Have you made your plans yet for the most hyped night out of the year? See in 2016 in style at one of these nine glamorous new year’s celebrations
PARTY
Discover something different this New Year’s Eve: head for an underground party at the Hidden Rooms on Jesus Lane. Expect a night of classic house music, 8pm-2am, from Cambridge’s Jason Petchell. Tickets are £10 in advance or £15 on the door (no entry after midnight). Advanced ticket price includes a bottle of Becks, glass of house wine or juice.
There’ll be funk, disco and R&B pumping from underground bar La Raza on New Year’s Eve when Crump, Pete de Vit and Margaret Scratcher take to the decks. Make your way through La Raza’s extensive cocktail list and tear up the dance floor from 9pm to 2am. Tickets cost just £5 on the door. Bargain!
For a cheekier, more sensational affair, get your tickets for Neon Moon’s burlesque and cabaret New Year’s Eve Spectacular. Known for throwing flamboyant parties around the city centre, featuring top artistes, this show promises to be the best one of all. There’s a circus theme, so dress as sequined showgirls, retro ringmasters or put an animal twist to your costume (but strictly NO onesies! This is a glamorous occasion, darlings). Acts for the night include sword swallowers and cabaret, then dance into the New Year to vintage music from the 50s, 60s and 70s, as well as from around the world, as the cocktails flow.
Sure to be a New Year’s you won’t forget, it runs from 8pm to 2am, tickets are £50. Come, run away with the circus…
Modern Italian restaurant De Luca will be offering a New York inspired new year’s celebration complete with a five course menu as well as live music and entertainment at Cambridge’s first and only piano bar. Party-goers will have exclusive access to the bar and top floor cocktail lounge where resident entertainer Robin P-iano will be tinkling the ivories well into the wee hours of the morning. Tickets are £60 per person, book in advance to guarantee a place.
The Junction has been hosting sell out, top quality electronic club nights for 20 years with Edwartainments Events, and this New Year they’re pulling out all the stops. Starting at 10pm, White Noise will be taking over J1 to ring in 2016 and bring the house down. Featuring big guests like dancefloor destroyers Jaguar Skills and a special midnight DJ set from Maribou State, it promises to be a wild night. First release tickets sold out fast so grab those still on sale whilst stocks last! Prices from £18, event strictly 18+
Cafe and vinyl store Relevant Records will host a disco in its basement this 31 December, featuring great tunes, dancing and plenty of cocktails. The party takes place 7.30pm until 1am, and tickets cost £10 (proceeds going to charity).
Fans of local gig venue the Portland Arms will be happy to hear about their opulent and mysterious 1920s Speakeasy event for New Year’s Eve. Think prohibition era: forbidden drinks, gambling, gangsters, music and dancing. There’ll be themed cocktails, roulette, black jack and poker tables, as well as a buffet, live music and games. Dress code is strictly 1920s ‘Flappers and Dappers’, so get your Great Gatsby on and dig out the fringe, pinstripes, pearls and sequins. With tickets from just £10, the evening starts at 7.30pm and promises a night to remember.
DINE
Hotel Felix, Girton
Love live jazz and great food? Head for Hotel Felix this New Year’s Eve, where you’ll enjoy a fabulous four-course meal at the stylish Graffiti restaurant (including a glass of fizz on arrival), then dance the night away to the sound of a local jazz ensemble. Situated in spacious grounds a short drive from Cambridge city centre, this boutique four-star hotel is set in pretty grounds with 52 luxurious bedrooms and an award-winning restaurant, an orangery and a bar. Tickets for the New Year’s Eve Dinner are priced at £75 per person.
Hotel du Vin, Cambridge
See in the new year in style at classy hotel and bistro Hotel du Vin. The Trumpington Street venue invites you to enjoy an evening of live music, great food and plenty of fizz, rounded off with a stay in one of its beautiful rooms, with a full breakfast in the morning. From £499 per night.
The Pint Shop is hosting a meaty feast to end all feasts this NYE. Diners are invited to gorge (their words not ours, but we approve) on a six course featuring deliciousness like smoked pork belly ribs, a Ruben Scotch egg with hot Swiss cheese sauce and Cambridge Burnt Cream for pud. Festivities will start at 8pm and the bar will be open until 1am. Dining tickets are £45 per person with the option of ordering an expertly chosen flight of beer for an additional £20.
No.77, Caxton
Over at a no.77 in Caxton, you can enjoy a sumptuous six-course meal this New Year’s Eve. On the menu you’ll find Thai classics like spring rolls, green and red curry and Pad Thai, and gven the fact that this stylish eaterie was recently included in the Michelin Guide, it’s bound to be quite the feast. There will also be a DJ and fireshow – tickets are £60 (or £20 for non-dining passes).
The Sheene Mill, Melbourn
Dine at a beautiful, rural, historical setting and enjoy the fruits of The Sheene Mill’s award-winning kitchen at their New Year’s Party. For £98 per person, you’ll receive champagne and canapés on arrival, then lobster ravioli, French onion soup or salt-baked beetroots with whipped feta cheese to start. Mains include 28-day aged steak, guinea fowl with pomme rosti and truffle jus, sea bass and dauphinois potatoes, and a seasonal vegetable tagine. The dessert menu features dark chocolate and cherry clafoutis, pear tarte Tatin or a delicious selection of English cheeses.
After dinner, there’s a disco and dancing until 1am, with a countdown to and fireworks at midnight.
The Packhorse Inn, Moulton
This smart, cosy country pub would make a wonderful New Year’s Eve getaway for anyone looking for a top-notch champagne dinner with the option of an overnight stay in one of the inn’s boutique rooms. Tuck into a beautifully presented seven-course tasting menu, which makes use of local game and seasonal vegetables, whilst a live pianist sets the mood. It’s £95 per person, including champagne on arrival plus another glass to clink at midnight. Dinner plus an overnight stay and a Buck’s Fizz breakfast is £379 per room.
The Chequers, Orwell
Indulge in a delicious seven-course dinner at beautiful gastropub The Chequers in the village of Orwell. While the pub’s cosy, rustic interior lends itself very well to a winter feast, the food itself is greatly acclaimed. Enjoy wild mushroom velouté, ballotine of partridge, smoked salmon, a cheeky Martini and British rose veal cushion, finishing with a chocolate and citrus explosion. Tickets are £65 each. After dinner, there’s live music from 11pm to 1am. Dress to impress!
Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill, Cambridge
Situated beside the tree-lined River Cam, savour a delicious five course gourmet meal at Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill. The dress code is lounge suits, and dinner will run from 6.30pm to 9.30pm. Before and after, this glamorous evening will include access to the bar and entertainment by the restaurant’s resident DJ to see in the New Year. Tickets are available for children aged up to 10 years old from £46, and for adults from £86.
Squires Restaurant, Newmarket
Head to the Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa to experience a classy evening in their award winning Squires Restaurant. Squires will be hosting a black tie New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner, complete with three courses, entrees and an amuse-bouche. The restaurant has 2 AA Rosettes, and is known for its artistic décor, its charismatic ambience, and the fact that all of its produce is sourced locally, within 50 miles of the restaurant itself. Tickets for the Gala Dinner start at £120, and as a special offer the Bedford Hotel is offering an overnight rate of £200 per person, including breakfast and dinner invitations.
