Your Guide to Phoenix's Safest New Year's Eve 2020 Parties

Don't know about y'all, but we're ready to put 2020 behind us and start looking forward to (hopefully) better times ahead in the coming year. We’re planning to celebrate the calendar changing over to 2021 with a night of festivities on Thursday, December 31.

Given the current spike in COVID-19 cases across Arizona, you’re always safer popping bottles and raising a toast at home under lockdown. That said, a number of safety-conscious New Year’s Eve parties and events will take place outdoors at venues around metro Phoenix where masks will be mandatory and social distancing will be enforced.

We’ll leave it up to you. Have fun, be safe, and we’ll see you next year.

You can enjoy primo views of downtown Phoenix during this outdoor celebration at the Hotel Palomar’s open-air lounge. Local DJs will be in the mix, all bottles of sparkling wine will be 25 percent off, and a free champagne toast is included in the $20 admission price. Masks and social distancing are required. The party goes from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Thunderbird Lounge’s backyard patio and rear parking lot will host this fanciful outdoor affair featuring aerialists, fire performers, goblin kings, fairies, and other magical creatures. Hi Dreams DJ Collective will provide the soundtrack for the evening and local food trucks like Chílte Tacos or Beignet Babe will serve up the eats. Formal wear and imaginative costumes are encouraged and masks will be required. The event will also have a limited capacity to allow for social distancing. Doors are at 7 p.m. and the event runs until 2 a.m. Tickets are $10.

This rooftop lounge will offer a swank celebration with DJs, cocktails, and plenty of revelry. A special cabana package for $125 includes admission for four, party favors, a s'mores kit, and a complimentary midnight toast. Hours are from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.

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Here's how to celebrate the end of 2020 safely in metro Phoenix.

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Don your snazziest tux and make like James Bond at this high-style soiree on the W’s second-floor WET Deck. Beats will be broadcast from the sound system as the staff serves up cocktails of the shaken, not stirred variety. A massive toast will take place at midnight. The party goes from 8 p.m. to midnight and admission runs from $200-$600. Masks and social distancing are required.

Semi-private seating will be available at the fire pits and tables located around the resort’s outdoor Plaza Bar on New Year’s Eve. Highlights will include complimentary canapes and premium bottle service, as well as a welcome champagne toast and a massive fireworks show at 10 p.m. An exclusive food and beverage menu will also be available. A New Year's countdown and televised ball drop will take place at midnight. Prices vary. Call 480-513-6014 for reservations.

According to Lucky’s Instagram account, the indoor-outdoor bar near Roosevelt Row will feature 2020’s signature metaphor of “an actual dumpster on fire.” They’ll also offer $10 bottles of champagne for groups of four people, so you can raise a toast after getting a selfie or two in front of the conflagration. The socially distanced celebration starts at 4 p.m. and people are asked to e-mail drink@luckysphx.com for reservations.