Rock New Years Eve 2011-2012 in Oakland

Thanks Don Hoekwater!

It's that special time again, when we all unload way too much money to try to have a better story to tell than our friends - New Years!! I long ago realized that the best narratives usually come from the people with no money who end up drinking too much 4-loco (RIP - tear tear) and smoking crack for the first time in a whorehouse in West Oakland. I mean, try telling your story of the $200 party with n-sa, n-sa, n-sa music and "open bar" where you got three drinks all night cause the lines were so long to someone with the prior one - you're not gonna win.

I was going to put together a list of recommendations, somewhere in between smoking crack and watching fireworks on TV, but so many fine people and publications have already rocked that job, that this time I am just going to link you to them. Each source provides a variety of ideas which should meet the dual tasks of providing you with a splendid NYE story, while meanwhile not breaking the proverbial the mint (bank? piggy bank?). For New Years Day I curated a few of my own picks.

Night Of

The Bar Crawl Route on Public Transportation from Living In the O

Some of the Bigger Events by Oakland Local 

Some Randoms from Clubzone

The Expensive from Inside Bay Area

The Outlyers brought to you by the infamous East Bay Express 

Mac and Cheese+ with the East Bay Loop


Morning After

Dollar day at the Horse Races

Monarch Butterfly Walk in Ardenwood Park (do advanced search to find deets)

Bottomless Mimosas at Hobnob (all the Oakland bottomless places I called will be closed :(

Opulent Temple After Party - Totally worth going to the city for


And FYI - Bart will be continuing its NYE tradition of running till 3am.