Halifax New Year's Eve Party Guide

If you're in Halifax for New Year's Eve and haven't been invited to some hip house party, maybe you should check your Facebook for an invitation, because it's kind of slim pickings in the Nova Scotian capital. Outside of all the generic DJed events and fantastically bad themed nights (there's a red carpet at the Hollywood New Year's extravaganza), there are only a few shows of note, so get ready for a somewhat underwhelming New Year's, you lucky Haligonians.

The Seahorse ushers party-going patrons down into its bowels for a show featuring Mike Trask And Mudhill, Caledonia and Down With The Butterfly. Caledonia's rootsy folk rock and DWTB's ambient-sounding pop don't really scream drunken New Year's revelry to me, but this could turn out to be a really good show and well worth the $12 cover at the door. Mike Trask And Mudhill are a bit more up to the challenge of riling up a crowd that'll be begging for it, but I'm not sure I buy Trask's confident stage persona and his prattle might take away from a night all about counting and noise-makers.

There's also The Marquee, featuring probably the biggest name of the night in The Trews, though I personally haven't heard much from them since some lame beer ad a couple of years ago. Joining Canada's answer to Jet will be Halifax's Gloryhound And The Skyhawks. Their awesome name came to be when Gloryhound merged with their crosstown rivals The Skyhawks. Seriously, it's like The Jets and The Sharks shaking hands here. Gloryhound And The Skyhawks (is there no way to shorten that name?) have a very rocking Neil Young-meets-The Band kind of thing going for them, which I say has New Year's Eve written all over it. It's a pretty pricey affair at $35 advance ($40 at the door), but surely The Marquee will have some prizes or flashy tinsel to make the night more memorable. Did you know the name The Trews came out of the band's original name, One I'd Trouser? True. I also thought that "Tired Of Waiting" and "Not Ready To Go" were the same song for about a year.

The Grass and The Whiskey Kisses take over reclaimed dive Gus' Pub for a night worthy of New Year's Eve partying. The Grass were first runners-up in the "Best Band To Get Trashed To" poll, and The Whiskey Kisses are a country band spawned from a punk band, so this is like our White Cowbell Oklahoma New Year's show — only with less penis slide guitar. The best part about Gus' is that if you get bored of the show, you can gamble in that otherwise really annoying partitioned room filled with electronic slot machines. New Year's and a jackpot! At $10, this is the type of night worth leaving the house for.

Finally, the Zumbini Circus New Year's spectacular will feature a Flamenco dancer and a ringmaster. What's a ringmaster, you ask? Who cares! It's awesome. Erin Costelo and Al Tuck & No Action open the night before the driving Brazilian samba sound of Zumbini Circus makes you forget that it's minus 40 outside and that you should retain some semblance of shame while in public. This'll be good for $12 advance and $15 at the door.So ditch the house party, there's fun to be had out there on New Year's Eve, even if you have to look for it a little bit.