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🤔 On the fence about going out for New Year’s Eve? Consider this: Not only is the T still slow-zone-free, but starting at 8 p.m. on NYE, the T will also be fare-free. Take that, Uber!

Not convinced yet? Maybe this will do the trick …

There are two NYE experiences around Boston we simply can’t stand: 1. Paying an obscene amount of money for a mediocre night. 2. Waiting in a massive line while your fingers freeze off.

So we assembled a list of last-minute (and affordable!) New Year’s plans that’ll hopefully avoid both:

🥳 Take part in Boston’s ultimate NYE freebie: First Night. This New Year’s Eve celebration is basically Boston’s version of NYC’s Times Square extravaganza (minus the drunk Andys and suffocating crowds). From live concerts to fireworks, there will be happenings around the city all day.

Just to name a few: 

🧊 Go on an ice sculpture scavenger hunt. Boston Harbor Now is back with its annual waterfront ice sculpture stroll with nearly 30 sculptures on display from Revere Beach to the Seaport. Bonus: You can get to them all via public transit. AND if you snap pics along the way, you can enter a sweet stay-cation giveaway. 

🙅 Just say “NO” to NYE bar covers. We live and breathe by “if it’s free, it’s for me.” And you too can practice that mantra at Night Shift’s “Back to the Future”-themed party (yes, the one with Marty McFly), this no-cover disco divas party at Satellite, or any one of these local spots that are cover-free on the big night. 

😴 Party without the pressure of looking cute. Glitter and sequins? That’s so 2023. Instead, don your best sweats at Lamplighter Brewing’s NYE pajama party for the slumber party of your dreams (there might even be a prize for best dressed!). The same energy applies at Sam Adams’ onesie party.

🌟 Put the “glow” in your 2025 glow up. We’re trading overhead lights for blacklights at this glow party at Grand Ten Distillery. Your ticket gets you a cocktail, apps, a dance floor bumpin’ to house beats and top 40 hits, and plenty of glow gear. This glow up party at Time Out Market has similar vibes with UV body paint and an aura photographer. Even better: It’s free.

💚 Start 2025 off in the swamp. And by swamp, we obviously mean Roxy’s Arcade’s Shrek-themed NYE party. The rules are simple: Dress like your favorite Shrek character and play your favorite old-school arcade games. Note: We visited last weekend for grilled cheeses and games and had THE BEST time.

🐶 Let your pooch stay up past their bedtime. Toast to good health and your beloved pup at Park-9 Dog Bar’s New Year’s bash. Tickets are only $10, and they come with a glass of celebratory champagne.

😂 Pre-game your party with some laughs. Expect some of the country’s funniest comics at Summer Shack’s NYE comedy show (their shows regularly feature comedians who’ve been on Netflix, Comedy Central, and HBO). Bonus: It should be over by 8:30 p.m. so you can get to your next soiree. 

🥂 Trick your friends into thinking you’re a sommelier. Hosting NYE but want to level up your selections of cheap prosecco and Two Buck Chuck? The Urban Grape is toasting to 2025 with a free wine tasting with the folks from Hogshead Wine Company. 

🥾 Skip NYE and jump right to 2025 … with a hike! The Mass. Department of Conversation and Recreation will once again kick off the new year with free guided First Day Hikes at 14 state parks on New Year’s Day. Here’s the full hike lineup.

✂️ Manifest the year of your dreams. Grab some scissors and old magazines, and head to the Parker Hill BPL branch on Jan. 3 for its vision board-making event. We can’t promise your dreams will come true, but we can promise that the old People magazine sitting in your bathroom will finally be put to good use.

💜 Thanks for reading! We hope you’re still weird-weeking it up with your cheese and cookie diet and still don’t know what time it is. We’ll be back in your inbox with a full newsletter on Jan. 6. Miss you! <3

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