OUT WITH A BANG
Nine of the best spots to welcome 2019
The place to be: Coney Island’s Parachute Jump will light up bright at the stroke of midnight
on New Year’s Eve. Photo by Jordan Rathkopf
COURIER L 42 IFE, DEC. 14-20, 2018 24-7
Winter wheel: Lola Star opened her new winter-time roller
rink in Industry City on Dec. 7.
Spin City!
Skate inside at the new
Dreamland Roller Rink
By Bill Roundy She’s keeping the
party rolling all
year!
The host of a summer
roller disco party opened
a new indoor space
last weekend, offering
skaters a chance to
spin all winter without
freezing their wheels.
The Dreamland Roller
Rink opened on Dec.
7 inside Industry City
with a sold-out “Spice
Girls in Xanadu” party.
Host Lola Star, known
for throwing elaborately
themed roller disco
events at the LeFrak
Center in Prospect Park,
said that opening the
indoor space was the
logical next step.
“In Prospect Park we
had our best season ever,
we were sold out almost
every night,” said Star.
“It was time for me to
take my dream to the
next level.”
The new space,
across the courtyard
from the Industry
City food court, will
host events Thursdays
through Sundays until
next April.
The rink is decked
out with colorful images
designed to make people
happy, said Star.
“It is covered in rainbows
and unicorns and
disco balls, and there are
multi-colored lanterns
hanging from the ceiling,”
she said.
The roller rink has
its own bar, and the
Friday night gatherings
will remain adults-only,
but Star plans to host
kid-friendly events on
Saturday and Sunday
afternoons. She is excited
to welcome youngsters
to her parties for
the first time, she said.
“When I talk about
the roller disco experience,
people go, ‘Oh,
when I was a kid, that
was where I held a boy’s
hand for the first time,
it’s where I went with
my friends,’ ” said Star.
“I’m excited to provide
that experience for the
kids of Brooklyn, and
to help adults relive that
experience.”
The Saturday rolla
rama events will feature
a costumed mascot
named Sarah Sparkles
— a roller-skating slice
of pizza with glitter pepperoni
— which was the
most New York mascot
Star could think of.
Sunday afternoon
“Groov-a-licious” roller
disco parties will welcome
both kids and
adults.
Dreamland Roller
Rink (233 37th St. at
Second Avenue in
Sunset Park, www.
dreamlandrollerrink.
com). Thu, noon–3 pm;
Fri, 7:30–10:30 pm; Sat,
1–4 pm; Sun, 1–4 pm.
$12–$20 (includes skate
rental).
By Julianne McShane Ring in 2019 in the better borough!
There is no need to subject
yourself to the misery of trekking to
the distant isle of Manhattan to watch
the ball drop on New Year’s Eve —
whether you prefer a fireworks display,
an all-night dance party, a beer bash, or
a candlelit yoga class, there are plenty
of ways to celebrate the auld lang syne
right here in Kings County.
Party in the sky
Bundle up and head to the People’s
Playground to welcome the new year,
at this family-friendly annual midnight
waterfront fireworks display, co-sponsored
by the Alliance for Coney Island.
Live bands will play on the boardwalk
until midnight, when the fireworks
will crackle through the sky and the
Parachute Jump will light up bright.
Steeplechase Plaza (on the Boardwalk
between W. 16th and W. 19th streets in
Coney Island, www.allianceforconeyisland.
org). 9 pm–midnight. Free.
Freak out
Let your freak flag fly as you wave
goodbye to 2018 at Coney Island USA’s
adults-only New Year’s Eve bash. “How
Cool is This New Year’s Eve Party?”
will feature half-price beer and wine
before midnight, and a performance-art
duel between the unofficial mayor of
Coney Island, Dick Zigun, and the unofficial
Queen of Coney Island, Bambi the
Mermaid. The party will take a brief
break just before midnight to watch the
fireworks, which will be followed by an
outdoor fire-eating performance!
Coney Island USA 1214 Surf Ave.
at W. 12th Street in Coney Island, (718)
372–5159, www.coneyisland.com. 8
pm–2 am. $50 ($40 in advance).
Reverse the clock
2018 was not a great year, and we
have our doubts about 2019. So let’s
head back to the early 2000s instead!
You can dance to throwback hits from
the early aughts at Union Hall’s affordably
priced “New Year’s Eve Time
Machine” bash — and the cheap ticket
means you will have plenty left over to
pay for drinks!
Union Hall 702 Union St. at Fifth
Avenue in Park Slope, (718) 638–4400,
www.unionhallny.com. 8 pm–close. $5.
Charming band
Or you can throw it back to the 1980s
at “New Year’s Eve with the Smiths,”
starring the Sons and Heirs, a four-man
tribute band honoring the British rock
group. The band plays with opening act
Gigantic — a Pixies tribute band — and
DJ Ceremony will lead the New Year’s
Eve countdown and complimentary
champagne toast, and will host a postmidnight
dance party, spinning indie,
British, and 1980s alternative hits.
Littlefield (635 Sackett St. between
Third and Fourth avenues in Gowanus,
www.littlefieldnyc.com). 10 pm. $25 ($20
in advance, $5 after midnight).
Light up the night
Take in a dazzling display of fireworks
exploding over Prospect Park
when the clock ticks down to the new
year. The 39th Annual New Year’s Eve
Fireworks event, co-sponsored by the
Prospect Park Alliance and Borough
President Adams, will welcome families
to to Grand Army Plaza, where
they can sip on hot cocoa and listen to
Brooklyn band Quintessential Playlist
before the big bangs!
Grand Army Plaza (Flatbush Avenue
at Eastern Parkway in Prospect Heights,
www.prospectpark.org). 10:30 pm–12:30
am. Free.
Om to the New Year
Instead of indulging in a bacchanalian
display, greet the new year with
peace and serenity at a candlelit yoga
class in Park Slope. Bend, stretch, and
flex your way through a vinyasa flow
and restorative yoga class, followed by
a meditation session — all accompanied
by live tunes from musician Nora
Heilmann on the African kalimba and
the Australian didgeridoo. Post-class,
quench your thirst and toast the new
year with a glass of champagne.
Bend and Bloom Yoga 708 Sackett
St. between Fourth and Fifth avenues
in Park Slope, (347) 987–3162, www.
bendandbloom.com. 10 pm–midnight.
$55 ($40 until Dec. 15).
Dance the year away
C’mon out and party at C’mon
Everybody, where DJ Rich Medina will
spin house, garage, and other dance
grooves all night long. The party will
only stop for a complimentary champagne
toast at midnight.
C’mon Everybody (325 Franklin
Ave. between Clifton Place and Greene
Avenue in Crown Heights, www.cmoneverybody.
com). 10 pm–4 am. $40 ($35 in
advance, $75 VIP).
Brew year’s eve
At Brooklyn Brewery’s recently
renovated taproom, you can celebrate a
new year and new beers, as you sample
your way through the taps of its open
bar — which will give you the courage
to bust some moves to the tunes spun
by DJ Tekit Izi. When the clock strikes
midnight, you can toast with a previously
unreleased “Ghost Bottle” from
the brewery’s barrel-aging facility.
Brooklyn Brewery taproom (79 N.
11th St. between Berry Street and Wythe
Avenue in Williamsburg, www.brooklynbrewery.
com). 10 pm. $115.
Party with a view
Ring in the New Year on a luxurious
note at Westlight, the William
Vale Hotel’s 22nd floor rooftop bar
overlooking the twinkling lights of
the distant isle of Manhattan — and
the many parties happening around
you in Williamsburg. The party has
a hefty price, but it features an open
bar, passed canapés, live tunes from
eclectic party band the Borough Boys,
and a champagne toast when the clock
strikes midnight.
Westlight at the William Vale 111 N.
12th St. at Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg,
(718) 307–7100, www.westlightnyc.com/
events. 9 pm–4 am. $250.
Spitting some fire: Performers from Sideshow
by the Seashore will breathe fire to welcome
the new year in Coney Island.
Photo by Steve Solomonson
/www.bendandbloom.com
/www.dreamlandrollerrink
/www.allianceforconeyis-land.org
/www.allianceforconeyis-land.org
/www.allianceforconeyis-land.org
/www.coneyisland.com
/www.unionhallny.com
/www.littlefieldnyc.com
/www.prospectpark.org
/www.dreamlandrollerrink
/www.bendandbloom.com
/www.cmonev-erybody.com
/www.cmonev-erybody.com
/www.cmonev-erybody.com
/www.brooklyn-brewery.com
/www.brooklyn-brewery.com
/www.brooklyn-brewery.com
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