London

The Platform 12 New Year's Eve party

New Year’s Eve is going to be a sad night. I’m not talking about the traditional tragicomic anticlimax that midnight delivers – ‘So (s)he snogged your best mate as the balloons dropped? Maybe it was a misunderstanding?’ – and I’m not crying because it’s the end of the year, but because it’s the end of a nightlife era as three of our fave venues will bite the building dust on January 2. The Cross, Canvas and The Key have been consistently ace in very different ways, and we’re sure going to miss them. There have been farewell parties happening every weekend at the Cross and the Key – it’s the turn of Halo Promo at The Cross this Saturday – and on Friday 14 Serious is set to retire after 11 years there. Still, it’s not right to get maudlin when the clubs are still open and there are parties to head for, so carpe Diem! or rather carpe Noctem! (seize the night!) because these venues are planning to bow out in style.
Feature continues

New Year’s Eve: The Final Countdown is the name of Canvas’ (formerly Bagleys Studios) farewell to about 25 years of raucous good times, and with three of London’s finest clubs joining forces it should deliver a classy, messy blow-out for just £25. Bugged Out has bagsied Boys Noize, Andrew Weatherall and Klaxon’s tour DJ Nadia Ksaiba to play alongside JoJo De Freq, Secretsundaze are joined by Berlin’s brilliant Dixon, techno pioneer Carl Craig and Trailer Trash’s Hannah Holland while Mikki Most welcomes Riton and Cormac for more polysexual electro-bass shenanigans.

Too good to miss? Of course it is, unless you’re an electro-bass and breaks fan who wishes to bid goodbye to The Key’s flashing dancefloor at the Platform 12 NYE, or you’ve already bought advance tickets to a four-room Space 24 New Years Eve marathon house-up just across the cobbled yard at The Cross. If you’ve got the stamina there are £65 tickets which includes admission to the after-party that kicks off at 6am and keeps going at least until darkness falls. They don’t call them diehard fer nuthin’!

Norman Jay at Good Times Live

Away from King’s Cross there are myriad options. Norman Jay returns to the Clapham Grand for Good Times Live NYE 2007 which unites his funky all-time-classics carnival sets with Bugz In The Attic’s broken beat and hip house jazz; Gettin’ Hectic brings a ‘forest’ of beach balls, a huge helter-skelter and its ‘funk, soul, hip hop and showbiz’ party to The Truman Brewery; Reveillon 2008 at Guanabara showcases the Brazilian carnival magic of the London School of Samba for its dressed-all-in-white, caipirinha-quaffing revellers; and Friends and Family Spectacular at Cargo boasts a boomtastic line-up of The Nextmen, Ross Allen, Ashley Beedle and the Killer Meters (live) for every kind of fonky sensation.

The big clubs tweak proven party styles. Pete Tong and the SOS trio broadcast live from MOS presents NYE Wonderland at the Ministry (so you’ll hear all about that); The End & AKA present NYE 2007 brings Layo & Bushwacka, Sancho Panza, the Lovebox All-Stars and Freerange’s Jimpster and Will Saul into one big block party while Together at Turnmills keeps up the rockin’ rave standards as 2Many DJs, Simian Mobile Disco and Mylo join Justin Robertson in one room, Devils Gun and Riotous Rockers, er, rock out in another and they play party games and party classics upstairs. Fabric also come up trumps with a line-up that brings together underground house and techno heroes, The Scratch Perverts’ hip hop and basslines, and the brilliant mash-ups of Sinden and Count of Monte Cristal, plus Skream and Tayo leading the dubstep charge.

But what if you want more of a performance? Hed Kandi: The Show at the O2 is a prime example of dance clubs appropriating the characteristics of Social Club parties as they roll out showgirls (trapeze artists, stilt walkers, circus acts, dancing girls…) in its most spectacular production yet. If you’re ready to splash the cash on burlesque and cabaret capers, try the Sanderson Hotel, which is throwing a burlesque-themed New Year’s Eve do with Immodesty Blaize (when only the best burlesque showgirl will do) or Volupté’s Gangsters' and Molls’ Banquet dress-up supper club and dance. Already on the cusp of selling out, Lady Luck is again at the Soho Revue Bar for two rooms of sleazy grind and jumpin’ swing with a long list of burlesque girls including Polly Rae and Fifi La Bomb working the dancing poles.

We’re liking the easy-on-the-wallet events like Hip Hop Karaoke at The Social and Bistrotheque’s The Lip Sinkers drag party (the latter only open to diners, though), and the Black Gardenia is taking the road less travelled and having its usual kind of low-key speakeasy sleaze-fest rather than charging a packet at the door. Expect to see zoot-suited owner Zimon propping up the bar of this basement blues and jazz den as he does most nights.

For scary, inhibition-free hedonism as only the Shoreditch club kids know how, head for the 15-hour mentalism that is Nuke Year’s Eve at Images, brought to you by the Nuke ’Em All crew, best known for fash-trash abandon and electrockin’ antics at Anti-Social and Computer Blue. Meanwhile, somewhere in Shoreditch Slaang vs Issst is the most exciting warehouse party we’ve heard of so far (it had a brilliant NYE last time). They can’t wait to bring back the Institubes star Para One who ‘single-handedly instigated unbridled warehouse carnage’ at the acid-disco-punk-electro-rockin’ mash-up in March.

Or perhaps what you really really want to start 2008 is a massive rave? Moondance at SeOne has five huge arches of jump-up jungle, liquid D&B, old skool rave, house and and hardcore beats, so you won’t have a moment to feel sad about venues around King’s Cross closing down, because nightlife moves on…

Read full details of all these events (and many more).