With a rare four-day weekend that includes New Year’s Eve, this is the time to party in Taiwan. Luxy starts the festivities off properly tomorrow night with Winter Wonderland featuring two of Hong Kong’s finest DJs, VISA and Fun Key. VISA is a resident at the posh Mira Hotel in Hong Kong and part of the Cliche Records team that has been pushing parties with headliners like Dom Remi, Classixx and Jupiter in Taiwan and Hong Kong over the past few months. He’s joined by label mate Fun Key, who recently uploaded an amazing mix, Funky Flavors #1 (soundcloud.com/funkey852/funky-flavor-1). If Fun Key plays in that style on Saturday night, party goers will be jumping out of their seats, running to the dance floor and moving to the groove all night long.
On New Year’s Eve, Luxy is at it again and they will be hosting one half of newly ‘on-hiatus’ LMFAO, SkyBlu, and the Big Bad University Crew. Expect lots of party rockin’, shuffling’ and champagne showers.
■ Winter Wonderland, tomorrow from 10pm to 4am at Luxy, 5F, 201, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段201號5樓). Admission is NT$300 before 11pm and NT$600 after. Tickets include two drinks. NYE 2013 with SkyBlu and the Big Bad University Crew is Monday night from 10pm to 4am at Luxy (same address as above). Admission is NT$1,200 before 11pm and NT$1,600 after. Tickets include one drink.
Photo courtesy of Lorenzo Pierucci
Frog in a sock is riding high after the Resurrection Halloween party at the Red Theater was a resounding success. These party promoters, who have been doing New Year’s Eve parties for seven years, will be taking Jay Chou’s (葉惠美) Deja Vu magic-themed restaurant (complete with a Batmobile) at the Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914文創園區) and turning it into a proper party venue for The Last Minute 2013. There will be nine of Taipei’s finest DJs in two rooms, which includes a main room with hip-hop, electro, and house, and the upper room, which showcases house and glitch hop.
■ Frog in a sock’s The Last Minute 2013 is Monday from 10pm to 5am at Deja Vu 1, Bade Road Sec. 1, Zhong Zhen District, Taipei City (臺北市 八德路一段一號). Pre-sale tickets are available at all iBon/FamiPorts for NT$800 and cost NT$1,000 at the door. Tickets include one drink and a champagne toast at midnight.
New Year’s in Taipei wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the Taipei 101’s massive fireworks display. Some people love the madness of that area on New Year’s Eve, while others plan specifically to avoid it like the plague. If you decide to venture to this area, just remember to take public transportation down there and leave time for waiting in lines for MRT trains as they will be packed. Car and scooter traffic in all directions will be at a standstill until about 2am, when things loosen up. Also, taxis will be hard to find going away from the Taipei 101 area.
Photo courtesy of Luxy
In the heart of the 101 area is Myst on the top floor of the ATT 4 FUN building. With arguably the best view of 101 of any club, Myst is ringing in the New Year with Japanese import, DJ Juicy.
■ Club Myst 2013 NYE, Monday from 10pm to 4am at Myst, 9F, 12, Songshou Rd, Taipei City (台北市松壽路12號9F). Call (02) 7737-9997 for reservations. English service available by sending an e-mail to jh@club-myst.com. Admission is NT$2,000 and that includes three glasses of champagne.
Another place with a superb view of Taipei 101 is on the top of Neo 19. Room 18 has been hosting parties up there each year for the past six, and this year is no exception.
Photo courtesy of Blaine Whiteley
■ Room 18 presents: The Seventh Annual VIP Rooftop party on Monday from 9pm to 1am at the Neo 19 Building, 88 Songren Rd, Taipei City (台北市松仁路88號B1). A limited number of pre-sale tickets for NT$2,000 are available at Room 18 or call (02) 2723-2456 or 0958-111-188 for more information. From 9pm to midnight, there is an open bar. The ticket to the VIP party includes two complimentary drinks at Room 18 or Barcode later in the evening, as well as a free pass to Room 18 for the whole month of January.
Liquid Lifestyle have opened a new lounge bar called LMNT on the first floor of Neo 19, but for New Year’s Eve, they are taking over Neo Studios on the ninth floor for their Silver and Gold party with SmithAgentSmith, a Hollywood-based DJ and producer with an amazing high-top fade.
■ Silver & Gold NYE on Monday from 10pm to 4am at Neo Studios, 9F, 88 Songren Rd, Taipei City (台北市松仁路88號B1). Admission is NT$800 for ladies (with a drink) all night and NT$1,100 for men (with a drink) before 11pm and NT$1,300 afterwards.
For something completely off the map, Bar Waves at Fulong Beach (福隆海灘) is having a two-day celebration with Tranquility Bay on Sunday (with drum and bass, dubstep and trip-hop) or Phantapsys New Year’s party on Monday (with the focus only on psytrance). Both parties are for the hardcore heads as they are each at least 16 hours long and require the logistics of travel.
One of the event co-coordinators is Kelvin Alders, a sharp-tongued MC who has already thrown one event at Bar Waves. For people that are worried about it being too cold on the beach, he said, “It’s an ocean view, but it’s a five-minute walk from the beach.”
Alders and his friends just purchased a sound system for the parties, which will have two rooms and four tented areas each. “The best part is that there are no neighbors, so we can turn it up and go all day and all night long,” Alders said.
■ Tranquility Bay, Sunday from 2pm to 6am and Phantapsys New Year’s Eve is Monday from 2pm to Tuesday at noon at Bar Waves 56 Fulong Street, Guangliao, New Taipei City (新北市貢寮區福隆街56號). Admission is NT$300 for each event and includes one drink.
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