Ring In The New Year

Procrastinator's Guide to New Year's Eve parties: Rockin' places to celebrate in style

It's still not too late to plan your New Year's Eve celebration. From a black tie affair to a fireworks spectacular, below are 11 top soirees to ring in the New Year, including festive fetes at five new nightlife hot spots, five happening hotel gatherings and one mammoth party in a warehouse studio.

BAR BASHES

Grade A with a couple of B’s
Lively Washington Avenue hot spot Julep is tops in our books thanks to stellar drinks and tasty Southern bites. Come New Year's Eve, the cocktail bar presents a deal featuring two of our favorite libations: bourbon and bubbly. Play it by ear and grab a seat on the patio or at the bar, or reserve a table (seatings: 4-7 p.m., 7-10 p.m., 10 p.m.-2 a.m.; prices vary), which comes with a seafood tower (lobster, Dungeness crab, crab claws, shrimp, oysters), bottle of champagne and customized bourbon tasting.

Play that funky music
Let your hair down and groove to the sounds of vinyl spins (the in-house record collection features over 300 selections) at downtown’s The Nightingale Room. Drink up thanks to an expanded shot menu and price break on select bottles of champagne (half-off until 9 p.m.). Pause for reflection during a midnight balloon drop and champagne toast, then go back to the dance party. Reserve a table or walk-in. It’s free to enter.

Fancy attire and cheap drinks
Play dress up, and video games, at whimsical East downtown watering hole Neil's Bahr (9 p.m.; free to enter). Don your formal attire, nosh on bites from the grill and sip discounted champagne, draft beer and liquor. Dress the part, but don’t get too serious (you're surrounded by sci-fi flick murals and comic book racks, after all). Raise the roof, not your pinky.

Break out your Halloween costumes
Pull out your required gangster and flapper costumes as you rewind to 1925 at Revelry on Richmond’s speakeasy bash. VIP’s (7-9 p.m.; message to get on the list) will enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres and champagne, plus nickel-priced cocktails. A five-piece swing band hits the stage at 9 p.m. and the bubbly flows at midnight with a champagne toast. After 9 p.m., it's business as usual with a cash bar.

An old favorite with a new twist
Historic Montrose bar Zimm's has been reborn. The completely remodeled venue will host an open premium bar, DJ, party favors, midnight toast and balloon drop this NYE ($75 per person). Feast at neighboring Pax Americana restaurant beforehand and receive a price break on your party ticket ($50 per person).

HOTEL PARTIES

Helium heaven
Now in its 37th year, the Hyatt Regency Houston will kick off 2015 with a 50,000-balloon cascade from the hotel’s 33-story atrium. Break out your dancing shoes for music via two bands and a DJ (7 p.m.-1 a.m.). Tickets start at $99 per person with an overnight hotel option starting at $299.

Light up the night
Fireworks are delightful, especially with a cocktail in hand and a bird’s eye view from Hotel Sorella’s swank Monnalisa Bar ($60 per person). CityCentre’s pyrotechnics extravaganza will light up the sky at midnight. In the interim, hang out inside the contemporary space, complete with a heavenly starlit ceiling and central fireplace, as you listen to live music. Make it an all nighter and take advantage of the hotel's overnight specials, starting at $369 per couple.

Hot in the city
You're in for a guaranteed good time at the racy and fun Hotel ZaZa. The posh Museum District hotel, with daring decor and a see-and-be-seen crowd, presents an evening of cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, dancing and midnight revelry ($75 per person). Room and party packages are available starting at $495.

Party it up with a chance to stay, free
The Black Swan at Omni Houston is your ticket to NYE paradise. The evening ($70 per person) includes: a champagne toast, balloon drop, party favors, hors d’oeuvres, two drink tickets, a roaming magician, photo booth, a live feed of ball drop in NYC and complimentary valet parking. Cross your fingers: Enter to win a complimentary stay at the hotel.

Celebrate like nightlife royalty
Live it up at the Royal Ball at Hotel Derek (tickets start at $125 per person). Aside from a countdown to midnight (with a champagne toast and party favors), the regal-themed fete promises live entertainment and a high-octane party atmosphere.

SOMETHING EXTRA

H-Town Countdown
Ring in the new year at this all-inclusive party at Silver Street Studio, which includes open bar, breakfast buffet, midnight champagne toast and entertainment by cover bands LC Rocks and Rat Ranch, along with tunes from DJ Tony Styles. Tickets range from $100 to $150, with a special $2,500 VIP party for 15 with lots of extras. The Hilton Americas-Houston hotel offers a special $119 rate for partygoers.

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Did we miss you favorite party place to celebrate New Year's Eve? If so, let us know in the comments section below.

Enjoy bourbon and bubbly at Julep.

1 Julep, the new cocktail bar from bartender Alba Huerta August 2014

Photo by Eric Sandler

Enjoy bourbon and bubbly at Julep.

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Music feature

Texas country star Cody Johnson's new album goes to 'Banks of Trinity'

Photo by Cameron Powell

Cody Johnson.

There's a moment at every Cody Johnson show where the Texas-born-and-bred country star asks the crowd, “How many of you tonight are watching me and this band live for the very first time?” he told The Associated Press. “And every night, I would say at least 80% of the crowd raises their hands.”

It's not the kind of reaction most veteran artists receive. “And I’m thinking, you know, 20 years is a long time to work for something. But when you see that … What’s the next 20 years look like?” he asks.

The rancher, rodeo competitor, and onetime prison guard started his two-decade career playing honky tonks and dive bars. That led to slow and steady growth for the country traditionalist, but in the last few years, something has shifted. He landed his fifth career No. 1 song with “The Fall.” He was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, the show's highest honor. That was a month after he headlined Stagecoach Music Festival. For an artist with legions of fans, it looked like he was accessing new heights.

“I feel like I’m closing a book and I’m opening another one and it’s all blank pages,” he says of this period. “Let's get to the next chapter." On June 26, that new era began with the release of his latest album, Banks of the Trinity.

Traveling to the Banks of the Trinity
It hasn't been an easy road. Last fall, Johnson had to cancel a bunch of tour dates after upper respiratory and sinus infections caused a burst eardrum that required surgery — an intimidating medical procedure for anyone, but especially nerve-wracking for a musician. “I was scared,” he said simply. But “in a roundabout way, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

It forced him to take three months off, which allowed him to be home during the birth of his son. It also rejuvenated his approach in the studio. Before the incident, he thought the album was complete. It was not. The additional time resulted in the inclusion of a few songs that now feel inextricable from the record: “Thank Somebody Country,” “Take Me Back (Leave Me There),” “Cricket on a Hook,” and the resilient “I Have” among them.

“What a blessing to have that kind of song fall in your lap when you’re kind of up against the ropes,” he says of the latter. “I mean, we thought we had the record done. It wasn’t done.”

A title track with real resonance
At the heart of Banks of the Trinity is its title track, which recalls Eagles' cover of “Seven Bridges Road” meets bluegrass and Southern gospel.

Lyrically, it's an ode to Johnson's childhood. “I grew up on the banks of the Trinity [River.] Fishing for catfish, not so much out of pleasure or sport but for necessity to put food in the freezer. Deer season for me was not a trophy thing,” he said.

And while that track inspires a feeling of nostalgia within the listener, he doesn't consider this album a throwback collection. He says it's about showcasing his evolving sonic diversity.

"The rest of the album for me is a musical journey from track one to track 16,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a flavor for everybody. It does kind of hit Motown. It does kind of hit bluegrass. It does hit progressive country. It does it old country. It does a little rock here and there.”

It's the result of a new kind of freedom, one that is at least partially due to his recent accomplishments, including taking home the top prize at the ACM Awards.

“I just did the thing that I’ve aspired to do in my career my entire life,” he says. “A really good place is a really good way to describe where I am.”

And now that the album is out, he's ready to take a breather.

“I will be shirtless with no shoes on a beach at an undisclosed location,” he jokes about the days after record release. “'Cause I have already done all the prep work. I've been working on this album for two years. I’ve done all of the interviews. I’ve shook all the hands. Me and my wife and kids are gonna disappear for 10 days and I’m gonna become, I guess, every Kenny Chesney song ever.”

texas country artist cody johnson interview music