L.A. New Year plans? Ring in 2024 with these 12 SoCal events

I’ve already watched “New Year’s Eve,” starring none other than Sarah Jessica Parker and Zac Efron, but I’m still craving more New Year flicks. I feel like this should be a bigger subgenre. Luckily, L.A. is packed with NYE events to fill the void. I’m Steven Vargas, your L.A. Goes Out host, and here are the top events for the upcoming weekend recommended by the crew (sign up here for the newsletter):

12 events to start 2024

Gloria Molina Grand Park’s NYELA event includes a lineup of DJs, family activities, musical performances and more.

(The Music Center)

1. Gloria Molina Grand Park’s NYELA
Gloria Molina Grand Park’s New Year’s Eve celebration is a multistage party in downtown L.A. with musical performances and about 30 food trucks selling delicious SoCal treats. The free event is known for its 3-D countdown art show projected on City Hall leading up to 2024. The event starts at 8 p.m. Dec. 31 and more details are on Eventbrite.

2. ‘Countdown’
If you want to keep the party going, Insomniac has a music festival of its own coming to SoCal Dec. 30 and 31. “Countdown” includes a large variety of sets by artists like Tiësto, Sofi Tukker and the Chainsmokers. Shows start at 4 p.m. both days and tickets range from $129.95 to $299.95. More details can be found on Insomniac’s website.

Pink Martini will ring in 2024 on the Walt Disney Concert Hall stage.

(L.A. Phil)

3. New Year’s Eve with Pink Martini
The orchestral group Pink Martini will light up your New Year’s Eve with an eclectic evening of music alongside China Forbes. The show includes sounds of Brazilian samba, 1930s Cuban dance music and Parisian cafe tunes. Performances are at 7 and 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, offering the perfect opportunity to count down to 2024 at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The remaining tickets range from $99 to $279 and more information can be found on L.A. Phil’s website.

4. WWE Holiday Tour
Got internalized family tension? Let it out with the WWE Live Holiday Tour making its way to the Kia Forum in Inglewood. WWE stars like CM Punk, Cody Rhodes and Becky Lynch will take the arena for an exciting smackdown at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 30. Tickets start at $52 and more information can be found on the WWE website.

5. Prohibition NYE
Party like Gatsby with Prohibition NYE, a theatrical experience at Union Station in downtown L.A. that immerses you into the Roaring Twenties with burlesque performances and a live jazz ensemble. Prohibition NYE will help you count down to the new year with specialty drinks, a DJ set by Chromeo and a 60-foot-tall ball drop celebration. The party starts at 9 p.m. and tickets range from $195 to $3,500. More information can be found on the event website.

Hollywood Ballet, L.A.’s latest addition to the dance scene, has an end-of-the-year treat filled with cinema-themed dance performances.

(Bryanna Bradley / Hollywood Ballet)

6. ‘Hollywood Holidays’
L.A.’s latest addition to the dance scene, Hollywood Ballet, has a mesmerizing New Year’s performance ahead. “Hollywood Holidays” turns cinematic stories into live performances with ballet, modern and contemporary dance. For a deeper look into the new ballet company, check out my article on the heartwarming couple leading the crew. The show is at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 28 and takes place at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown L.A. Tickets range from $45 to $65 and more details can be found online.

7. 2024 Oshogatsu Family Festival
In celebration of the Year of the Dragon, the Japanese American National Museum will host an Oshogatsu Family Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 7. Festivities include dragon-themed crafts and origami, a scavenger hunt and performances. The event is free and the whole lineup of family-friendly activities can be found on JANM’s website.

8. ‘Improvised Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory’
Lately, studios have been hiding the fact that highly anticipated films, like “Wonka” and “Mean Girls,” are musicals. If you’re not into musicals but still want to take a trip to the chocolate factory, check out this improv show with the Upright Citizens Brigade instead. In an attempt to remaster the Willy Wonka story, UCB performers will remake the Roald Dahl tale one laugh at a time. The show is from 7 to 8 p.m. Dec. 30 at the UCB Theatre in Hollywood Hills. Tickets cost $15 and more details can be found on UCB’s website.

9. ‘Nabucco’
The Metropolitan Opera in New York continues its “Live in HD” series with Giuseppe Verdi’s “Nabucco.” The opera is based on stories from the Bible about King Nabucco (a.k.a. Nebuchadnezzar II), played by baritone George Gagnidze, who is making his Met debut. The series brings the performance to silver screens across the U.S., including theaters here in L.A., live at 9:55 a.m. Jan. 6. To find a theater near you screening “Nabucco,” check the Met’s website.

Installation view of Léa Mestres’ exhibition “Family Business,” on view at Carpenters Workshop Gallery through Jan. 27.

(Joshua White / LĂŠa Mestres / Carpenters Workshop Gallery)

10. Carpenters Workshop Gallery
Start the new year with new art at Carpenters Workshop Gallery. Solo exhibits “Harry Nuriev: Denim House,” “Léa Mestres: Family Business” and “Martin Laforêt: Variations” are all running at the gallery in West Hollywood through Jan. 27, each featuring architectural artworks and designed furnishings. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. More information can be found online.

11. ‘Ava McDonough: All I Hear Is the Symphony’
Lowell Ryan Projects in Mid-City presents Ava McDonough’s debut solo exhibition, “All I Hear Is the Symphony.” The self-taught artist based in L.A. shares paintings, sculptures and video works that explore memory and its effect on the psyche. The free exhibition runs until Jan. 20 and the gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. More information can be found on the Lowell Ryan Projects website.

12. ‘Linda Sibio: Wall Street Guillotine’
Artist Linda Sibio will offer a special performance at Craft Contemporary in conjunction with her solo exhibition “Economics of Suffering, Part IV.” The solo performance, “Wall Street Guillotine,” at the Miracle Mile art museum shows the similarities between forms of torture during the Middle Ages and today’s wealth disparity. The performance at 3 p.m. Jan. 7 is free and you can RSVP on Craft Contemporary’s website.

I’m all ears!

That’s all I’ve got for this week. Follow our feed of recommendations and itineraries on Instagram and Twitter, and if you have recs of your own, send them to [email protected].