Ringing in the New Year in Beantown

Photo by Esther Ro (COM’15)

As the holiday season comes to a close, it’s time to take part in some final indulgences before having to reckon with New Year’s resolutions (and a new semester). For those of you planning to ring in the New Year in Boston, we’ve put together a list of events—concerts, comedy shows, ice-skating, and more—to help ensure that the remainder of your time off is festive.

2015 First Night Boston
Wednesday, December 31

Usher in the New Year with First Night Boston, the country’s oldest and largest New Year’s Eve festival, now celebrating its 39th anniversary. This celebration of the arts, sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation and run by the City of Boston, teams up with cultural institutions throughout the city to provide exclusive deals—from free admission to the Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker and the Museum of Fine Arts to specially priced Celtics tickets—with the purchase of a First Night button. The festival offers a host of free events throughout the city, including performances by Yo La Tengo, Patty Larkin, the Handel & Haydn Society and Puppet Showplace Theater as well as face painting, ice sculptures, guided tours, an anime marathon, magic shows, and more. Can’t-miss events include a performance by America’s Got Talent finalists and BU alums Sons of Serendip and the First Night Grand Procession down Boylston Street, which kicks off at 5:30 p.m. Be sure to stay for the spectacular fireworks display.

First Night Boston festivities take place Wednesday, December 31, from 1 p.m. to midnight at venues in and around Copley Square, 206 Clarendon St., Boston. Find a complete schedule of events and locations here. All First Night outdoor events are free, but admission to indoor events requires the purchase of a First Night button ($10), available online, at ArtsBoston’s BosTix booths in Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Copley Square, at participating Boston-area Bank of America branches, and at participating Boston-area CVS stores. By public transportation, take any MBTA Green Line trolley to Copley.

Dancing

Boston Pops Swing Orchestra’s New Year’s Eve Concert
Wednesday, December 31

If you prefer to celebrate the end of the year on the dance floor, head over to Symphony Hall where the Boston Pops Swing Orchestra, led by “bandleader extraordinaire” Bo Winiker, will perform an eclectic soundtrack to which you can dance the night away. (Last year’s event featured hits by everyone from Duke Ellington to ABBA and Elvis). Symphony Hall will offer café-style seating, food and drink, and a cash bar.

Boston Pops Swing Orchestra’s New Year’s Eve Concert is Wednesday, December 31, at 10 p.m. at Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston. Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $51 to $137 and can be purchased online. By public transportation, take an MBTA Green Line E trolley to Symphony. This event typically sells out, so it’s best to buy tickets in advance.

Classical Music

Boston Baroque’s New Year’s Eve and First Day Concerts
Wednesday, December 31, and Thursday, January 1

If your ideal celebration involves a little more class than sass, check out Boston Baroque’s popular annual New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day concerts at Harvard University’s Sanders Theater. The Grammy-nominated orchestra, under the direction of Martin Pearlman, a College of Fine Arts School of Music professor, will present the Italian one-act comic opera The Music Director by Domenico Cimarosa, which tells the story of a haughty conductor who constantly clashes with his orchestra. Additional selections from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, and Don Giovanni will also be performed. Champagne and chocolates will be served at intermission.

The Boston Baroque Gala New Year’s Eve Concert will take place at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31, and their First Day Concert will take place at 3 p.m. on Thursday, January 1. Both performances will be held at Harvard University’s Sanders Theater, 45 Quincy St., Cambridge. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 617-987-8600, ext. 113. Tickets range from $60 to $85, with $10 rush tickets for students the day of the performances. By public transportation, take a MBTA Red Line outbound train to Harvard Square.

Concerts

Wednesday, December 31

What would a New Year’s celebration be without dancing and music? Make your way to any one of several venues throughout the city offering special New Year’s Eve performances. Among your choices: the Bad Rabbits and The Dismemberment Plan take the stage at Paradise Rock Club and Brighton Music Hall, respectively; Middle East in Cambridge will host a ‘90s musical bash; and DJ Paulo will be on hand at the House of Blues.

Prices, locations, ticket availability, and times vary by concert. More information can be found at ticketmaster.com.

Museums, Theater, and Comedy

December Vacation Week at the Museum of Fine Arts
Friday, December 26–Wednesday, December 31

The MFA will offer four special hands-on programs throughout vacation week for children up to age 12. They can draw inspiration from French Impressionist Claude Monet’s snowy landscapes and then head over to the education center to paint their own; check out the weather vanes in the museum’s Folk Art gallery and then design one themselves; take in 19^th century Japanese games and puzzles before making their own; and make beaded snowflakes after viewing a fluorescent light installation by contemporary artist Spencer Finch. These activities are free with general admission.

The vacation week activities will be offered between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, is open Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., and Wednesday through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. Note: The MFA will be closed on New Year’s Day. Admission is free for BU students with a valid ID, $25 for adults, $23 for seniors 65 and older and students 18 and older, and free for children 6 and under. Admission for youth ages 7 to 17 is $10 on weekdays before 3 p.m., free on weekdays after 3 p.m., weekends, and during public school holidays. Admission on Wednesdays after 4 p.m. is by voluntary contribution. To get to the MFA via public transportation, take a Green Line E trolley to the Museum of Fine Arts stop or the Orange Line train or MBTA bus routes 8, 47, or C2 to the Ruggles stop. You can also take a MBTA #39 bus from Copley Square to the Museum of Fine Arts stop. More information can be found here or by calling 617-267-9300.

The Donkey Show
Wednesday, December 31

Celebrate the New Year with a party like no other. Glitter, mirrored balls, and ‘70s grooves are just a taste of what’s in store when you attend the American Repertory Theater’s special late-night New Year’s Eve production of The Donkey Show—a disco version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And when the curtain drops at the end of the performance, the party starts. Guests are encouraged to boogie down well past the midnight champagne toast.

Tickets to the New Year’s Eve performance of The Donkey Show can be purchased here; they are $55 for the dance floor, $95 to sit at a table. The show is at Oberon, the second stage of the American Repertory Theater, at 2 Arrow St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Doors open at 9 p.m. and the post-show party runs until 2 a.m. Phone: 617-495-2668. By public transportation, take an MBTA Green Line trolley to Park Street, transfer to a Red Line train toward Alewife, and get off at Harvard Square. Walk east on Massachusetts Avenue until you reach Arrow Street.

The New Year’s Eve Show at Improv Asylum
Wednesday, December 31

Looking to tickle your funny bone as 2014 winds down? Head over to Improv Asylum to catch their Main Stage act, which features some of the Boston area’s most talented comedians. The 90-minute review, a blend of sketch and improv comedy, has two performances on New Year’s Eve.

The New Year’s Eve shows at Improv Asylum take place at 8 and 10 p.m. Improv Asylum is located in the North End at 216 Hanover Street, Boston. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased online. Via public transportation, take any inbound Green Line trolley to Haymarket Station; it’s about a 5-minute walk to Improv Asylum.

Fourth Annual Boston One-Minute Play Festival
January 3–6

Want to see some amazing new theater? Here’s your chance: Boston Playwrights’ Theatre and Boston Public Works are collaborating once again to present the 4^th Annual Boston One-Minute Play Festival (#1IMPF). Featuring new one-minute plays by more than 5o Boston-based playwrights, the festival offers two two-night series of plays. Series A runs Saturday, January 3, and Sunday, January 4. Series B runs Monday, January 5, and Tuesday, January 6. Dedicated to “fostering community-specific performances nationwide,” the four-day event will benefit Boston Public Works, a Boston playwrights’ collective.

The 4^th Annual Boston One-Minute Play Festival runs Saturday, January 3, through Tuesday, January 6, at the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, 949 Commonwealth Ave., Boston. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tickets, which can be purchased online, are $20 for each series.

Sporting Events and Outdoor Activities

Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Wednesday, December 31

Set aside your party duds. It’s time to don yellow and black as everyone’s favorite NHL hockey team faces off against the Toronto Maple Leafs—the second-most-winningest team in Stanley Cup history—in a New Year’s Eve matchup. The game is expected to sell out, so buy your tickets early.

The Bruins hit the ice at TD Garden, 100 Legends Way, Boston, at 7 p.m. Ticket prices vary and can be purchased online here. To get there via public transportation, take an inbound Green Line trolley to North Station.

Ice-Skating around Boston

Inspired to hit the ice yourself? Shake off your cabin fever, lace up your skates, and head over to one of the Boston area’s rinks.

Boston Common Frog Pond and First Night Skating Spectacular

There is no place more magical to take to the ice than the Boston Common Frog Pond. It’s the perfect place to catch the festive holiday lights that adorn the Boston Common, the nation’s oldest public park. Bring your own skates or rent them here ($10 for adults, $5 for kids). Admission is free to anyone under 58 inches and $5 for those 58 inches or taller. You can also have your skates sharpened on the spot ($8 a pair) and rent lockers. And the Frog Pond Café offers an array of cocoa and other hot drinks, as well as mac ’n cheese, hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken tenders.

The Boston Common Frog Pond is hosting a free special event put on by The Skating Club of Boston on New Year’s Eve. Titled the First Night Skating Spectacular, the figure skating show will feature 2015 US Figure Skating Championship contenders.

The First Night Skating Spectacular starts at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31, at Boston Common’s Frog Pond, located opposite the corner of Beacon and Walnut Streets. The event is free. The Boston Common Frog Pond rink is open for public skating Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Take any MBTA Green Line or Red Line trolley to Park Street. Phone: 617-635-2120.

Boston Harbor Hotel

The Boston Harbor Hotel’s rotunda ice rink offers spectacular views of Boston’s picturesque waterfront. A part of the hotel’s Winter on the Wharf season-long celebration, visitors can lace up and later head over to the rink-side café, which serves up specialty hot cocoa and winter cocktails sure to warm up frosted fingers and refresh parched throats.

The Boston Harbor Hotel is located at 70 Rowes Wharf, Boston. Admission to the ice rink is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Skate rentals are $10 for adults and $8 for children. The rink is open Monday through Friday, 3 to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., weather permitting. Via public transportation, take any MBTA Green Line inbound trolley to Park Street. From there, the hotel is a 15-minute walk.

Kendall Square

If you find yourself in Cambridge over the holidays, stop by Kendall Square’s outdoor ice-skating rink. The rink offers skate rentals, lessons, skate sharpening, and a café with snacks and hot drinks.
The rink is at 300 Athenaeum St., Cambridge. One-day admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors, and $1 for children age 13 and under. A complete list of rates is here. Take the MBTA Green Line trolley to Park Street, transfer to the Red Line (toward Alewife), get off at the Kendall/MIT station, and walk down 3rd Street.

Campus Sports

Classrooms and dorms might be empty, but BU’s athletic teams need your help to fill the University’s arenas and gymnasiums and cheer them on during the holiday break. Root for the Terriers at any one of these athletic matchups taking place during intersession.

• Wednesday, December 31: BU women’s basketball hosts the College of the Holy Cross at 2 p.m. in Case Gym.
• Saturday, January 3: BU men’s basketball hosts Lehigh University at 2 p.m. in Case Gym.
• Saturday, January 3: BU men’s ice hockey hosts Union College at 7 p.m. at Agganis Arena.
• Wednesday, January 7: BU women’s basketball hosts Navy at 7 p.m. in Case Gym.
• Saturday, January 10: BU men’s basketball hosts Lafayette College at 1 p.m. at Agganis Arena.
• Saturday, January 10: BU women’s ice hockey hosts the University of Maine at 3 p.m. at Walter Brown Arena.

Prices vary by game. For more information and to purchase tickets to events at Agganis Arena, visit ticketmaster. Tickets to events at the Case Gym and Walter Brown Arena can be purchased at the Case Center Ticket Office, 285 Babcock St., one hour before the basketball and women’s ice hockey games.

Paula Sokolska can be reached at ps5642@bu.edu.