2016 is finally almost over and that means we can get ready to usher in 2017. That will mean going out with a bang on New Year's Eve. There are plenty of options if you want to stay in (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, On Demand are all appealing options), house parties, brave the crowds at bars or ticketed club events or go to a concert. Since we are a music website, we are offering 11 solid options for you all across the United States that are worth your attention that range from festivals like Snowglobe or Reaction NYE, Vegas club shows with Kendrick Lamar and others or straight up concerts.
1. SnowGlobe @ South Lake Tahoe, CA - Out in South Lake Tahoe, SnowGlobe takes place from Dec. 29-31 in the skiing resort town. The outdoor festival combines skiing and music so fans can party at night with acts like The Chainsmokers, Flume, RL Grime, RUFUS Du Sol, Major Lazer and Odesza, while getting in some good skiing and snowboarding during the day.
2. Old School Hip-Hop Fest @ Atlanta, GA - Atlanta will have a treat on New Year's Eve with names like Big Daddy Kane, Scarface, Juvenile, Doug E. Fresh and Mystikal all under one roof at the Philips Arena.
3. Kendrick Lamar @ Las Vegas, NV - K. Dot will perform at Drai's Beach & Night Club on NYE. It will be a bit swankier than what he is normally accustomed to, but if you want to see Kendrick one last time before the year is out, this is your chance.
4. Reaction NYE @ Chicago, IL - Chicago will have a special two-night affair on Dec. 30 and 31 with names like Flume, Anderson. Paak & The Free Nationals, Zeds Dead, Gucci Mane, Tchami, Dillon Francis and Danny Brown. The Donald E. Stephens Convention Center will have a bit of everything New Year's weekend for Chicagoans.
5. Umphrey's McGee @ Chicago, IL - The celebrated jam band will end the year with a two-night stint at the Concord Music Hall in Chicago. They always bring plenty of theatrics and a show that will go on for hours.
6. Countdown @ Los Angeles, CA - Insomniac's big end of the year event will take place at the Nos Events Center outside of Los Angeles. The lineup features the likes of Diplo, Alesso, Anna Lunoe, Seven Lions, Zedd, The Chainsmokers and Steve Aoki.
7. John Prine, Jason Isbell, Kacey Misgraves @ Nashville, TN - It is rare to see large country events on New Year's Eve. Many of the big artists do Christmas specials and are pulled away for one or two song TV specials on the big night, bit rarely do actual concerts. This is a chance to see three stars together at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.
8. Lights All Night @ Dallas & El Paso, TX - Another large scale festival for New Year's Eve, Light All Night tabs some of the biggest names in dance to ring in the New Year for folks in Texas. The El Paso edition will only take place on Dec. 31 and has a smaller lineup, but the main Dallas edition spans two days and has names like deadmau5, Above & Beyond, Nero, Tchami, RL Grime and A$AP Ferg.
9. Fetty Wap & Young Thug @ Vancouver, BC - This is technically in Canada, but it is just a short trip across the border from Seattle. Two Atlanta stars in Fetty Wap and Young Thug will make their Vancouver debuts at the Pacific Coliseum. After the year's both of them have had, it would be wise to check this one out.
10. Kaskade @ San Francisco, CA - Kaskade is back to one of his adopted homes, San Francisco to ring in the New Year at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. He has been in Vegas the past couple of years, but now he is doing a large-scale show and on NYE he always goes for a long time. Expect a big show.
11. Maroon 5 @ Las Vegas, NV - The group has barely toured at all this year, though they did pick things up with a few gigs to end the year. They released their single "Don't Wanna Know" featuring Kendrick Lamar (who will be across town at Drai's) in October and now the group will perform at Mandalay Bay Events Center to ring in the New Year. 2017 may be busier, so get a head start on their progress this NYE.
BONUS: If you need 100 Reasons to Live in New York City heading into 2017, Gareth Emery is headlining a trance warehouse show in Brooklyn with Christina Novelli, Dan Stone, Standerwick and Will Atkinson. It will all go down at The Brooklyn Hangar.