CityLife

CityLife's New Year's Eve guide 2009/2010

See in 2010 with Warehouse Project

THIS year’s NYE celebrations present us all with a particular dilemma.

On the one hand, 2009 has been more testing to people’s banking skills than trying to play Monopoly while strapped to the back of a charging elephant.

On the other, New Year’s Eve is traditionally a night of wanton pocket-lust, where budgets go out of the window and wallets disintegrate under the strain of being opened every five minutes to pay for rounds that under normal circumstances would be deemed far too generous.

What to do. Do you fall into line with the trend for widespread prudence which has swept the nation this year, stay in and save the pennies in the hope that you might be able to eat until you’re full at least once in January?

Or do you flip a figurative finger at your bank balance, head out on the town and reward yourself for a year spent wearing the same three outfits on rotation with a triumphantly ill-advised plunge into the red.

Ours is not to say. Instead, we have compiled an itinerary made up of some of the best New Year’s Eve events, some of which you may wish to attend. If you’re inclined towards the sort of fundlowering hinted at above, you could even try to go to all of them.

If, like us, you need to save money for boring stuff like bills and petrol, feel free to drop out of the club crawl early or just head to one for the night.

A round in Font should get things off to a cheap start: they’ve got Silvestre from Cosmic Disco and Pat from Bring On The Dancing Horses spinning disco and house for the bargain price of just £1, surely one of the cheapest NYE parties around.

After that, pop next door to SubSpace, where a fiver will get you access to three floors of residents party madness, including a silent disco. 

When you’re done there, it’s time to hit the Northern Quarter. You might want to start at Swan Street, where the revamped Band On The Wall celebrates its sort-of first NYE with jazz, house, afro and world beats spun by Mr Scruff (£23).

Next, head to the Ruby Lounge, where members of The Whip, May 68, Murkage and Same Teens, among others, will be curating the NYE festivities (£10), or nip to the nearby Moho Live where Audio Farm and The Aftershow team up for a party set to feature indie, electro, jugglers and fire-throwers (£8).

So far we’ve spent £47 on door tax and the night is still young. Definitely time to hit the Contort Yourself Residents Rumble (£12) at The Roadhouse, to wish the new ‘n’ expanded crew all the best for the new year.

After working up a sweat there you’ll probably want to take the pace down a touch with some refined classics. If so, Funkademia are hosting the Mint Lounge NYE party (£15) with their usual blend of old school house, funk and soul.

Once you’ve got your breath back, it’s time to hit the party hard. With that in mind, Radium Street superclub Sankeys is welcoming in the New Year in association with Religion.

A selection of ear-bashing dub, d’n’b and breaks spinners will be performing, including Fabio & Grooverider. Standard tickets are £25, or you could opt for the VIP option where you and nine mates get a booth and £250 to spend at the bar, all for the bargain price of £500.

All of which financial frivolity takes us to a total of £574 spent on entry fees, plus any drinks taken. By now you’re probably past caring how much you spend, so why not see out the night at the Warehouse Project NYE party (£25).

Perhaps understandably for a night that features a set from hotly tipped remixer Doorly, along with contribs from Alex Metric and Delphic, the party has already sold out, meaning you’ll probably have to part with a bit more than face value to get in (one right arm).

If you’re ticketless and don’t fancy that sacrifice, it’s probably time to head for some food. A nice big kebab should do the trick (£3.50, a degree of dignity), after which you should probably get to bed: it’s going to be a long, hard January.

Total spent: £577.50, one limb, some dignity.