New Year's Parties

    By Thrillist

    Published on 12/22/2006 at 4:00 AM

    Los Angeles: Flaming Lips & Gnarls BarkleyGet tickets for $55 (plus convenience and service charges) via TicketMaster

    The routinely outrageous Lips update their annual NYE props (giant plush characters, ginormous balloons, and pasty-clad dancers) with a new and improved spaceship (now with more ship!). Joining them for their USC Galen Center show: the always-costumed Gnarls Barkley. Of course you'll want to slit your wrists when they play "Crazy", but hey, it'll be 2007 -- marking four years of brave survival since you were first tormented with "Hey Ya"

    Lake Tahoe: South ShoreTickets ($40 and up) at MontBleuResort.com

    Down-and-out gambling skiers can't beat South Lake Tahoe -- one of the only places in the country where you can hit the slopes by day, then squander your 401k at a threadbare craps table by night. Flophouse motels and low-rent casinos keep accommodation costs low, and the big bash on the strip is BYOB -- so long as the B is stuffed deep into your North Face. Should the party on the street prove too cold (or too street), you can warm yourself with glammed-out Eurochicks at two fancypants, all-night soirees hosted by brand new resort/casino MontBleu -- where your own fancypants will hopefully end up lasciviously ankled, rather than wagered and lost on an ill-fated round of keno. Call 800-648-3353 and mention Thrillist when you make your reservation and get $5 off the two-party "Bounce" pass from MontBleu.

    Boca Raton: CarnivaleMake reservations ($25 and up) by calling 561-362-7407

    The most tropical masquerade-themed NYE party in the country has all the trappings of "Eyes Wide Shut", minus a dainty-wristed Tom Cruise. Bova Ristorante's Venetian Carnivale has stilt-walkers, musicians, magicians, and women in various states of undress mingling with the room of a-la-carting South Beach refugees. You'll even be provided a mask, reducing the odds that you'll kick off September '07 by sending out a court-ordered child support check

    Boston, Dallas, SF, NYC, LA: New Year's NationVenue locations and webcast via NewYearsNation.com

    Don't let distance keep you from celebrating with your far-flung pals, consorts, and henchmen. Instead, get together virtually, with New Year's Nation. Connecting five cities across three time zones, NYN coordinates satellite video feeds and a webcast of the debaucherous goings-on -- guaranteeing you make some bitter comment about the girls obviously being easier wherever you're not..

    Get the lowdown on NYC New Year's alternatives from Thrillist New York.