But before the night of champagne and silly hats arrives, revelers face the first big question of 2006 – or the last big question of 2005, depending on your perspective:
How and where to celebrate the stroke of midnight? Here are a few area options.
NEW YEAR’S EVE
A “Twister” New Year’s Party
Middle and high school students are invited to break the official world record for players of the game Twister. Activities include the game and music. Reservations required. 2:30-4 p.m.|Free|Smoky Hill Library, 5430 S. Biscay Circle, 303-693-7449 |CENTENNIAL
Boulder Theater
New Year’s Eve with The David Bromberg Quartet and The Horseflies|$48|Boulder Theater, 2034 14th St., 303-768-7030|BOULDER
Boulder’s Dinner Theatre
Offering a special New Year’s Eve show of “The King and I” with the play, dancing and champagne. Call for details and reservations. It’s the story of a widowed English governess who travels to Siam in 1862 to teach the king’s progeny. This is the dinner theater’s 100th production|$85|Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, 5501 Arapahoe Ave., 303-449-6000, theatreinboulder.com |BOULDER|***
Country Dinner Playhouse
“Beauty and the Beast,” Disney’s Broadway favorite about the young woman and her journey to an enchanted castle. Includes a special New Year’s Eve gala. Call for information|$89.95 per person|Country Dinner Playhouse, 6875 S. Clinton St., 303-799-1410, countrydinnerplayhouse.com |GREENWOOD VILLAGE|*** 1/2
Foundry
New Year’s Eve Bash with Fat Knuckle Jack and More than Medium |Foundry, 1109 Walnut St., 303-447-1803, foundryboulder.com|BOULDER
Gold Hill Inn
New Year’s Eve Dance Party featuring the David Booker Band|$24|Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main Street Gold Hill, 303-443-6461|BOULDER
Gothic Theatre
New Year’s Eve Extravaganza featuring Boondok Saints, Optimal Frequency, Ultrachronic, Potcheen Fold Band, DJ Skwared|Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway , 303-788-0984|ENGLEWOOD
Grand Hyatt Denver
Hyatt New Year’s Eve celebration includes a room and party featuring The Nacho Men|$349|Grand Hyatt Denver, 1750 Welton St., 303-295-1234
Herb’s
New Year’s Eve with Buckner Funken Jazz|Herb’s, 2057 Larimer St., 303-299-9555
Hotel Boulderado
New Year’s Eve Gala Ball|$218 per couple|Hotel Boulderado, 2115 13th St., 303-442-4344|BOULDER
Impulse Theater
New Year’s Eve celebration includes comedy show, live music, fireworks, buffet and more. Reservations encouraged|$60 |Impulse Theater, 1634 18th St., 303-297-2111
Keystone Resort Conference Center
New Year’s Eve celebration with Brett Butler, Steve Gastineau and Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald. 9 p.m.|$49.95- $99.95|Keystone Resort Conference Center, U.S. 6, 800-354-4386|KEYSTONE
Koelbel Library
Hosting a “New Year’s Eve at Noon” program with ’50s rock ‘n’ roll music, a puppet show and more, 11-11:45 a.m.|Free|Koelbel Library, 5955 S. Holly St., 303-220-7704, arapahoelibraries.org|CENTENNIAL
Mary’s Lake Lodge
New Year’s Eve Celebration with The Woo Crew Trio.|$18|Mary’s Lake Lodge, 2625 Mary’s Lake Road, 877-442-6379|ESTES PARK
Mercury Cafe
New Year’s Eve celebration featuring The Queen City Jazz Band|Mercury Cafe, 2199 California St., 303-494-0523
Midnight Rodeo
New Year’s Eve Ball|Midnight Rodeo, 525 North Ave., 970-858-7675 |GRAND JUNCTION
“Oklahoma”
Offering a special New Year’s Eve show of “Oklahoma,” Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic musical about a young woman and the two rivals for her affections. Call for details and reservations|Jesters Dinner Theatre, 224 Main St., 303-682-9980, jesterstheatre.com |LONGMONT
Oskar’s
New Year’s Eve with Serious Bizness and the Lodo Horns|Oskar’s, 303 Main St., 303-823-6685|LYONS
Pikes Peak Center
New Year’s Eve Celebration features Lawrence Leighton Smith, Amy Sue Hardy and the Colorado Springs Philarmonic. |Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave., 719-520-7469|COLORADO SPRINGS
Sheabeen Irish Pub
New Year’s with Hot Toddy. Call for reservations|Sheabeen Irish Pub, 2300 S. Chambers Road , 303-696-6131 |AURORA
Sheraton Denver West Hotel
Hosts its annual New Year’s Eve package to benefit Children’s Hospital. Activities include four-course dinner, dancing, guest room accommodations and a champagne toast|$249 per couple|Sheraton Denver West Hotel, 360 Union Blvd., 720-963-2026|LAKEWOOD
Soiled Dove
New Year’s Eve party features The Nadas Ring|$35|Soiled Dove, 1949 Market St., 303-299-0100, soileddove.com
Sunset Event Center
New Year’s Eve with Liz Barnez|$20, $35|Sunset Event Center, 242 Linden St., 970-484-6446|FORT COLLINS
Tamayo Restaurant
New Year’s celebration includes a fiesta with a Mariachi Band, four-course meal and party favors |$64, $32 children|Tamayo Restaurant, 1400 Larimer St., 720-946-1433
Trios Enoteca
New Year’s Eve celebration with Filthy Children|Trios Enoteca, 1730 Wynkoop St., 303-293-2887
Wheeler Opera House
New Orleans: Alive and Kickin’ New Year’s Eve celebration includes Marva Wright, Eddie Bo, Wanda Rouzan and The Pinstripe Brass Band |$30, $35 |Wheeler Opera House, 320 E. Hyman St., 970-920-5773|ASPEN
White Buffalo Saloon
New Year’s Eve bash with Hell’s Belles, Stoli and the Beers and The Knew, starting at 8 p.m.|$25|White Buffalo Saloon, 5400 N. Garfield Ave., 970-593-1661|LOVELAND
WOW! World of Wonder
Children’s Museum
A special “New Year’s Eve Celebration!” with a clown and face painting, beginning at 11 a.m. |WOW! World of Wonder Children’s Museum, 110 N. Harrison Ave., 303-604-2424, wowmuseum.com |LAFAYETTE
Zengo Restaurant
A Latin-Asian New Year’s celebration|$68, $35 children|Zengo Restaurant, 1610 Little Raven St., 720-904-0965
Ziggie’s Saloon
New Year’s Eve party featuring Jonny Boy and Money|$20|Ziggie’s Saloon, 4923 W. 38th Ave., 303-455-9930
More events from
Pikes Peak pyrotechnics
AdAmAn Club Fireworks
From the summit of Pikes Peak, at the stroke of midnight Saturday
There’s always someone willing to take the hard way to the top. In the case of Pikes Peak in winter, that someone is a band of 30 mountaineering members of the AdAmAn Club brave and crazy enough to spend two days traversing the the 12.6-mile Barr Trail to the 14,110-foot summit of America’s mountain, where they’ll set off a brilliant pyrotechnic display. There are, of course, stops along the way, including a bonfire on Friday night near Barr Camp, and a half-hour from 11-11:30 a.m. Saturday when the group uses hand mirrors to flash a greeting to Colorado Springs below. The group will test-fire five bombs at 9 p.m. to honor the original “Frozen Five” who climbed the peak in Dec. 22, 1922, and surprised the citizenry below by shooting off flares and fireworks and building a huge bonfire from railroad ties. Just as it has every year since then, the big show will go off at the stroke of midnight, providing a display that is purported to be visible for hundreds of miles up and down the Front Range and far into the Eastern Plains. We promise, this one’s worth staying up for.
MORE FOR
SATURDAY
11 A.M., NOON AND 1 P.M. Happy Noon Year | the Children’s Museum of Denver counts down the new year in Asia, Latin America and Europe with a ball drop and “safe” fireworks.
11 a.m. – Japan New Year’s ball drop followed by Japanese Taiko Drumming’s traditional New Year’s drumming performance.
Noon – Mexico New Year’s ball drop, followed by Fiesta Colorado’s traditional dance performance.
1 p.m. – Ireland New Year’s ball drop, followed by step-dance performance by the Reed School of Irish Dance. | 2121 Children’s Museum Drive, Denver | 303-433-7444
4-8 P.M. Jingle Rails Snowboard Rail Jam | snowboard rail competition for regional professional and amateur athletes. DJ and MC, plus demonstrations. | Cooper Creek Square in Winter Park | 970-726-1590
EVENING New Year’s Eve Marshall Pass Snowmobile Ride | south of Salida, sponsored by the Heart of the Rockies Snowmobile Club. | Off U.S. 285, south of Poncha Springs | 719-539-6168
EVENING New Year’s Eve Cottonwood Pass Snowmobile Ride | includes a chili dinner and a back-of-the-mountain view of the Pikes Peak fireworks show | Cottonwood Pass | 719-395-6612
9 P.M. & MIDNIGHT New Year’s Eve Fireworks Downtown|official celebration marks the start of the new year with fireworks shot off along the 16th Street Mall. | Downtown Denver
MIDNIGHT Diamonds in the Sky | fireworks display over frozen Grand Lake. | Downtown Grand Lake | 970-627-3372
