Get the most out of your new year and say goodbye to the 10’s in proper fashion with our GayRVA guide to the best New Year’s Eve parties this town has to offer!
As 2019 ends and a new decade is set to begin, we all want to have the best New Year’s Eve possible. For plenty of people, this means traveling to some bigger city: New York for the ball drop in Times Square, DC for the big parties, maybe Atlanta where it’s not so cold… but what if you just want to stay in Richmond this year?
Well, if you choose to do so, you’ll not only be missing out on a boatload of travel time and related expenses, you’ll find plenty of amazing things to do and enjoy right here in the good ol’ RVA. If you ask us, it’s really the best way to go.
Here are the best places in Richmond to have yourself a truly wonderful New Year’s Eve.

PLF’s Decemberween at Diversity Richmond
This one’s at the top of the list every year, and I can’t imagine that’ll change anytime soon. The Party Liberation Front’s Halloween-in-December shindig is always the place to be for the arrival of the new year, and it’s because the group never fails to pull out all the stops for this affair.
This year is no different! Dozens of DJs on three different stages will ensure that the music never stops. There’ll be fire performances outside to keep you from getting chilly, as well as mutant vehicles, food trucks, art installations, three different bars, and a whole lot more. It’s a totally immersive experience that will tantalize all five senses for eight full hours! Don’t miss this one. Tickets are $66, and worth every penny. Order here.

Black Pride RVA’s New Year’s Eve Bash 2020 at Studio Two Three
This New Year’s Eve, Black Pride RVA is doing it up right over at Studio Two Three. Their decade-ending event will be a Black & White Affair featuring food, champagne, party favors, and more. Everyone will be dressed to the nines for this one, and you’re sure to enjoy every moment. Tickets start at $25 — order here.

Scott Wichmann at Richmond Triangle Players’ Robert B. Moss Theatre
If you’re looking for a memorable musical affair that summons up the glittering showbiz days of yesteryear, Richmond Triangle Players has got you covered this year, with two performances by “Mister Showtime,” Scott Wichmann. Wichmann’s charismatic flair will lend a special vibrance to his performance of Rat Pack classics, and he’ll have some special guests and a trio led by Musical Director Ryan Corbitt to kick things up a notch and make it a show worthy of wrapping up the decade.
Wichmann will perform two different shows on New Year’s Eve, one at 7 PM and one at 10 PM, so whether you want to wrap the evening up early or stay out all night, there’s a showtime that’ll work for you! Tickets start at only $10, and can be purchased here. Grab yours now!

Godfrey’s New Year’s Eve Celebration
There are all kinds of places you can go for this occasion, but sometimes nothing feels as right as the place you visit regularly all year. That’s why the Godfrey’s New Year’s Eve throwdown just might be the best place to be in this whole town on December 31. They’ll be throwing a big drag show, along with some great year-end drink specials and a cash balloon drop at midnight, so there’ll be plenty to enjoy all evening. The economically-minded should make a note that the cover doubles at 11 PM — so show up by 10:59 and party all night!

Fallout’s New Year’s Eve Masque
Shockoe Bottom’s #1 fetish club is continuing their tradition with this Masquerade Ball featuring drinks, DJs, and plenty of awesome outfits. The line for drinks might be long once this one gets going, but there will be a secondary cash-only bar, so if you’ve got some legal tender in your pocket, you can avoid the rush!
Fallout strictly requires attendees to wear formal and/or fetish clothing, and a mask, so make sure you’re properly attired, or you might be turned away to hang with the normies. No one wants that! While Fallout is members-only, non-members can be guested in by friends who are members, or message their facebook to obtain a one night pass. It’ll be worth it.

Roaring 20s NYE at Kabana Rooftop
Over in the straight world, the arrival of 2020 seems to be a big occasion for “Roaring 20s” themed events, and Kabana Rooftop, atop the Hampton Inn downtown, certainly looks like the most promising of these. They’ll feature music all evening, headlined by a performance from virtuoso violinist and turntable-spinner DJ Manifesto. Plus there’ll be champagne toasts, party favors, and a live feed of the ball drop — so you don’t have to watch it at home. Tickets start at $35, and if you don’t want to find your way home afterward, Hampton Inn offers special rates for suites directly attached to Kabana, so you really can make an entire night of it.

But hey, maybe the roaring 20s aren’t even retro enough for you — maybe you want to take things all the way back to the late 19th century. If so, Quirk Hotel has you covered with their Belle Epoque-style evening, featuring music by DJ Ant Boogie, a custom gin & tonic bar, champagne toast at midnight, party favors, and everything else you love about NYE parties. For $25, you can drop in to Quirk around 10 PM (tickets here), or if you really want to do it up right and proper, you can kick the evening off with a 5-course New Year’s Eve dinner at Maple & Pine, Quirk Hotel’s in-house restaurant. The prix-fixe meal is $99 per person (tickets here), and includes entrance to the Quirk event, so that’s your whole evening covered!

Noon Year’s Eve at Lamplighter featuring No BS! Brass Band
Are you the sort of person who’d really rather avoid leaving the house on New Year’s Eve at all? That’s understandable — the roads are hardly the safest on that evening, and lord knows a lot of people do not know how to stay within their limits. Fortunately, even if you’re completely uninterested in being out of the house after dark, there is some fun still to be had over at Lamplighter’s Addison Street location. Specifically, No BS! Brass Band will be showing up late in the morning on December 31 to play tunes and get the party rockin’ for a ball drop on the Lamplighter roof at noon! So there you go — you can take part in a joyous year-ending event with the sun still high in the sky, and head home secure in the knowledge that you’ve done your carousing for the year.
Top Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash