In the Mission there’s all manner of ways to ring in the new year. Be it a meditation circle or a burlesque circus show, the neighborhood’s got you covered. Here’s a variety of different strokes for all the varied local folks:
For the feminist comedy fan:
Chortle your way into the new year while watching funny ladies like Marga Gomez (of SF Carnavale), Betsy Salkind (of the Tonight Show) , and Diane Amos (aka the Pine Sol lady!) at the Brava Theater. The standup starts at 9 p.m. and immediately after the show there’s a dance party, complete with music, a no-host bar, nibbles, and free champagne at midnight. Dancing goes till 1 a.m. Tickets are $35 $50 for VIPs, and the proceeds go to Brava.
For the fan of sexy circus freak:
Never a place for the timid, the Armory will be filled with scantily (yet extravagantly) clad circus performers and tunes of all flavors on the 31st. The New Bohemia New Years Eve celebration, brought to you by Kink.com, Opel and the Vau De Vire society, will feature four stages (and a fourth floor reserved for VIP ticketholders) with performances by a long lists of musical and circus acts.. Circus-meets-burlesque showpeople from the Vau De Vire will, of course, also show their stuff The only tickets left are $75 general admission, though there are a few spots left in various VIPXXXperience “bedrooms” (Kink.com sets) for $3,000 to $5,500. Click here for tickets and more information. http://newbohemianye.com/
For the nostalgic LGBT Missionite:
Ring in the new years at the Lexington with champagne for midnight toasting supplied by the bar — the perfect opportunity to drink away the thought of the beloved locale’s impending closure sometime in 2015. If that’s not enough of a distraction maybe the sexy go-go dancers will keep you occupied. The new year will be welcomed by Brown Meshugana (Daniela) and Andre Shakti (Ari). Beats will be spun by DJ Durt (Ships in the Night) and DJ Siobhan Aluvalot (Club Fist). No cover, starts at 9.
For the dance machine:
Bissap Baobab, ever the local dance floor draw, has a lineup of expert drummers and DJs bringing the beats from Senegal and Sierra Leone, among other places. Live music starts at 7 p.m. with Sekhou Senegal, a band led by twin musicians and backed up by instruments like the djembe, dun dun, balafon as well as keyboard and bass. As of 9:30 p.m. you can hear local African rhythm, hip-hop and dancehall fusion band Black Nature Band alongside the Sierra Leone’s Refugees All-Stars, a musical phenomenon with their own documentary film. After the live music subsides, Bissap Baobab house DJs will keep the party going until a champagne toast at midnight.
For the New Age Hippie:
Yoga Society of San Francisco is hosting a vegan, rawish, meditation-meets-community-dinner mishmash of mindfulness that starts with chai tea and chatter, morphs into a breathing exercise, and is capped with a meditation circle and … midnight fire ceremony? It’ll cost you $50 to $60, requires pre-registration, and does not appear to involve any kind of alcohol. Participants are encouraged to bring a notebook and pencil to add something thoughtful to “the altar” (which is where, I presume, things will be lit on fire).
For the mink-wearing socialite:
First you have to decide if you’re a classy 80s entrepreneur or a foxy jazz enthusiast. For the former, you can throw down $100 to dine at Foreign Cinema’s Purple Rain themed new year’s soiree. The evening features a four-course meal and as-yet-unspecified “festivities,” which begin at 5:30 — reservations are strongly recommended.
Meanwhile at Savanna Jazz, $90 will seat you for dinner and a show. Along with a spectacular jazz performance, Savanna promises party favors and champagne to toast 2015 — reservations at (415) 624-4549.
For the mysterious artiste:
Feeling a little shy but don’t want to be left out? You might consider dusting off your evening wear and attending a masked ball with Project Tango. Live music from Redwood Tango will coax out your sensual side for a little dancing. Organizers are providing tango lessons at 8:10 p.m. both for beginners and intermediate ballgoers. Music from 9:10p.m. until 1:30 a.m., with a sparkling cider toast at midnight. And if that’s still a little too far out of your shell, that’s fine, you can be an altruistic wallflower and help out with the party, because the Project Tango is still looking for volunteers to staff the event.
For the indie music buff:
So, there’s going to be a live album recording at Amnesia for New Years. You’ll see the likes of Sonny & the Sunsets, The Range of Light Wilderness, and The She’s make sweet music. The event spans two days, with the lineup for the 30th including Cool Ghouls and Andy Human & The Reptoids.
For the Vietnamese-food maniac:
New Year’s Day brunch by Rice Paper Scissors is back. Hosted at Brick and Mortar music hall, the brunch features everything from your basic banh mi to scrambled eggs with tofu to crab imperial rolls. Both naughty and nice drinks are on the menu, which features a kale smoothie made “Vietnamese” by the addition of condensed milk as well as mimosas and tecate, almond milk chai, kombucha, and housemade ginger beer. Brunch opens at 11 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m., and main course items range from $9 to $11 a plate.
And of course, if you have somewhere to be at the crack of 2015’s first dawn that’s not in walking distance after the festivities of your choosing, BART will be running until 3 a.m. on New Year’s Eve.