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    Celebrate New Year's Eve

    Procrastinator's Guide to New Year's Eve: Blowout parties and fabulous feasts

    Marcy de Luna
    Dec 27, 2016 | 10:10 am

    This New Year's Eve, you can party like a rock star at an over-the-top hotel soiree, pop champagne by the bottle, and feast on delectable fare at some of Houston’s newest top restaurants. From downtown to The Woodlands, here are blowout bashes and tempting restaurant feasts that will make ringing in 2017 one for the books.

    Blowout parties

    H-Town Countdown
    How do you raise the bar on OTT partying this New Year’s Eve? Throw a lavish bash like the one at Silver Street Studio. Dance the night away at the fourth annual H-Town Countdown via tunes by Austin band LC Rocks and by 104.1 KRBE’s DJ Tony Styles and Dj Bizonee. Your ticket also scores you an all-you-can-drink premium bar and a midnight champagne toast.
    Price: $125 per person.
    Hours: 9 pm - 3 am.

    CityCentre
    When the clock strikes midnight, it’s confetti as far as the eye can see at the NYE celebration at CityCentre. The lively event also boasts a rockin' performance by party band, Bristol Fashion, in the plaza.
    Price: Free.
    Hours: 9:30 pm - 12:30 am.

    Hyatt Regency Downtown
    The downtown landmark takes New Year’s Eve seriously, with a blowout soiree spanning four floors. Expect two live bands, a DJ, and dinner at rooftop restaurant Spindletop. But that’s not all. You’ll also be showered by a 50,000-balloon cascade at midnight.
    Price: Packages start at $569 per couple, including an overnight hotel stay for two, dinner for two at Spindletop, and two tickets to the NYE party.
    Hours: Seating times for dinner are at 6 pm, 8 pm, or 10 pm. Party: 7 pm - 1 am.

    Sugar Land Town Square
    Why settle for a regular ‘ol fireworks display when you can celebrate with a fireworks extravaganza complete with a state-of-the-art 3-D light show? Usher in the new year at Sugar Land Town Square, where the roster for the evening also includes live music and a DJ.
    Price: Free.
    Hours: 7 pm - 1 am.

    The Westin at The Woodlands
    If you’re looking for a decadent option this December 31, look no further than the at The Westin at The Woodlands. Kick off the evening with dinner at uber-chic first-floor restaurant, Current. Keep the party going at second-floor hotspot, SideBar, where the deal includes a complimentary toast at midnight, spins by a DJ, and a view of the waterway and skyline.
    Price: $285 per couple, including an overnight hotel stay for two, $125 credit for dinner and a bottle of champagne at Current, and two tickets for SideBar.
    Hours: Dinner: 5 pm - 10 pm. Party: 10 pm - 2 am.

    “¡Pachanga! A Border Town Bash” at Goode Co. Armadillo Palace
    Welcome the New Year with live entertainment, food, music and more. Beginning at 8 p.m., guests can indulge in a Tex-Mex feast, including campechana, primo tacos, signature Damn Goode Margarita and specialty cocktails. Mariachis, folklorico dancers, and other street artists will perform leading up to the headliner, Conjunto Los Pinkys. Houston DJ group Bombón plays a high-energy mix of progressive beats with traditional Latin flair for late night guests.
    Price: General admission tickets are $25 and include live performances, a band, DJ and a champagne toast. Tickets are now on sale at at an early bird price of $15 through December 29.
    Hours: 8 pm. - 2 am.

    MKT BAR's New Year's Eve Global Dance Party with DJ SUN
    Welcome 2017 with a culinary and musical adventure featuring a mix of festive and upbeat global grooves. International musical genres are paired with cultural cuisine, topped off with guilty pleasures at midnight. Admission includes food, a midnight Champagne toast, and more surprises.
    Price: $45 in advance; $55 at the door. VIP packages available. Pre-sale tickets are available for purchase online at https://nyemktbar.eventbrite.com. Two-for-one flash sale through December 27 at midnight.
    Hours: 9 pm - 2 am.

    Crystal Ballroom New Year's Eve Party
    Lawless Spirits and and the historic Crystal Ballroom in the Rice Lofts have collaborated for a glamorous New Year's Eve dance party with gorgeous views of downtown Houston. Welcome 2017 with music by the Mockingbirds, a DJ, drinks at five premium bars, and a 1 am breakfast taco buffet from the executive chef at Sambuca.
    Price: $125 -$200
    Hours: 9 pm - 2 am.

    Four Seasons New Year's Eve Celebration
    Enjoy a multi-course dinner followed by a performance by renowned jazz vocalist Akia Uwanda, dancing, live music and a champagne toast at midnight.
    Price and Hours: First seating at 5:30 or 6 pm: Come early before your evening's festivities begin and receive a special price of $85 per person with optional wine pairing at $60 per person Second seating at 8 pm: Stay all night and enjoy dinner for $110 per person with optional wine pairing at $60 per person, along with live music, dancing, and a toast.

    Dinner at new restaurants

    Le Colonial
    Delicious dishes like caramelized filet mignon salad (with snow peas, roasted garlic, watercress, and wine vinaigrette), pan-seared scallops (with creamy black rice, asparagus tips, and sweet-tangy passion fruit sauce), and roasted pear (with Vietnamese spices, caramel sauce, and candied walnuts) are all on the special menu at French/Vietnamese restaurant Le Colonial at River Oaks District. Two seating periods are available, with the later time slot also offering live music and a champagne toast.
    Price: $65 per person for the early seating and $125 per person for the later seating.
    Hours: Seatings are at 4 to 7 pm or 8 to 11 pm.

    Hungry's Cafe
    Spend New Year’s Eve at Hungry’s Cafe in Rice Village, where the four-course dinner features herb Parmesan crusted trout, four cheese ravioli with grilled shrimp, and chocolate lava cake. After your meal, head upstairs for the launch of the restaurant’s second-floor bar and lounge, aptly named Upstairs, for beats by DJ DelSur, plus a midnight champagne toast and balloon drop.
    Price: Dinner: $60 per person. Party at Upstairs: $55 per person. Dinner and the party: $100 per person.
    Hours: Dinner: 9 pm. Party: 9 pm - ​2 am.

    The Edison
    The kitchen at The Edison presents three courses of stellar eats, including pan-seared scallops (with foie gras, watercress, beurre blanc, and tomato confit), poached beef tenderloin (with rosemary red wine sauce, cream cabbage, prosciutto, and roasted shallot demi), and orange polenta upside-down cake.
    Price: $55 per person.
    Hours: 5 pm -11 pm.

    Brasserie 1895
    Four-course dinner options at casual Friendswood-area eatery Brasserie 1895 include house-cured venison and wild hog summer sausage, cold smoked salmon (with pickled onion, greens, and Dijon), prime rib (with Yorkshire pudding), and baked Alaska.
    Price: $80 per person.
    Hours: Seatings are from 5:30 - 6:30 pm and from 8:30 - 9:30 pm.

    Eloise Nichols Grill & Liquors
    Eloise Nichols Grill & Liquors will serve up a special a la carte menu this NYE (think foie gras, lamb shank with truffles, and fluffy Japanese-style cheesecake), along with optional drink pairings, discounted bottles of champagne, and a complimentary champagne toast at midnight.
    Price: A la carte.
    Hours: 6 pm - 12 am.

    Le Bistro Houston
    The rebranded restaurant at the Culinary Institute LeNotre features five full-service buffet stations, the live music duo of Bubba McNeely & Greg Giacon, and a complimentary French Champagne toast at midnight.
    Price: $85, plus beverage, tax and gratuity.
    Hours: 8:30 pm - 12:30 am.

    Hyatt Regency Downtown takes New Year’s Eve seriously with a blowout soiree spanning four floors.

    Hyatt Regency Houston presents New Year's Eve
    Courtesy photo
    Hyatt Regency Downtown takes New Year’s Eve seriously with a blowout soiree spanning four floors.
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    hottest headlines of 2025

    Houston's richest residents, best suburbs, and more top city news in 2025

    Amber Heckler
    Dec 22, 2025 | 3:45 pm
    Museum of Fine Arts, Houston gala 2025
    Photo by Wilson Parish
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    Editor’s note: As 2025 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Houston this year. In our City Life section, readers will notice several of our local universities earned high praise from prestigious global and national publications. Houston's sprawling suburbs continued to skyrocket in popularity for their livability and safety, and no top-10 list is complete without mentioning the city's wealthiest residents. Read on for the top 10 Houston City Life stories of 2025.

    1. 2 Houston universities named among world’s best in 2026 rankings. These two high-performing local institutions – Rice University and University of Houston – are in a class of their own, according to the QS World University Rankings 2026. QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) compiles the prestigious list each year; the 2026 edition includes more than 1,500 universities from around the world.

    2. Richard Kinder is Houston's richest billionaire in 2025, Forbes says. The Kinder Morgan chairman is the 11th richest Texas resident right now, and ranks as the 108th richest American. Kinder also dethroned Tilman Fertitta to claim the title as the wealthiest Houstonian.

    3. 2 Houston neighbors shine as top-10 best places to live in the U.S. Pearland and League City, respectively, claimed No. 3 and No. 6 in U.S. News & World Report's annual "Best Places to Live in the U.S." rankings. The 2025-2026 rankings examined 250 U.S. cities based on five livability indexes: Quality of life, value, desirability, job market, and net migration.

    4. 5 Houston suburbs deemed best places to retire in 2026 by U.S. News. The Woodlands and Spring should be on the lookout for an influx of retirees next year, U.S. News predicts. Three more Houston-area neighbors also ranked among the top 25 best places to retire in America.

    5. Activist group calls out Houston highway as a 'freeway without a future'. A May 2025 report from Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) included Houston's Interstate 45 expansion on its list of highways with infrastructure that is "nearing the end of its functional life." CNU claims further expansion of Houston's highway system could eventually lead to the loss of the city's bayous, while also diminishing the remaining flood-absorbing land.

    6. 10 things to know about America's first Ismaili Center opening in Houston. After nearly 20 years in the making, the long-awaited Ismaili Center, Houston finally opened its doors to the public. The 11-acre site was painstakingly designed and constructed to offer indoor and outdoor public spaces for all Houstonians to enjoy, connect, and engage.

    7. Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta asking $192 million for superyacht. Fertitta, who owns the Houston Rockets and restaurant and hospitality conglomerate Landry's, decided to sell his 252-foot yacht, named Boardwalk, to make room for an even larger superyacht he is expected to receive in April 2026. Among numerous luxurious amenities, Boardwalk also features a helipad.

    8. 2 Houston neighbors rank among America's safest suburbs in 2025. Spring came in at No. 19 and West University Place followed at No. 21 in SmartAsset's August 2025 study, which is the first time the two Houston suburbs have made it into the top 25.

    9. Houston is one of America's most overpriced cities, study finds. This likely isn't a surprise to some Houstonians. The study, conducted by Highland Cabinetry, said Houston "struggles with heavy pollution and underwhelming income levels."

    10. 9 Houston universities make U.S. News' 2025 list of top grad schools. Among the newcomers this year are Houston Christian University and Texas Southern University. HCU's graduate education school ranks No. 21 in Texas, and TSU has the 10th best law school in the state.

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