Your BSR roundup for New Year’s in Philly: Kicking off 2016 with the arts

The trees have been lit and are starting to shed. The presents have been bought, opened, worn, or exchanged. If you’re not hitting a giant New Year’s Eve bash, what is there to do?

There are plenty of places in Philadelphia to chow down and party on to welcome in the New Year, but if you’re looking for something to do that doesn’t leave you starting the year off with a hangover and a stream of questionable selfies, here are some events to consider.

Ghosts, laughs, funk, and ballet

Philadelphia has a long and rich and — by some accounts — haunted past. If you don’t mind carousing with a different sort of spirit, check out the candlelit New Year’s Eve Ghost Tour at the historic Powel House (244 S. 3rd Street). Samuel Powel was the first mayor of Philadelphia, and his home was the scene of many a society party. Perhaps some of his famous guests, like the Marquis de Lafayette, still linger there. Tour times start at 7pm. Ages 13 and up only; advanced ticket purchase ($22) is required. Click here or call 215-413-1997.

If you’d rather laugh your way into 2016, you can sip a bit of bubbly while you chuckle at the comedy of Dan Naturman at Helium Comedy Club (2031 Sansom Street). A regular in New York City comedy clubs and late night TV, he gave up the study of law to become a stand-up comic. Shows (21 and over, 18 and over with chaperone) are at 8 and 10pm. Click here for tickets or call 215-496-9001.

Okay, maybe I was wrong, and you do want that hangover. If so, plan to party at FringeArts and La Peg (140 N. Columbus Boulevard), where all things funky and fantastic happen by the river. For New Year’s Eve they’ve got Red 40 & The Last Groovement, who describe themselves as “funk clowns making sexy noises”, along with DJ Sideswipe.

Red 40 has a monthly late night residency at FringeArts, but this is your chance to spend a little quality time with them as you wait for the New Year to arrive. And you can have dinner at La Peg before the show starts.

For the younger (or more traditional) set, the Pennsylvania Ballet presents this year’s last Philly performance of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker at noon on December 31, 2015. If you have them, it’s a wonderful chance to spend time with your kids sharing an experience that you may have had as a youngster yourself. It’s at the Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad Street. For tickets, click here.

New Year’s Day

This year, you don’t have to freeze your buns off (or who knows — given the weather we’ve been having, maybe the cherry blossoms will be out) watching the annual Mummers Parade, (and that’s not just because you can stream the parade live online from home starting at 10am on New Year’s Day). In case you’d like to do something else, here are some New Year’s Day options.

The multifaceted spaces of the Kimmel Center are taking center stage for the free New Year’s Day Celebration from 10am-6pm, with a variety of musical events and playful activities. The Commonwealth Plaza hosts a morning DJ, followed by Dancing with the Students, Steve Pullara and His Cool Beans Band, the Philadelphia Ukulele Orchestra, and more. You can watch the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ Demonstrations in Verizon Hall. There’s a Hot Chocolate Lounge on Tier 1 and a ticketed Garces VIP Event starting at 11am on Tier 2 (with a great view of the parade).

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is open on New Year’s Day, with some of its usual tours and a few holiday-themed events. In the evening, Art After Five presents the jazz sound of Philadelphia vocalist TC Carney III.

And if you want to catch some holiday shows while they’re still around, the Arden’s Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates is running through January 31 (here’s Mark Cofta’s review), or there’s the Walnut’s A Christmas Story, through January 10 (here’s my review).