The following is a curated roundup of weekend events in Long Beach published every Wednesday on the Hi-lo/Long Beach Post. Have an event to share? Email [email protected] with “Things to Do” in the subject line.

Whether you’re looking for free entry, a themed party or a solid place to watch the ball drop, here are some great spots to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Long Beach. See you in 2023!

Get to scrollin’!

NEW YEAR’S EVE AT THE WATERFRONT (Saturday)

Jaxson Gutierrez looks back as a crowd watches the fireworks at a New Year’s Eve celebration in the Waterfront Amphitheater in Long Beach on Tuesday evening, Dec. 31, 2019. Photo by Bill Alkofer.

Most of the crowds in Downtown on New Year’s Eve will be there for the free fireworks shows at 9 p.m. and again at midnight, but what’s also great about celebrating on the waterfront are all the local businesses that participate in the festivities.

Mosey down Rainbow Harbor and into Shoreline Village where you’ll find restaurants to dine and live music from local bands and DJs. There will also be hula hoop performers roaming and a 360-camera photo booth to capture your night.

Though anywhere on the waterfront is ideal for viewing the fireworks, the best spot for the 9 p.m. show will be at Lions Lighthouse. Click here for more information.

Rain is expected Saturday night, but organizers say the event will move forward regardless. However, if there are unexpected high winds, which are not forecast, then organizers will notify attendees of cancelation online. You can keep tabs here.

Keep in mind, parking is going to be a nightmare. We suggest taking a rideshare or utilizing public transport. Long Beach Transit will be offering free rides to the area from 5 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. Click here to check transit routes.

Shoreline Village is at 429 Shoreline Village Drive.

NEW YEARS EVE BAR CRAWL (Saturday)

Courtesy flyer for Nasstive Entertainment’s New Year’s Eve Bar Crawl in Downtown Long Beach, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022.

If you have the stamina, this New Year’s Eve bar crawl will have you traversing around Downtown to 10 different bars and restaurants.

Each location will offer specials on drinks and food items, and various locations feature dance floors and live music.

Discount tickets are still available for $29. Standard tickets cost $39. Click here to see the list of participating restaurants and bars and to purchase tickets. Patrons will be sent a list with a map after purchase.

NEW YEARS’ EVE AT FUEGO (Saturday)

Fuego patio at Hotel Maya. Image courtesy Hotel Maya.

Enjoy the annual New Year’s Eve fireworks at the waterfront restaurant, Fuego at Hotel Maya.

Reservations will include a four-course prix fixe menu with dishes like jumbo sea scallops, prime filet mignon, Chilean sea bass and more. There will be a champagne toast and live entertainment for reservations between 9 p.m. and midnight, which will include viewing the fireworks shows at 9 p.m. and again at midnight.

Tickets for reservations between 5 and 8 p.m. cost $150 a person; reservations between 9 p.m. and midnight cost $200 per person. Guests can make a reservation online here or by calling 562-481-3910.

Fuego at Hotel Maya is at 700 Queensway Drive.

NEW YEAR’S EVE BALL DROP PARTY AT BEACH GARDEN SOCIAL HOUSE (Saturday)

Courtesy flyer for the NYE ball drop party at Beach Garden on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022.

Those who are more partial to ringing in the new year nice and early on East Coast hours will enjoy Beach Garden Social House’s New Year’s Eve Ball Drop Party.

Beach Garden will be serving up craft cocktails and food, with live DJ sets and a dance floor to boogie. The bar will have a TV showing the annual ball drop in New York, with a complimentary champagne toast at 9 p.m.

The party will still be going after midnight, too, for those who’d like to continue partying. General admission tickets bought online cost $35. Entry at the door will be $45. The dress code is smart casual. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. You must be 21 years or older to enter the bar.

Beach Garden Social House is at 1923 E. Broadway.

NEW YEAR’S EVE AT LONG BEACH BEER LAB (Saturday)

Courtesy flyer to Long Beach Beer Lab’s NYE party Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022.

The Long Beach Beer Lab is throwing a New Year’s Eve party with craft beer, live music and a special food menu. And, it’s free to attend.

The brewery will be clearing away tables for a dance floor, with tunes by Bodleys and DJ Dro Barlo. For the occasion, Long Beach Beer Lab will have a hearty NYE menu, available after 10 p.m., with flatbread pizza, grilled cheese and tomato soup, blooming onions and more. And, for cheering the new year in, guests will be given a glass of sparkling sake courtesy sake pop-up Sake Secret.

There’s no cover to attend. Guests must be 21 years or older to drink. Click here for more information.

Long Beach Beer Lab is at 518 W. Willow St.

MARDI GRAS NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY AT THE RENAISSANCE HOTEL (Saturday)

Courtesy flyer to the Mardi Gras New Year’s Eve Party at the Renaissance Hotel Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022.

The Renaissance Hotel is throwing a Mardi Gras-themed New Year’s Eve party Saturday, Dec. 31, with live music and entertainment designed to emulate a carnival-like atmosphere.

Guests can expect food vendors, card readers, jugglers, magicians, jesters, a brass band, free beads and a balloon drop at midnight. The event will be free to attend from 6-9 p.m. in the hotel lobby, but guests who’d like to keep the party going at from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. will need to buy tickets for the after-party at SIP lounge for $40.

Click here for more information. To purchase tickets, click here.

The Renaissance Hotel is at 111 E. Ocean Blvd.

NEW YEAR’S DAY BRUNCH PARTY AT CAFE SEVILLA (Sunday)

Courtesy flyer to the New Year’s Day “I Woke Up Like This” brunch party Sunday, Jan 1, 2023.

Show up to Cafe Sevilla in your pajamas Sunday, Jan. 1, and the restaurant will give you one free mimosa. Might be that welcome bit of the ol’ hair of the dog you need after a proper night of New Year’s Eve debauchery.

This special only applies during the restaurant’s brunch hours, so 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The restaurant will also be serving up a brunch menu and offering bottomless mimosas for purchase. Cafe Sevilla highly recommends making a reservation, which you can do online, click here, or by calling 562-495-1111.

Cafe Sevilla is at 140 Pine Ave.

SPONSORED BY THE AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC

FIRST WEDNESDAYS EXPLORES COMMONALITIES BETWEEN PEOPLE AND WOLVES (Wednesday, Jan. 4)

For a howling good time at the Aquarium of the Pacific, January’s First Wednesdays will explore what humans and wolves have in common. Presenting “The Humanity of Wolves,” Apex Protection Project Co-Founders Paula Ficara and Steve Wastell will talk about how, socially, people are more similar to wolves than most would ever imagine.

The wolf advocates say that with better understanding of the animals, they hope to reduce the negative myths that have demonized wolves for so long. Their aim is to build empathy and a desire to help in protecting the keystone species.

Ficara and Wastell have helped rescue more than 400 captive-born wolves and wolfdogs. The organization also advocates for wolves in the wild through educational programming.

The talk and Q&A—capped off with a cash bar cocktail hour, music and a paint-a-fish art activity—will take place from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 4 in the Honda Pacific Visions Theater. Tickets are $5 in advance or $10 at the door. RSVP online, click here, or call 562-590-3100.

The program is sponsored by: Stephen and Brenda Olson, Ralph and Hazel Osborn and Lois J. Roork Charitable Trust and Courtyard by Marriott Long Beach Downtown.

The Aquarium of the Pacific is at 100 Aquarium Way.