Whether you're spending the night with the kids, testing your creativity or simply find yourself strapped for cash, you can still ring in the New Year without a bottle of booze in hand. We've rounded up a few substance-free events that will have sweating, spinning, singing and smiling your way through the midnight hour.
Hardly a no-frills, all-yoga-all-the-time experience, Yoga State hosts an evening replete with goods for the body, mind and spirit. For seven hours (from 7 p.m.-2 a.m.), you'll feast your eyes on kabbalistic drumming, circus art, DJs, live music and belly dancing while noshing on vegetarian eats and participating in workshops on yoga, nutrition, organic gardening and alternative therapy. While the $65-$85 ticket cost might seem a tad steep for a yoga studio party, just think what you'd spend at the bar. Your natural high should get you through at least one bitter winter month. Call (773) 251-3588 or visit Celebrationofthesoul.com for tickets.
An A-to-Z list of performers plus a roster of events appealing to both the young and young at heart will turn the streets, stages and chapels of Evanston into a celebratory tizzy. Sounds of Irish, klezzmer, opera and folk music will sound off while you fix your sights on Piven Theatre performers, marionettes and acrobats. Treats like popcorn, funnel cakes and hot roasted nuts keep the taste buds tingling until the main event: fireworks at midnight. Call (84) 475-NITE or check out its Web site for further details and ticket information.
Put 2005 to rest with a 5K run organized by the United for Peace athletes, who promote "peaceful resolution in the spirit of friendship and harmony." Participants gather at Heartland Cafe at 8 p.m. and warm up with hot drinks before heading over to the lake to run in the thirty-odd-degree weather. Return to the restaurant for buffet-style grub, with vegetarian, chicken and fish entrees, plus a bevy of desserts and a champagne toast.
The entourage of musicians performing at the Red Line Tap will begin to roll out at 9 p.m., with everything from stripped-down indie rock to '80s new wave and cabaret punk. Performers include The Catatonics, Eva Destruction and Her Big Band, Schizowave and Round Eye, with the yet-to-be-determined headliner rocking until 2:30 a.m. Meanwhile, reggae artists Aswah Greggori and The Enforcers will begin kicking out a three-and-a-half-hour show, beginning at 10 p.m. at Heartland. Admission for the whole evening (race, food and entrance to the Red Line and Heartland) costs $25.
Perhaps you've been privy to a royal evening at the Buckingham on a warm summer's night, but New Year's in the park is in a category unto itself. Recorded classical music begins to spill through the speakers at 10 p.m. at the fountain (located at Congress Parkway and Columbus Drive), followed by a midnight countdown and choreographed fireworks.
Chicago's grandiose tourist attraction features its own spin on the ball-drop: a giant Ferris wheel countdown accompanied by a New Year's Eve soundtrack. The cost of the evening depends on the events in which you choose to participate, but fireworks-watching is free. Call (312) 595-PIER or (800) 595-PIER or visit the Web site for more information.
Join the meekrats and the monkeys at the Lincoln Park Zoo, dressed in all its holiday lights glory, for an early countdown at 8:30 p.m. Throw a little cocoa, noisemakers, hats and balloons into the mix and you and your tots will party like it's 2006.
Unfortunately we'll have to wait until 2010 for the next New Year's Eve Critical Mass Ride, but one night away from the real deal isn't too shabby. The December 30 ride starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Daley Plaza. Check the site for updates.
The Wicker Park (1344 N. Milwaukee Ave.) and Lincoln Park (2736-A N. Clark St.) outposts of the Bikram Yoga studio continue their annual tradition of hosting a 90-minute hot yoga class from 10:30 p.m.-midnight on New Year's Eve. Since the studio heats up to 105 degrees, at about 50 percent humidity, you'll want to come clad in a similar fashion to those who'll spend the night bumping and grinding their way into the New Year; in other words, short shorts and sports bras are about as much as you'll want covering your body. Sweat away a year's worth of toxins and start 2006 afresh. The class costs $15, and the studios rent yoga mats for $1. Call (773) 395-9150 or (773)348-9642 or visit www.bycic.com to register.
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