Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 33F. SW winds at 5 to 10 mph, increasing to 15 to 25 mph..
Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 33F. SW winds at 5 to 10 mph, increasing to 15 to 25 mph.
Updated: December 22, 2022 @ 11:24 pm
Columbia singer Illa Dia performs at the Bruno Mars cover show night at New Brookland Tavern. Photo by Eden Prime
WE’s on Meeting Street in West Columbia will host a New Year’s Eve event. Photo by David Clarey.
Columbia singer Illa Dia performs at the Bruno Mars cover show night at New Brookland Tavern. Photo by Eden Prime
WE’s on Meeting Street in West Columbia will host a New Year’s Eve event. Photo by David Clarey.
The new year is exciting.
It brings about a chance for us to reset and think of all the ways that 2023 can, hopefully, be better than 2022. We make resolutions that we ultimately don’t keep, but that’s still part of the fun. We get to look forward to all the ways another year presents opportunities for growth and change, whether that’s in unfulfilled resolutions or not.
More realistically, the new year also gives pretty much everyone an excuse to let loose and celebrate in an uninhibited way. Whether it’s multi-course meals, live music or drink specials, almost every bar and restaurant in Columbia is celebrating one way or another.
So we at Free Times wanted to offer up a place for you readers to be able to check out most all of it at once — or at least a comprehensive list of some of our top picks. Keep reading to learn more about the best place to make those resolutions. DAVID CLAREY
Dec. 31 at 6:30 p.m. $10.
Rosewood’s Foxfield Bar and Grille is doing a grand job of putting on worthwhile local shows as of late and continues that with an affordable $10 show from South Carolina acts on New Year’s Eve.
With doors opening at 6:30 p.m., the bar is playing host to rockers Dr. Roundhouse and Wombat Junction, along with the Runout and the Chris Compton Band. Perhaps most excitingly is that Foxfield’s booker was able to lure Lowcountry folk singer Danielle Howle back to Columbia for a set, too. The respected songwriter has been a regular fixture in the Midlands as of late, with prior shows at The Living Room music venue and First Thursday on Main events in October.
More info can be found at facebook.com/foxfieldbar.
Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. $125-$175
Hampton Street Vineyard, the long-standing upscale French restaurant just off Main Street, is offering a New Year’s Eve tasting menu for $125 with an additional drink pairing option that’ll run you $50.
The restaurant’s new executive chef, Hector Sanchez, has a lengthy history working at restaurants around the city. The Marine and back-of-house veteran has had stints in kitchens like Main Street’s Bourbon under chef-owner Kristian Niemi and at the now-closed Rise Bakeshop under City Grit’s Sarah Simmons. After a brief stint owning his own kitchen inside Philly Pretzel Factory, he took over the kitchen at Hampton Street.
Hampton Street Vineyard’s New Year’s Eve menu will feature a four-course tasting menu or items a la carte such as deviled eggs with hackleback caviar and scallops with parsnip puree. The restaurant will offer flights of caviar, vodka and champagne.
The party lasts until 10 p.m. and reservations can be made at hamptonstreetvineyard.com.
Dec. 31 at 7 p.m. $125-$150
The snazzy Main Street spot with an impressive patio and massive TV screens will host its own New Year’s Eve party this year, with an all-inclusive ticket that’ll run you $125 ($150 for the igloo seating option).
The restaurant, which regularly hosts live music at its outdoor stage and features a hearty selection of everything from brunch options to dinner meals in the evening, will have an open bar, a three-course meal crafted by executive chef Howard Stephens and complimentary sparklers and champagne. You can watch the New York City ball drop over live music from local band Radio Source.
Tickets can be purchased by visiting facebook.com/momcolasc.
Dec. 31 at 6 p.m. $15 advance $20 day of show.
West Columbia’s venerable rock club New Brookland Tavern is a typical home to themed cover shows these days. With local acts often filling the role of whichever pop star the venue is featuring, the shows have become a hit among Columbia’s young show-going crowd.
It’s taking this idea to the max on New Year’s Eve with a lineup of cover sets that includes an opening Kings of Leon set, an *NSYNC drag set, The White Stripes and Britney Spears, and many others. It’s a wide mix of artists that fits, well, pretty much anyone who might attend. The club’s fine bar selection will keep you spry for the shifting genres, too, with a decent lineup of spirits, local craft beer and reliable Pabst Blue Ribbon.
More info will be available at newbrooklandtavern.com
Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. $15-$30.
We’ll say one thing for Skyline Club: they’re certainly enthusiastic. In an all-caps Facebook post on the bar’s New Year’s Eve plans, the club promises a true bash, with a balloon drop and champagne toast to mark the moment 2023 strikes.
Providing the twangy backing music to the last moments of 2022 will be South Carolina natives Maddie Rean and Sabin Sharpe. Rean’s debut record, “Doin’ Me,” released earlier this year with tracks including “Gray” and “Whiskey and Women” garnering traction on streaming platforms, with over 100,000 plays each.
Meanwhile, Sharpe’s best known for tracks from his self titled 2017 EP but has regularly released music like 2019’s single “Must Be The Whiskey Talkin’.”
More info can be found at facebook.com/skylineclub803.
Dec. 31 at 9 p.m. $125-$200
One of the latest upscale restaurants to open on Columbia’s Main Street, Smoked offers not only an expensive array of menu options, but also a massive space for events like this one.
The restaurant is the brainchild of Sara Middleton-Styles and Greg Middleton, the sibling duo whose father, Scott, owns multiple restaurants and event venues along Main Street. They’ve snagged a handful of notable names including Cody Ross, formerly of Hampton Street Vineyard and Terra, and Greg Williams, of West Columbia’s Black Rooster, since it opened in November of last year.
Smoked will host a Red Carpet NYE 2023 party from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. Tickets will be $125 for an individual ticket ($200 for two tickets for a couple, when purchased together), which includes a selection of snacks, an open bar (with select wines and beers) and a champagne toast. While there won’t be live music, a DJ will play some tunes for attendees.
Tickets can be purchased at smokedsc.com.
Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. $80
We’ve hit the fancy, upscale spots. But if you prefer a little more grunge for your New Year’s Eve celebration, Transmission is where you’ll want to be.
The arcade bar, which opened during the COVID-19 pandemic, has become a favorite on Main Street for folks who enjoy a good beer, a laid-back atmosphere and reasonably priced arcade games including pinball and (Free Times’ personal favorite) boomerang air hockey.
An $80 ticket includes a multi-course meal with menu items that are yet to be announced, a specialty cocktail of your choice, a champagne toast and free play on all of the games. The bar will be open until 1 a.m. to ring in the new year to the sound of multiball bonuses.
Tickets can be purchased by visiting facebook.com/transmissionarcade. The event is capped at 80 people.
Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. $20-$400
Venue 817 will host a New Year’s Eve celebration with live music, light snacks and a complimentary champagne toast.
The event space, located at 817 St. Andrews Road, spends its days hosting weddings, corporate events and bridal showers. Its Facebook makes the bold claim that it has “the biggest dance floor in the area.”
The celebration, which is themed “Drip in Gold,” is a grown folks’ party. It’s exclusively for guests ages 30 and up. General admission tickets are $20, while VIP tickets and whole tables are available starting at $35 and going all the way up to $400. Local band 7Sunday will begin performing at 10:30 p.m. You’ll be able to listen to the live music, dance and watch the ball drop on TVs around the event space.
The party goes until 2 a.m. To purchase tickets or to find more information, visit facebook.com/venue817events.
Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. No cost to attend.
WE’s is Columbia’s first “pride bar”, with an emphasis on being a safe space to the LGBTQ community and its allies. Since its opening in early 2022, the bar has hosted regular entertainment including drag shows, musical performances and pool tournaments.
For its first New Year’s Eve party, it’s taking a different approach with a karaoke dance party. Unlike most of the events on this list, details for the event don’t show an admission fee, but it’s worth noting that WE’s is a members-only bar, meaning you’ll likely have to pay up for access one way or another.
More info can be found at the bar’s Facebook page – facebook.com/meetatwes
Food Writer
Hannah Wade is the food writer for the Free Times. Before joining Free Times, Hannah worked as a reporting and photojournalism intern with The Greenville News. She graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2021.
David Clarey joined Free Times in November 2019 as a food and news writer. He’s constantly fighting competing desires to try cooking food at home and spending his entire paycheck on Columbia restaurants.
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