How to Ring in the New Year in Washington DC
Kick off 2023 with staycations, all-night parties, and hangover brunches.
2022 is going out in style this weekend—as it should. As we bid adieu to the last 365 days and welcome the next go-round, there are few better ways to pay homage to the passing of time than by hosting, attending, or generally being in the vicinity of a fabulous party. And, in DC, options abound whether you want to spend a laid-back day twirling around an ice skating rink or go all-out at a glamorous soiree.
To help you plan your day appropriately and keep the festivities going from morning to night, we’ve rounded up the best ways to ring in the new year in DC. All you have to do is lace up your dancing shoes.
Bethesda
If you’re looking to get your steps in on NYE, get to stepping on the ballroom with flamenco dancing at Jose Andres’ Spanish Diner in Bethesda. Brunch, bubbles, and traditional Spanish dancing will be flowing starting at 10 am on December 31. Plus, check out a special NYE menu that will transport you right across the Atlantic.
Cost: Varies
Navy Yard
If you’re looking to make this New Year’s extra special, you can clink to 2023 at the Thompson Hotel. One of the newer hotels in Navy Yard, the property is offering two different packages for New Year’s Eve. There’s the aptly named “The One Night Stand,” which offers up to 20% off your stay, while “The Two Night Stand” includes up to 23% off your stay. Each package includes entrance to the rooftop celebration at the hotel, two glasses of champagne for a clinking toast, breakfast for two each day, and 23% off overnight parking each day of your stay. Use offer code U4H8CN and book here.
Cost: Packages start at $231/night
Gather supplies for an epic at-home party
Various locations
You certainly don’t need to go out to go all out. Plenty of DC favorites are providing everything you need to celebrate the end of 2022 in the comfort of your own home. Atlas Ivy City will open from 1 to 6 pm so you can stop by and pick up solar-powered beer for New Year’s Eve parties. Ambar’s DC and Virginia locations will both be offering a New Year’s-inspired grab-and-go menu priced at $99 for two, with menu items including rack of lamb, baked lobster casserole, and raspberry cake. In Georgetown, Wolfgang Puck’s famous CUT is also offering a New Year's Eve Tomahawk Experience for Two as a take out option, which includes a 40-ounce, 40-day dry-aged tomahawk steak along with various starters and sides to share, priced at $365 for two.
Cost: Varies
The Wharf
Moon Rabbit is hosting a NYE dinner without the stress of prix-fixe menus and huge cover charges. The restaurant will offer its standard menu plus holiday specials like Banh Hoi Heo Quay with roast pig, rice noodles, and a few signature sauces and a fancy seafood platter with oysters, shrimp cocktail and gochujang cocktail sauce, and a tin of caviar. To aid in celebrations, the restaurant is also setting up a DJ station in the lobby, extending its hours so guests can make reservations until 10 pm, and offering a special Champagne menu with six to eight choices.
Cost: Varies
Indulge in a super-fancy meal
Various locations
While parties abound on NYE, there’s no better way to honor 2022 than with an over-the-top meal at one of the city’s best restaurants. Imperfecto is offering a NYE menu with highlights like chef Enrique Limardo’s take on surf and turf, which features both Wellington bison and lobster, for $250 per person. CRANES, where Spanish and Japanese cuisines meet, will have a prix-fixe menu for $228 per person with starters like oysters ponzu and cuttlefish tartar, as well as an extensive list of entrees. And at Gravitas, you’ll have a wide range of options, including an ultra-fancy, 12-course dinner for $500 per person, or a slightly more accessible four-course dinner for $175 per person.
Cost: Varies
Logan Circle
Check out Alias on 14th for a NYE Masquerade Ball with an open bar. Tickets get you a four-hour open bar from 9 pm to 1 am, live entertainment from DJ Remy, a champagne toast, party favors, and the signature cocktail of the evening. VIP table service is available, and tickets are available here.
Cost: $89 per person
Navy Yard
Ring in the new year like Daisy Buchanan at Navy Yard’s Great Gatsby-themed restaurant, Gatsby. Come in your best roaring ‘20s attire and ring in the new years in old-school glamor. There will be a champagne toast and party favors for guests, as well as nostalgic cocktail classics like the Icebox Daiquiri and Bees Knees.
Cost: Entrance is free, food and drink is la carte
Navy Yard
For the party to end 2022, what better way to go out than with a gala? District Winery will be hosting a Midnight Mystique gala, which promises to be a night of indulgence and excitement. Enjoy a premium open bar, four hours of food including passed hor d’oeuvres, a raw bar, and carving station, all while being entertained by fortune tellers, magic tricks, dancing, and live music by The Dueling Pianos. The celebration will take place throughout three lounge areas in addition to the winery’s waterfront terrace and intimate mezzanine level.
Cost: $275 per person
Capitol Hill
Midnight may mark the start of 2023, but Fight Club is going back in time for a 2000s-themed party. The New Year's Eve party, which doesn’t require tickets for entry, will feature a DJ spinning mash-ups from the '00s for guests to dance the night away to along with a Polaroid photo wall and a champagne toast at midnight. Throughout the night, dig into a la carte finger foods and snacks that will bring you back to your younger days including fish sticks, pizza bagels, bacon sliders, and cake pops. Guests may order drinks at the bar or purchase premium drink tickets for $80, which unlocks all-you-can-drink select draft punches, wine, beer, and cider from 8 pm until 1 am.
Cost: $80 for drink tickets; otherwise priced a la carte
Logan Circle
Ring in the nouvelle année at Le Diplomate’s first-ever, French-infused late night cocktail party. Enjoy music courtesy of a live jazz trio featuring Joe Herrera of DC’s Thievery Corporation, glittering decor, premium fruits de mer and caviar, heavy hor d’oeuvres, a roaming photo booth, party favors, and an open bar featuring champagne, wine, and cocktails as you count down the minutes to midnight.
Cost: $225 per person
H Street Corridor
No, we’re not talking about those 2023-shaped glasses. Head to Stable, one of the city's coziest spots for the season, and dine on a special holiday menu. The fondue prix-fixe menu includes a glass of Simonet Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine, your choice of appetizer, a signature pot of gooey fondue and lots of side for dipping, and your choice of dessert.
Cost: $56 per person
Various locations
The only thing better than a bumping NYE party is one with jaw-dropping views of the city. Head to one of the city’s gorgeous rooftop bars this holiday, and you’ll find just that. At Smoke & Mirrors, the rooftop restaurant and bar located atop AC Hotel Washington DC Capitol Hill Navy Yard, you’ll find a black tie party, complete with an open bar featuring pours from Ilegal Mezcal, heavily passed hors d’oeuvres, and a champagne toast from Moet & Chandon at midnight. Or, head on over to Ciel Social Club, where you’ll be able to enjoy passed apps, a DJ, a two-hour premium open bar, and the penthouse restaurant and lounge’s Swiss Alps-inspired seasonal decor.
Cost: Varies
Various locations
Whether you partied too hard on NYE or are up and at ‘em to celebrate on the first day of 2023, DC’s best brunch restaurants have you covered. Bottomless mimosas, indulgent breakfast classics, and plenty of time to recap the night or plot your new year’s resolutions await.
Cost: Varies