Bottomless bubbles at Piano Piano, a luxe staycation at Hotel X and 10 other things to do in Toronto on New Year’s Eve
A party at the Drake
1The Drake’s menu of countdown options is designed to inspire FOMO in anyone at home scrolling through the ‘gram. The Drake Hotel will be party central, with night market–inspired food stations, a kissing booth for securing a midnight smooch, and performances by Canadian music producer Ryan Hemsworth (no relation to Liam and Chris), rapper Sean Leon, dance-electronic artist Chippy Nonstop, and a secret guest who will grace the stage at midnight. The Drake One Fifty will serve an elaborate five-course meal, with a live soundtrack of smooth tunes from local jazz trio Jazz Money. For the laid-back New Years celebrator, the Drake Commissary is hosting dinner à la carte accompanied by music from DJ Grump, and the Drake Mini Bar will pour champagne cocktails. And anyone looking to dodge the snarl of Ubers and drunken partiers downtown can escape to Prince Edward County for some farm-to-table dining and live music at the Drake Devonshire. $35–$119. The Drake.
A fairy tale ball at the Fairmont
2The Fairmont Hotel is organizing a Cinderella-worthy New Year’s ball. The dinner and dance extravaganza will take place under crystal chandeliers in a luxurious ballroom, with 3,000 revellers dressed in their most festive finery. Those who opt in for the sit-down three-course dinner portion of the evening—with a white bean and truffle soup and a choice of honey-glazed chicken breast or chickpea fritters—will also be serenaded by cello players and seduced by burlesque performers. $150. The Fairmont.
A patriotic dinner at Canoe
3One of the city’s best restaurants, Canoe is as much a draw for its panoramic skyline view as it is for its refined Canadian cuisine. On NYE, it’s serving up an epic tasting menu highlighting exquisite regional ingredients like Quebec foie gras, Fogo Island crab and Ontario rabbit. $165 per person. Canoe Restaurant.
A classy opera performance at Roy Thomson Hall
4This year, Roy Thomson Hall continues its NYE tradition with Bravissimo! Opera’s Greatest Hits, featuring crowd-pleasers from sopranos Sera Gösch and Ekaterina Kudryavtseva, tenor Gergely Boncsér, and baritone Johannes Kammler. The show ends at 10 p.m., so you’ll have plenty of time to make it to a party—or back home into your PJs—before the clock strikes 12. Roy Thomson Hall.
A luxe staycation at Hotel X
5The city’s most extravagant new hotel is hosting an appropriately fancy New Year’s bash. The package includes a night of festivities—featuring a three-course meal, a DJ-led dance party, an open bar and late-night pizza and poutine stations—a luxury suite for crashing, and a rich, hollandaise-smothered breakfast to cure your hangover the next morning. $225–$690. Hotel X.
A Bisha ball
6The hotel’s swanky lobby bar, the Goop-approved Mister C Room, is hosting an intimate NYE soirée, where guests can sip martinis, lounge on the green velvet couches and imagine they’re characters in Phantom Thread. $45–$650. Bisha Hotel.
A caviar craving at Momofuku
7The most binge-worthy way to wrap up 2018 is with a feast of fried chicken and caviar at Noodle Bar. The meal, designed for four to six people, comes with two fried chickens, fish roe and sides like chive crepes, white miso–cured cream cheese and ramen-seasoned shoestring potato chips. The most extravagant option includes four ounces of the Shortnose Gold Caviar and four ounces of the Atlantic Sturgeon Wild Caviar (for $900). Momofuku.
A seafood feast at the opulent Louix Louis
8Caviar lovers seeking a fancier setting can head head to the 31st floor of the newly opened St. Regis Hotel, where the Louis Louix restaurant is holding a three-course dinner with a view. The menu includes duck, roasted turbot and house-smoked salmon, with options to add caviar or a platter of oysters, poached shrimp, octopus salad and Alaskan king crab. $145 per guest. Louix Louis.
A dinner with dinosaurs
9The ROM has a few different options for history enthusiasts this year, including a dinner in the museum’s C5 restaurant with exclusive access to Life of an Armoured Dinosaur, a glimpse at a new species resembling the infamous Ghostbusters villain, Zuul. H’ors d’oeuvres start at 7 p.m., followed by a three-course feast that comes with two drink tickets and a sparkling wine toast at midnight (for further libations, there’s a cash bar). $250. ROM.
Bottomless bubbles at Piano Piano
10Victor Barry’s gorgeous, gut-busting Italian restaurant is offering a four-course menu of their most popular dishes, including a wood-fired Neopolitan pizzas, handmade pastas (we love the black truffle linguini) and mains like veal medallions or roasted scallops. The $89 option includes a glass of Mumm Cordon Rouge, but there’s also a bottomless option for serious champagne aficionados. Piano Piano.
A Spanish fiesta at Labora
11Chef Rob Bragagnolo latest venture, one of the best new restaurants in the city, is hosting a Latin-inspired extravaganza this New Year’s. The menu features classics like their Catalan lobster soup and roasted sea bass filet. Spanish attire is encouraged. Labora.
A hilarious night at Second City
12The comedic crew from Second City’s The Best is Yet to Come Undone will count down to midnight with a hilariously clever buffet of sketches skewering Luke Skywalker’s sexuality, close-up magic shows and Samsonite luggage confrontation. There will be plenty of bubbly, and there’s also a pre-show dinner, with a three-course menu of salmon, Korean fried chicken and barbecue ribs. $55. Toronto Mainstage Theatre.
, rapper Sean Leon, dance-electronic artist Chippy Nonstop, and a secret guest who will grace the stage at midnight. The Drake One Fifty will serve an elaborate five-course meal, with a live soundtrack of smooth tunes from local jazz trio Jazz Money. For the laid-back New Years celebrator, the Drake Commissary is hosting dinner à la carte accompanied by music from DJ Grump, and the Drake Mini Bar will pour champagne cocktails. And anyone looking to dodge the snarl of Ubers and drunken partiers downtown can escape to Prince Edward County for some farm-to-table dining and live music at the Drake Devonshire. $35–$119. The Drake.
A fairy tale ball at the Fairmont
2The Fairmont Hotel is organizing a Cinderella-worthy New Year's ball. The dinner and dance extravaganza will take place under crystal chandeliers in a luxurious ballroom, with 3,000 revellers dressed in their most festive finery. Those who opt in for the sit-down three-course dinner portion of the evening—with a white bean and truffle soup and a choice of honey-glazed chicken breast or chickpea fritters—will also be serenaded by cello players and seduced by burlesque performers. $150. The Fairmont.
A patriotic dinner at Canoe
3One of the city's best restaurants, Canoe is as much a draw for its panoramic skyline view as it is for its refined Canadian cuisine. On NYE, it's serving up an epic tasting menu highlighting exquisite regional ingredients like Quebec foie gras, Fogo Island crab and Ontario rabbit. $165 per person. Canoe Restaurant.
A classy opera performance at Roy Thomson Hall
4This year, Roy Thomson Hall continues its NYE tradition with Bravissimo! Opera’s Greatest Hits, featuring crowd-pleasers from sopranos Sera Gösch and Ekaterina Kudryavtseva, tenor Gergely Boncsér, and baritone Johannes Kammler. The show ends at 10 p.m., so you’ll have plenty of time to make it to a party—or back home into your PJs—before the clock strikes 12. Roy Thomson Hall.
A luxe staycation at Hotel X
5The city’s most extravagant new hotel is hosting an appropriately fancy New Year’s bash. The package includes a night of festivities—featuring a three-course meal, a DJ-led dance party, an open bar and late-night pizza and poutine stations—a luxury suite for crashing, and a rich, hollandaise-smothered breakfast to cure your hangover the next morning. $225–$690. Hotel X.
A Bisha ball
6The hotel’s swanky lobby bar, the Goop-approved Mister C Room, is hosting an intimate NYE soirée, where guests can sip martinis, lounge on the green velvet couches and imagine they’re characters in Phantom Thread. $45–$650. Bisha Hotel.
A caviar craving at Momofuku
7The most binge-worthy way to wrap up 2018 is with a feast of fried chicken and caviar at Noodle Bar. The meal, designed for four to six people, comes with two fried chickens, fish roe and sides like chive crepes, white miso–cured cream cheese and ramen-seasoned shoestring potato chips. The most extravagant option includes four ounces of the Shortnose Gold Caviar and four ounces of the Atlantic Sturgeon Wild Caviar (for $900). Momofuku.
A seafood feast at the opulent Louix Louis
8Caviar lovers seeking a fancier setting can head head to the 31st floor of the newly opened St. Regis Hotel, where the Louis Louix restaurant is holding a three-course dinner with a view. The menu includes duck, roasted turbot and house-smoked salmon, with options to add caviar or a platter of oysters, poached shrimp, octopus salad and Alaskan king crab. $145 per guest. Louix Louis.
A dinner with dinosaurs
9The ROM has a few different options for history enthusiasts this year, including a dinner in the museum's C5 restaurant with exclusive access to Life of an Armoured Dinosaur, a glimpse at a new species resembling the infamous Ghostbusters villain, Zuul. H’ors d’oeuvres start at 7 p.m., followed by a three-course feast that comes with two drink tickets and a sparkling wine toast at midnight (for further libations, there’s a cash bar). $250. ROM.
Bottomless bubbles at Piano Piano
10Victor Barry's gorgeous, gut-busting Italian restaurant is offering a four-course menu of their most popular dishes, including a wood-fired Neopolitan pizzas, handmade pastas (we love the black truffle linguini) and mains like veal medallions or roasted scallops. The $89 option includes a glass of Mumm Cordon Rouge, but there's also a bottomless option for serious champagne aficionados. Piano Piano.
A Spanish fiesta at Labora
11Chef Rob Bragagnolo latest venture, one of the best new restaurants in the city, is hosting a Latin-inspired extravaganza this New Year's. The menu features classics like their Catalan lobster soup and roasted sea bass filet. Spanish attire is encouraged. Labora.
A hilarious night at Second City
12The comedic crew from Second City's The Best is Yet to Come Undone will count down to midnight with a hilariously clever buffet of sketches skewering Luke Skywalker's sexuality, close-up magic shows and Samsonite luggage confrontation. There will be plenty of bubbly, and there's also a pre-show dinner, with a three-course menu of salmon, Korean fried chicken and barbecue ribs. $55. Toronto Mainstage Theatre.){kind=link}