Singing, skating and every activity in between will be available to Santa Monica both before and after the ball drops.
This New Year’s Eve marks the return of local favorite events, as well as new additions to arguably the biggest celebratory day of the calendar. One of the city’s longest traditions is the Santa Monica Playhouse’s 55th Annual New Year’s Eve Musical Revue, featuring songs, streamers and champagne.
Two shows are scheduled for the evening of the 31st, a 7 p.m. show that lets families take part in the fun, and a 10:30 p.m. show that goes right up until the changeover to 2025. Both shows are preceded by a champagne, sparkling juice and dessert buffet; while the 10:30 p.m. show is followed by a New Year’s celebration between the cast and audience.
Initially meant to be a one-time affair, the 1969 event became completely sold out with audience members asking if the Playhouse cast was coming back next year, to which Co-Artistic Director Evelyn Rudie said “why not.” The show is structured to have songs representing holidays of the previous months, and has evolved into a mix of traditional holidays and what Rudie said were “some of the more interesting, different” ones.
With hundreds, if not thousands, of unique holidays now on the calendar, the Playhouse has many options at their disposal, such as celebrating Valentine’s Day and the following day’s Singles Appreciation Day for February. Regardless of what they’re celebrating, the Playhouse cast will always involve the audience when it comes to show structure.
“Audiences will say after a show, oh, I love that song, or could you do that song again,” Rudie said. “Whenever we have conversations or we have discussions with our audience members, we also ask them, is there a favorite (song) you’d like us to do? And that’s how we select the different songs that we do.”
The event reminds Rudie that she has spent another year around the stage, something she cherishes.
“For us, (New Year’s Eve) means a chance to gather together with our families, and by families, I mean our acting company and our audience, and (celebrate) the fact that we’re still here and that we will have another year in which to create art and to connect with our audiences and hopefully make them laugh a little, cry a little, think a little and do what they can to make the world a better place,” Rudie added.
A more physically active option will be the New Year’s Eve party at Ice at Santa Monica. From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., the family-friendly evening features an East Coast countdown to the ball drop at 9 p.m., and the ice rink encourages everyone to “come in their sparkliest NYE outfit.”
The combination of dinner and dancing will also be prominent in the Downtown area, such as the NYE Dinner Party at LouLou in Santa Monica Place. From 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., guests can take in two prix fixe menus, two DJs and live musicians. The Fairmont Miramar will also showcase an exclusive four-course meal at FIG, while another celebrated hotel, the Regent Santa Monica Beach, will have a Mediterranean tasting menu and live performances from Satin Dollz.
New Year’s celebrations from around the world will be represented Downtown as well, with Ye Olde King’s Head inviting locals to celebrate the British New Year at 4 p.m., followed by a local celebration at midnight.
For those that want to skip the dinner and go straight into the groove, the Santa Monica NYE Bar Crawl is back, beginning at 6 p.m. with registration at Jameson’s Pub or Barney’s Beanery. At check-in, crawlers will be given a map with participating bar locations, as well as VIP entry to an exclusive after party at a to-be-announced location.
To buy tickets for the Santa Monica Playhouse show, visitsantamonicaplayhouse.com. To view a full list of New Year’s Eve events, visitSMDP.com/events.
