Ring in the new year, safe and sound

By Chad Cooper
Entertainment Editor

Safety should be the No. 1 priority when it comes to ringing in the New Year. Whether home or away, safe and sound should be everyone’s goal while celebrating on New Year’s Eve. Going out? Staying in to watch the ball drop? Well, you certainly have plenty of options.

If live music is a must, most local establishments are hosting bands with acts including Bag of Donuts, Brad Brinkley, Chris Hantz, Derryl Stutes and Firestorm, Chuck Briseno, CocoMeaux, Smokey Romance, Matt Lewis, King Kimura and Wayne Dylan. For a detailed list of who’s playing where, view our Live Music section on page 3.

For those who chase the chance to strike it rich, the casinos in nearby Lake Charles, Louisiana, are never a bad option with the Golden Nugget or L’Auberge. Golden Nugget will host live music from party bands The Flamethrowers, The Fuse and as well as a Neon New Year’s Eve party inside Blue Martini.

Looking for a little something different, then how about lights? The holiday season remains in full effect as most venues continue to have their lights dazzling on display through Jan. 2, 2022, including Holiday at Ford Park, Cardinal Lights at Lamar University, Christmas in Boomtown: City in Lights at Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown, Magical Winter Lights (Baytown), City Lights at Avenida Houston, Houston Zoo Lights, Galaxy Space Lights at NASA Space Center (Clear Lake), Lightscape at Houston’s Botanic Garden and the popular Festival of Lights at Moody Gardens in Galveston.

It’s also become a yearly tradition to ring in the New Year on television and even more important during a pandemic. All the major networks will have coverage while a slew of channels host marathons.

This year’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on ABC will be the 50th anniversary of the holiday special and once again hosted by Ryan Seacrest live from Times Square in New York City. Scheduled to perform are Journey, Avril Lavigne, Travis Barker, AJR, Big Boi, French Montana, Macklemore with Ryan Lewis, Måneskin, Masked Wolfe, Mae Miller, OneRepublic, Walker Hayes Karol G and Chloe. LL Cool J and Billy Porter will also perform from a riverboat somewhere along the Mississippi River.

CBS will counter with “New Year’s Eve: Nashville’s Big Bash” with nearly 50 live performances by Dierks Bentley, Zac Brown Band, Dan + Shay, Jason Aldean, Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Elle King, Miranda Lambert, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Cole Swindell and many others.

Not to be outdone, NBC welcomes “Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party” with co-hosts Miley Cyrus and comedian Pete Davidson from Miami, Florida. The show will also see musical guests Brandi Carlile, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Jack Harlow and more.

For those not in the music mood, there are plenty of marathon options such as “2021: It’s Toast” at 7 p.m. on NBC. Hosted by Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, the two will welcome celebrity appearances and “look back at the light-hearted and humorous moments that provided a much-needed break during a challenging year, including the buzziest viral videos, trends, bloopers and pranks.”

There’s also a plethora of other show selections on television including a marathon of the original old school episodes of the “Twilight Zone” on SyFy. Comedy Central will show “The Office,” “Futurama” can be seen on Cartoon Network, MTV goes viral with “Ridiculousness” and “Messyness” while “Ancient Aliens” will be the topic of conversation on History Channel.

Don’t forget to wake up early on New Year’s Day to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade at 10:30 a.m. on ABC and eat black-eyed peas, cabbage and cornbread for good luck and prosperity in 2022.

If you’re really into setting new resolutions, then lace up your running shoes for the annual Free Resolution 5K Run/Walk hosted by the Sea Rim Striders on Saturday, Jan. 1, at 9:30 a.m. To register, view Sea Rim Striders’ Facebook page.