Bristol’s 21 best New Year’s Eve parties

You may have plans already. Perhaps you’re organising your own New Year bash, or resigned to staring at Big Ben on TV while eating your body weight in Quality Street. If not, it might be time to consider your options for the biggest party night of the year. Whether it’s beats, bands or a bit of both you’re after, as usual you’re spoilt for choice.

1 and 2. True to form, Motion are pulling out all the stops with a December 31 bass blowout from by The Blast, followed by the club’s traditional New Year’s Day feast of globetrotting club fare. The Blast’s session is headed up by Brentford pirate radio dons (and former Bristol24/7 interviewees) Kurupt FM, with support from the relatively obscure likes of Toddla T, DJ Zinc, Hazard, Murlo, Amy Becker and our very own Sam Binga and Redders.  Incredibly, the New Year’s Day lineup is even stronger than last year’s with an embarrassment of riches including Tale of Us, Dave Clarke, Ben Klock, Jackmaster, Steffi, Gerd Janson and Helena Hauff. Absolutely ridiculous in other words. 

3. If you’re more drawn to live music of the punk, metal and alternative varieties you should head to Old Market, where neighbouring venues Stag & Hounds and Exchange are joining forces for a three-stage pileup. It’s headlined by Cardiff alt-rock legends McLusky, while Falls, Soeur, Downard, Memory of Elephants and Falls are merely the tip of a particularly noisy supporting iceberg.

4. Meanwhile, Tobacco Factory has Escape The Metropolis, inspired by Fritz Lang’s dystopian classic and featuring entertainment from Cirque Bijou and the Carny Villains.

5 and 6. Tremor Soundsystem bring a Prohibition-era speakeasy theme to Trinity with three themed areas including a casino, and music from A.Skillz, Laid Blak, Benny Page, Mr Woodnote & Eva Lazarus and more.  Not that it’s Trinity’s only New Year’s Eve offering. Those of you who fancy an early night (or just want to celebrate with your children) should head to their NYE Family Spectacular. It starts at midday, finishes at 5pm and features serious turntablist talent including The Correspondents and DJ Cheeba. As a child-friendly event there will also be bubbles, costume making and party games, and they’ll be ringing in the new year on the hour, every hour. 

7. A new entry in the New Year’s Eve chart comes from the Spiegeltent. Its final event of the festive season will expand beyond the tent itself with three additional spaces for DJs, live acts, cabaret and theatre. The lineup includes Tom Middleton, John Stapleton, Herbaliser, Rodney P, Jus Now, Bristol Hi-Fi and Kid Carpet. There’s also a live performance from Onallee, otherwise known as the singer of Roni Size Reprazent.

8 and 9. Cubana take charge of Lakota again, so expect Caribbean beach vibes and lashings of low end. There are six rooms including beach huts and a Havana-style terrace, while artists include Devlin, Oneman, AJ Tracey, Madam X and Nadia Rose. Nearby Blue Mountain, meanwhile, opens at 2pm for a 17-hour blowout of drum & bass, house and bass music. 

10. There’s also something massive brewing around the The Station, The Island and The Crown Courts – an immersive eight-stage happening called The Land That Time Forgot that’s arguably the most ambitious of this year’s New Year’s Eve parties. Based around the theme of a ship run aground on an uncharted island it promises “dinosaurs, ancient tribes, neanderthal witch doctors and spectacular over-grown temples”. Performers include Congo Natty, The Mouse Outfit, Zed Bias, and Bristol dons Break, GotSome, Die, Dazee and Addison Groove.  

11. If you don’t fancy sensory overload on that scale there are plenty of more modest options. The Louisiana should be loads of fun, with sets from Oliver Wilde, Rhain and Buckfast Crimewave, plus a Bristol scene supergroup featuring members of Jesuits and Scarlett Rascal as well as the Louie’s resident drumming ace Mig Schillace. They’ll be playing songs suggested on social media, so get yourself to the Facebook event and get involved.

12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19. Elsewhere in town, there are ‘90s anthems at O2 Academy, nu metal and pop-punk nostalgia at The Fleece and psytrance at The Black Swan, while Thekla has Pop Confessional with a live set from comedy rappers Notorious BS3. The Grain Barge have folk and jazz fuelled live party sounds from The Rin Tins and others, while Zen Hussies frontman DJ Julesy will be serving up soul, funk and disco alongside the prosecco and pasties at Steam-Bristol. Meanwhile, a few miles down the A370 there’s a party at Backwell House with ace Afro groovers Matuki, the Dance-Off DJs and the mighty Cheeba (see Trinity, above). Speaking of Cheeba, he plays his third show of the weekend on New Year’s Day at The Lanes, and it’s the full, always impressive, AV experience. They also have sets from The Allergies and Scott ‘Boca 45’ Hendy, so this looks like a great option for the evening after the night before.

19 and 20. Then there’s Basement 45, whose drum & bass lineup is headlined by Austrian tech-heads Fourward, or head to Hy-Brasil Social Club (previously Start The Bus) for live African grooves from the mighty Baraka. 

21. Finally, if you want to ring in 2017 with a magical mystery tour / abduction by kindly aliens look to Alfresco Disco, whose sixth New Year outing is called Bounce. We have no idea where it is or who’s playing, but that’s the whole idea. 

Read more: Keep an eye on our Year’s Eve listings for more as they emerge