Some people celebrate at home with a glass of bubbly watching the ball drop elsewhere. Others like to paint the town silver and gold as they toast to the new year. Here are a few options for potential revelry:
The Roots are best known these days as the house band for “The Tonight Show,” but they started making music in Philadelphia in 1987. Their catalog is enormous, with hits like “You Got Me” and “The Next Movement,” and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is an unofficial ambassador of music — he produced the documentary Summer of Soul about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. The Grammy-winning, legendary Roots Crew has a pair of shows at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on New Year’s Eve. KCRW DJ Novena Carmel is the pre-show DJ, and there will be a champagne toast.
Billed as the West Coast’s largest free New Year’s Eve celebration, Gloria Molina Grand Park’s annual NYELA Block Party embraces the theme “Power of One,” paying tribute to the resilience LA showed throughout 2025. The five-hour, alcohol-free celebration present artists on two stages at Gloria Molina Grand Park, powered by The Music Center, with the park’s countdown-to-midnight art show projected onto LA’s City Hall. Gates open at 8 p.m., and the party will encompass the park’s six city blocks. The Countdown Stage will open with LA-based Latin Grammy-nominated artist Ceci Bastida, and Filipina American rapper and spoken word artist Ruby Ibarra, who recently won NPR’s 2025 Tiny Desk Concert contest, will headline the Countdown Stage.
The galactic party returns inside the Los Angeles Convention Center with four epic stages, with a new reimagined layout in South Hall GHJ and Kentia Hall. It’s New Year’s Eve at LACC from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. (18+). Expect to hear dance music icons such as Above and Beyond, John Summit and SLANDER and view immersive experiences and breathtaking art installations.
Camélia, a French Japanese bistro in the Arts District, is offering a $165 New Year’s Eve prix fixe. The menu features canapés, seasonal sashimi, honeynut squash pasta and a choice of prime rib with wasabi cream or diver scallops with black truffle coulis — each served with creamed spinach, Pommes Anna and chicory salad. Seasonal dessert is included, and a vegetarian menu is available by request in advance.
Firstborn, which opened in March inside the Mandarin Plaza in Chinatown, serves up a one-night-only NYE prix fixe ($145/person). Start with canapés and a Dungeness crab Pommes Dauphine crowned with N25 Ossetra caviar. Courses include truffle-accented options such as warm honeynut squash or wagyu beef tongue, tofu dumplings or mapo tofu with sweetbreads and entrées ranging from pan-roasted local fish to short rib or an aged Liberty duck breast for two. Dessert choices are included.
Level 8’s rooftop bar, Golden Hour, has transformed into a winter wonderland in the sky. Cozy fire pits, private igloos, skyline views and gourmet s’mores are on the menu. This experience runs through January 15 (21+), and on New Year’s Eve, Level 8 presents Midnight Masquerade. What to expect from Winter Hour: S’mores stations, winter-inspired cocktails, snow machines and festive DJ sets. General Admission: Starting at $37.75 (including fees; includes a complimentary welcome drink).
City Cruises will be onboarding partygoers two times on New Year’s Eve and again on New Year’s Day. The first is for the New Year’s Eve Premier Brunch Cruise in Newport Beach, Marina Del Rey and Long Beach, and the second, the New Year’s Eve Premier Dinner Cruise in Newport Beach and Marina Del Rey, offers a night of gourmet dining, music, and celebration with a fireworks display. On New Year’s Day, opt for the Premier Dinner Cruise, featuring a chef-prepared meal, craft cocktails, live DJ entertainment, and harbor views at both Newport Beach and Marina Del Rey ports, or the Premier Brunch Cruise comes with a buffet, bottomless mimosas, lively music and coastal scenery across the Newport Beach, Marina Del Rey and Long Beach ports.