way system until you trickle home just after the countdown. But who wants to start a new year on such a bummer? These awesome NYE parties will kick off 2017 with a bang.

Glow in the Dark New Year’s Eve Countdown Party

Vibes at the Mira is one of Tsim Sha Tsui’s best-kept secrets, a huge open-air lounge right in the heart of the city. This year Vibes rings in the new year with a four-hour open bar, all-you-can-eat barbecue, live band and DJs from local favourites Cliché Records.

Glow in the Dark New Year’s Eve Countdown Party

The dress code: glow in the dark. Think neon, UV lights, open-air rave. Got a big crew with you? Book one of Vibes’ cabanas (which seat 10 each), with table service and complimentary champagne.

Dec 31, 9pm-2am, Vibes, 5/F, The Mira Hong Kong, 118 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. HK$898 (early bird, before Dec 24), HK$988 (thereafter), includes two glasses of champagne and open bar; cabanas (10 tickets) from HK$12,888. Tickets can be bought

here

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Glamour & Gold New Year’s Eve

Central speakeasy Foxglove is flying in Tokyo jazz band Bloodest Saxophone (what a superb name) to deliver an old-school swing and jive countdown to the new year. Tuck into a three-course dinner, or just knock back the free-flow Japanese highballs as you bebop in the new year. Free bottles of champagne are on offer for tables of six and up. Can’t make it on NYE? Bloodest Saxophone are also playing two shows on December 30.

Glamour & Gold New Year’s Eve

Dec 31, 6pm-2am, Foxglove, 2/F Printing House, 6 Duddell Street, Central, HK$680 with open bar and one glass of champagne, HK$1,288 with three-course dinner (early bird); HK$880 open bar or HK$1,488 (door). Tickets can be bought

here

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NYE Above It All

Ditch the island’s crowds and head to Above at Ovolo Southside. Just on the other side of the Aberdeen tunnel, this rooftop bar serves up stunning, unusual views of the south side. For NYE they’ve got DJs from Smile HK playing all night, a four-hour open bar, and themed food stations for the peckish. Best of all? Wong Chuk Hang MTR station opens on December 28, so it’s easier than ever to get there – and get home.

Above at Ovolo.

Dec 31, 9pm-1am, Above, Ovolo Southside, 64 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Wong Chuk Hang, HK$650 (early bird, until Dec 15), HK$750 (advance), includes open bar. Tickets can be bought

here

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Vintage Hollywood NYE

What do you do when you have one restaurant on the ground floor of a building, another on the roof, and four floors in between? Have a party across all six floors, of course. The Optimist and Pirata have teamed up for a single bash: that means the best of Spanish and Italian food and booze, all combined into a single shindig. So at the standing cocktail dinner, you can go for jamon iberico or home-made agnolotti pasta. Red wine sangria or negroni spritzes. Vintage Hollywood vibes deliver six floors full of glam dancers, celeb lookalikes, popcorn machines, photo booths and music from French beat-makers FuFu.

Vintage Hollywood NYE

Dec 31, 7pm-2am, The Optimist and Pirata, 239 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, HK$588 includes drinks 10pm-2am, HK$688 includes dinner and drinks 7-10pm, HK$1,188 includes dinner and drinks for the whole evening (early bird until Dec 20); HK$788-$1,488 (advance); HK$1,188-HK$1,888 (door). Tickets can be bought

here

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Cirque! Duddell’s New Year’s Eve Party

Duddell’s is breaking out a circus theme to finish the year: expect more Cirque du Soleil than clowns on tiny tricycles. Champagne and cocktails flow freely until midnight, and you can skank your way into 2017 with Hong Kong’s kings of ska, The Red Stripes.

Duddells.

Dec 31, 9.30pm-late, Duddell’s, 3/F, Shanghai Tang Mansion, 1 Duddell Street, Central, HK$628 (early bird), HK$700 (advance); both include free-flow champagne and cocktails until midnight. Buy six tickets, get one free. Tickets can be bought

here

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory New Year’s Eve at the Pawn

The Pawn’s opening up the gates to its chocolate factory this December 31, with free-flow themed cocktails as well as wine, bubbles and canapés. Not to mention, of course, plenty of sweet treats. There are prizes for the best themed and most original costume. Our suggestion: Violet Beauregarde as a massive blueberry.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory New Year’s Eve at the Pawn

Dec 31, 9pm-late, The Pawn, 1/F Botanicals Bar, 62 Johnston Road, Wan Chai, HK$688 with open bar. Tickets can be bought

here

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Empress’ Garden New Year’s Eve Party

Ophelia is a pretty lavish spot on an average night, so you’d forgive them for just hanging up a few more fairy lights and calling it a day. But they’re going all-out with a party hosted by the mythical “empress”. There’ll be live performances, free-flow booze and plenty of opulent Ophelia charm. Music comes courtesy of vocal and soulful house DJ Marc Dent. The dress code is black, gold and purple. Over the top? At Ophelia, that’s not possible.

Ophelia.

Dec 31, 8pm-3am, Ophelia, Shop 39A, 1/F, The Avenue, Lee Tung Ave., 200 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, HK$788 (early bird, before Dec 15), includes open bar 10pm-1am; HK$888 (door), includes open bar 11pm-1am; HK$1,288 includes open bar 8pm-1am, small plates and one glass of champagne. Tickets can be bought

here

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Soul Train New Year’s Eve

Music makers FuFu team up with Mahalo Tiki Lounge to inject a dose of disco and soul into Wan Chai. The dress code covers all things ’70s, so dust off those bell bottoms, miniskirts and platform shoes. Bottles of Taittinger champage are HK$500 all night, so you can boogie with bubbles until dawn.

Soul Train New Year’s Eve

Dec 31, 8pm-4am, Mahalo Tiki Lounge, 29/F, QRE Plaza, 202 Queens Road East, Wan Chai, HK$350 (advance), includes one drink; $500 (door), includes two drinks; free bottle of Taittinger champagne for groups of six or more at the door before 11pm. Tickets can be bought

here

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NYE with Daniele Baldelli

If you want to skip all the usual New Year’s Eve ridiculousness and just dance, Potato Head have your back. They’ve invited Italian DJ Daniele Baldelli to take over the Sai Ying Pun hotspot. Baldelli started spinning records back in 1969, creating his own genre, cosmic disco: a spacey mix of synth-heavy tunes, African rhythms and disco. Potato Head is where the dance music hipsters will be this NYE, guaranteed.

Danielle Baldelli.

Dec 31, 10pm-1am, Potato Head Hong Kong, 100 Third Street, Sai Ying Pun, HK$520, includes open bar. Tickets can be bought

here

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Lamma NYE Beachfest

If you really want to escape the city crowds, then hop on a ferry to the Lamma NYE Beachfest. Taking place at a secret beach location on the island, the music festival promises food, booze and live reggae and hip-hop, which segues into a midnight fire ceremony, before funky house, tech house and drum ’n’ bass kicks in. Precise details will only be sent to ticket holders, but there’ll be camping space if you want to pitch up overnight – or ferries back to Hong Kong if you decide that one evening in the wilderness is quite enough.

Lamma NYE Beachfest

Dec 31, 4pm-Jan 1, 8am, Lamma Island, HK$200 (early bird before Dec 16), HK$250 (advance). Register

here

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(SCMP)