THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31
MUSIC: Thirty bucks will give you access to Black Cat’s annual New Year’s Eve party. Peaches O’Dell & Her Orchestra will perform an eclectic mix of music from the 1920s through the 1950s, and Tony Anthony & His Malvivants will play a few retro sets from the ‘50s and ‘60s. Backstage, DJ Dredd will lay down heavy beats and dance mixes. $30, 7:30PM.
CASINO: Pretend you’re spending New Years in lavish Las Vegas at the New Years Eve Casino Night at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Arlington. The event will feature eight rooms with eight deejays and a live jazz band supplying the entertainment, along with casino games, vintage cars, magicians, photo booths, 15 cash bars, a movie theater with three showings, and a midnight confetti shower. $95, 8PM.
PARTY: Ever wanted to party with the Nationals’ Racing Presidents? Go to the Omni Shoreham Hotel’s Cirque du Celebration of Many Nations Gala, an around-the-world event featuring 15 international-themed parties spread throughout seven party rooms. An open bar, a midnight balloon drop, an African dance show, and strolling entertainers all await you at this New Year’s Eve extravaganza. $134.24-$226.49, 9PM.
DRINK: For a more laid-back New Years celebration, head to Barrel & Bushel for the Mardi Gras-themed “The Big Easy Bash.” The American-style restaurant’s event will include the “Bourbon Street Tasting Room”—featuring tasting options of more than 40 different bourbons and 30 beers—plus unlimited sharing plates and signature dishes created by Chef Dan Dienemann provided throughout the night. $65, 9PM.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 1
BRUNCH: Shake off your post-New Years hangover with brunch at Black Squirrel Restaurant & Bar, featuring a menu of southern favorites like pork, cornbread, black-eyed peas, collard greens, and doughnuts. And if you’re not too buzzed from the night before, there will be a keg of 2013 Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout to drink from. 11AM.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 2
MUSIC: Dan Deacon, who just got off the road with Miley Cyrus, is indie rock’s most spirited and colorful party animal. The Baltimore artist—who makes a quirky style of electronic punk—likes to lead his audiences in interpretive dances during his live shows, which means his U Street Music Hall DJ set should be an unpredictable blast. $10, 10PM.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 3
MUSIC: Unless it’s accompanied by Kubrickean shots of slow-moving spaceships and approaching planets, the “Blue Danube” requires the backdrop of an ornate theater. Luckily, audience members will get to hear the piece and other Viennese works at the Strathmore for the 15th annual “Salute to Vienna” concert. $79-$95, 3PM.