New Year’s Eve is for partying, and in Ulster County there’s an event for every type of partier. Sure, you could stay cozy at home watching the ball drop amidst a sea of corporate sponsorship. You could splurge on a fancy prix-fixe dinner with a familiar champagne toast to the well-worn warble of Auld Lang Syne. But for the more adventurous among us, nothing less than a full-blown party will do. Below are eight events with the works: Dancing, DJs, live bands, and enough party power to last straight through into next year.
Bearsville Theater
7 p.m. • $20 advance / $25 at door
291 Tinker St., Woodstock
After the tragic shuttering of BSP in Kingston, the Bearsville Theater has taken the mantle as the New Year’s Eve venue to beat in Ulster County. Speaking of beats: As far as local DJ talent goes, we’ve seldom seen a lineup this impressive, including Lady Verse, Shaman Vybez, DJ Joey Hernandez, Magic Juan, and the enigmatically named Jungle Punk B2B Skillaton.
The most Woodstock-y part? There will also be live drumming, bass and visuals meant to evoke “ancestral roots” amidst the “digital sounds of the future” blasting from the DJ platform. If your idea of the perfect New Year’s Eve is back-to-back sets of bass-heavy bangers and crazy dance-party debauchery, this is where you’ll be, hopefully making out with someone amidst the midnight balloon drop.
Keegan Ales
9 p.m. • free
20 St. James St., Kingston
Fans of danceable, original live music looking for an affordable night of excitement will flock to Keegan Ales this New Year’s Eve, as popular roots rockers Lara Hope and the Ark-Tones headline the brewery’s end-of-2022 bash. Lara Hope and crew tour all throughout the year. She’s the music director for the O+ Festival, and there’s no denying the band is one of our music scene’s crown jewels.
Greek Nite, a Sixties psychedelic Greek and Balkan band, will add to the diversity of the bill as special guests. A midnight toast will be accompanied by a keg drop to transition attendees to the new year. With no cover charge, you’ll be better prepared for whatever inflation may bring in 2023.
Colony
7 p.m. • $20 advance / $25 at door
22 Rock City Road, Woodstock
If you were at Colony for the recent Corey Feldman show, you might have caught Sean Matthew Whiteford and the House Party Band cranking out the hits from the Seventies and Eighties and nearly blowing the headliner off the stage.
Whiteford’s rich musical history has deep roots where Broadway meets rock and roll, which explains the showmanship and supreme vocal talent. If you’re looking to sing along at the top of your lungs to a professional-grade cover band, Colony will provide a rockin’ night to remember.
Levon Helm Studios
7:30 p.m. • $75 standing / $115 seated
10 Plochmann Lane, Woodstock
Few details have been released on the New Year’s Eve bash taking place at Levon Helm Studios, but when your venue has that pedigree of music royalty, the only details needed are when, where, and is it sold out yet?
Of course, the Midnight Ramble Band will headline, preserving Helm’s legacy of transforming countless lives with his music. Cindy Cashdollar and the Syncopators – no strangers to the venue – will energetically get the night started. This show is a must-make for fans of high-end live music productions featuring world-class musicians in an intimate setting.
The Falcon
8 p.m. • donation suggested
1348 Route 9W, Marlboro
This New Year’s Eve, The Falcon is delivering more funk than a trunk full of skunks smoking blunts. Headlining the night is Hudson Valley’s favorite reggae/ska band Big Takeover, which makes for a thrilling opportunity to witness this big-stage band in a more intimate atmosphere.
Intimate doesn’t mean relaxed here – the dance floor will be abuzz with the kind of daring dance moves one only makes on the last day of the year after a few cocktails. Also appearing will be What?, a Hudson Valley band based in funk but unbounded to explore adjacent genres.
Lydia’s Cafe
7 p.m. • $20 suggested donation
7 Old US Highway 209, Stone Ridge
Local favorite Teri Roiger will take the stage with her “4tet” at Lydia’s New Year’s Eve celebration, making this the place to be for Ulster County’s jazz cats. A dance set by DJ Mark will follow the live performance, with beats bumping until the midnight climax.
Those looking for a night of live music and revelry in a laid-back atmosphere can’t go wrong with this event.
Ashokan Center
5:30 p.m. • $30 adults / $15 children
477 Beaverkill Road, Olivebridge
New Year’s Eve parties don’t get more down-home Catskills than the festivities planned at the Ashokan Center at this year’s end. Music will be provided by Ashokan favorites Jay & Molly with Swingology, Rose and the Bros. and The Russet Trio. Plus, there will be not one but two callers guiding the square and contra dances: John Krumm and Casey Carr.
Dinner (with a sing-along for dessert) is an extra $30, and only a limited number of reservations were left at the time of this writing. If you miss the meal, there will still be a bountiful snack table and cash bar with locally-sourced libations. Ready to scoot into 2023 by throwing back to a simpler time? The Ashokan Center will be in full swing for you.
Tubby’s
7 p.m. • $25
586 Broadway, Kingston
It’s not surprising that at the time of this writing Tubby’s had just sold out its end-of-the-year party. Tubby’s has been the hottest rising star of our county’s music scene in 2022, drawing big indie acts and consistently packing the house.
Even though the show’s sold out, you can still get on a wait list that will automatically purchase tickets when and if they become available. Homegrown country crooners Ulsterados headline alongside zany party-starters Brasskill, with a champagne toast at midnight.
Join the family! 
