Whether it’s a night at your local brewery, dancing to your favorite cover band, dining out in style or cozying up in a boutique country B&B, there are so many ways to ring in the New Year in Loudoun.
Here we list some of the best ways to celebrate NYE 2021 in DC’s Wine Country®.
Get the Party Started
Begin the evening with some family time. Make your way to Purcellville for Franklin Park Arts Center’s “New Year’s Eve & Winter Lights Walk” event at 6 p.m. Kids can make a lighted snowflake ornament and see the art exhibit, “Along for the Ride” at the gallery before you head outside with a cup of hot cider to see the lighted sculptures of the Winter Lights Walk, a laser light show projected onto the back wall of the Arts Center. There will be a countdown to “midnight” at 8 p.m. meaning you can be back home in time to put the little ones to bed long before the clock strikes 12.
The clock strikes 12 five hours early in London. Ring in the new year with our British cousins at Vanish Farmwoods Brewery’s British New Year’s Eve Celebration. A British cover band will play everything from Beatles, Stones and Brit pop to get proceedings underway; DJ Nathaniel David starts spinning records at 5 p.m. and at 7 p.m. – midnight British time – there will be live footage and a countdown to the UK ball drop. Vanish has a full wine bar, 20 beers on tap, house-made cider and multiple food stands, with doors opening at 11 a.m.
Savor the Flavor of 2022
New Year’s Eve can be a classy affair. Those who like an elegant sit-down dinner should book a table at AhSo, the brilliant wine and small plates eatery in Brambleton Plaza. The restaurant is hosting a four and six course New Year’s Eve Tasting Menu experience leading up to a champagne toast at midnight for the second seating (7 p.m.). The wine list is world-class and Chef Jason Maddens creates exquisite dishes such as crispy wild boar ribs and Chesapeake rockfish with spice-roasted cauliflower.
Sticking with fine wine and fine dining, Ashburn Wine Shop and Wine Bar’s New Year’s Eve celebration features a chef-curated, five-course dinner with optional wine pairings. Enjoy an intimate evening sampling sublime wines such as Opus One Overture paired with delectable dishes from the bistro. Our own favorite? Grammy’s Maryland Crab Cakes made with jumbo lump blue crabs.
Groove into the New Year
The hour is almost upon us. There are a host of dance parties to attend. Tally Ho’s New Year’s Eve Party never fails to deliver, and this year features popular East Coast 80s cover band The Reagan Years. Whoop and holler to the hits of Bon Jovi, Madonna, Joan Jett, Def Leppard, Duran Duran, Billy Idol, Journey and Guns ‘N Roses. Don’t forget your acid-washed jeans and big, blow-dried hair.
Up the road at MacDowell’s Brew Kitchen the ever-popular Rowdy Ace Band rocks the house until the early hours with high-energy country rock. The bar will ring in the new year with a midnight champagne toast and Times Square ball drop on a big screen.
For something really exotic, make your way to the Events Center in Sterling for Bollywood SWAG 2022 – a dance party featuring the soundtracks of Bollywood and other Hindi artists. Billed as “The Biggest New Year’s Eve Party in DMV”, doors open at 8 p.m., there’s delicious Indian food on offer, a premium open bar and the best of Bollywood, Hollywood and Bhangra beats by celebrity DJ SVP. Purchase tickets at: https://nyeswag2022.eventbrite.com
Pampering Resorts
Bid farewell to 2021 and raise a glass to 2022 with a festive celebration at Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg. The Living Room party will feature an all-you-can-eat seafood ice display, a Wagyu carving station, a caviar tasting, passed desserts, endless libations and a dance floor on which to trip the light fantastic to some festive pop hits. At midnight, toast 2022 with complimentary Champagne and a balloon drop. Tickets cost $250 per guest excluding tax and gratuity.
End your year in style at Lansdowne Resort and Spa with a prix fixe dinner and optional wine pairing in the romantic Riverside Hearth restaurant. Dine on delights such as lobster bisque, salt-crusted prime rib and pan-seared seabass as the Darryl Marini Duo provides acoustic entertainment and a bottle of bubbly is uncorked at your table at midnight. Reservations begin at 5 p.m. and tickets cost $75 per person or $110 per person with wine pairing.
