Events: What to do when there’s nothing to do

BECKY KLATT

■ Americana with Mackenzie Rae

6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30, BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. Free

Mackenzie Rae is a singer-songwriter with roots in South Dakota and western Colorado. She performs throughout the Denver/Boulder area alongside bandmates Todd Redmond (guitar, vocals) and Ryan Parker (bass, vocals). With rich vocals and nuanced instrumentals, they deliver authentic covers and originals spanning Americana, classic country and rock.

11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 1, Unity of Boulder Spiritual Center, 2855 Folsom St., Boulder. Free, donations accepted

The Burning Bowl ritual is a ceremony in which participants have the opportunity to get rid of negativity by writing down problems, then casting the sheets of paper into a Tibetan fi re bowl.

■ Photographers Gather: Artists Salon (Every Tuesday)

5-8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, Mike O’Shays Irish Pub, 512 Main St., Longmont

Stop by Mike O’Shays Irish Pub to join this artists salon, modeled after 1920s Paris cafes, like La Closerie des Lilas, the cafe where writers Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, Man Ray, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald hung out. Come and talk art, show photos, bring stories and inspire each other.

■ Retro Video Game Night

6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 4, Sanitas Brewing Co., 3550 Frontier Ave., Boulder. Free

■ New Year’s Eve Eve Contra Dance

7:30-10:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30, Avalon Ballroom, 6185 Arapahoe Road, Boulder. Tickets: $5-$15

Contra dancing is similar to square dancing, but with simpler patterns and a different confi guration. The dance pattern is choreographed so that each pair of dancers dances with the couple next to them, and then progresses on to the next couple in the line. No partner is needed, everyone dances with everyone, and dancers are welcome to dance the role they prefer. This event uses the gender neutral terminology of Larks and Robins for the lead and follow roles. Come join in for a blast into video game past during Sanitas Brewing’s winter series of Retro Video Game Nights. It’s free to play and games start at 6:30 p.m.

WIKIMEDIA

■ Brett Merlin: Things I Wish I

Knew Before Attending the Ouray Ice Festival

7 p.m. Neptune Mountaineering, 633 S. Broadway, Boulder. Registration required: neptunemountaineering.com

Every January, hundreds of ice climbers show up to Ouray, Colorado, for the infamous Ouray Ice Festival. The Ice Park is an incredible place to learn to ice climb. However, ice climbing is very different from rock climbing. The pointers in this talk by 30-year veteran climber Brett Merlin will help you navigate your fi rst ice climbing trip to the Ouray Ice Festival and even your fi rst ice climbing outing.

■ Shota Renwick and the Colorado Collective

7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, Muse Performance Space, 200 E. South Boulder Road, Lafayette. Tickets: $5-$15

The Colorado Collective is a group of young, up-and-coming musicians exploring the world of improvised music. Each member has either gone to college to study music, or is currently completing a degree in music at institutions across the country.

ALL EVENTS TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAY, DEC. 31.

★ BOULDER

License No. 1 NYE Party

8 p.m. License No. 1, 2115 13th St., Boulder. Tickets: $25, license1boulderado.com

NYE at Avalon Ballroom

7 p.m. 6185 Arapahoe Road, Boulder. Tickets: $45 in advance, $55 day of

NYE at BOCO Cider with The Basement Blues Project

5:30 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. Free

New Year’s Eve with The Goonies at the Velvet Elk Lodge

8 p.m. Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. Tickets: $100

DV8 and Junkyard Social Club Present: Eternal A New Years Celebration

8 p.m. DV8 Distillery, 2480 49th St., Unit E, Boulder.

New Year’s Eve Meditation

Unity of Boulder Spiritual Center, 2855 Folsom St., Boulder. Free

NYE at Avanti

Avanti Boulder, 1401 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

Lotus New Year’s Eve — Night 2

9 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder. Tickets: $35-$150, axs.com

New Year’s Eve with Funkiphino

9 p.m. St Julien Hotel & Spa, 900 Walnut St., Boulder. Tickets: $125$175, eventbrite.com

New Year’s Eve Dance Party

7 p.m. Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main St., Boulder. Tickets: $45, goldhillinn.com

Houndmouth with Wildermiss

9 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. Tickets: $35-$40, axs.com

★ DENVER

New Year’s Eve Fireworks

9 p.m. and midnight, 16th Street Mall, Denver

The String Cheese Incident

7:30 p.m. Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St., Denver. Tickets: $100$130, axs.com

Resolution New Year’s Eve 2022

7:30 p.m. The Brighton, 3403 Brighton Blvd., Denver. Tickets: $99-$199, resolutiondenver.com

★ LONGMONT

Outworld Brewing’s New Year’s Eve

9 a.m.-9 p.m. Outworld Brewing, 1725 Vista View Drive, Suite B., Longmont. Tickets: $40-$60, eventbrite.com

★ LOUISVILLE

NYE All Hits Silent Disco Party (All Ages)

6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, The Louisville Underground, 640 Main St., Louisville. Free

★ LYONS

Drag Show and Bar Crawl

7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, Spirit Hound Distillers, 4196 Ute Highway, Lyons. $10 cover charge for the main event/show at The Diner Bar.

★ NEDERLAND

Gasoline Lollipops

7 p.m. The Caribou Room, 55 Indian Peaks Drive, Nederland. Tickets: $25