NYE 2026 LIVE MUSIC SCHEDULE
New Year’s Eve in Sundance Square Plaza
4:00 - 5:00 PM:
DanceMakers of Texas
5:00 - 6:30 PM:
Quimikoz del Son
6:30 - 7:00 PM:
DJ Danny West
7:00 - 8:30 PM:
Big City Outlaws
8:30 - 9:00 PM:
DanceMakers of Teas
9:00 - 10:15 PM:
Fusion Latina
10:15 - 10:45 PM: DJ Danny West 10:45 - 11:55 PM: Tonya Boyd-Cannon 11:55 - 12:00 AM: Countdown with Abraham Alexander 12:00 - 12:01 AM: Happy New Year! 12:01 - 2:00 AM:
DJ Danny West
Cour tesy Sundance Square
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DECEMBER 2025 FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY
This Wednesday, Dec 31, celebrate New Year’s Eve in True Texas Style! Join Sundance Square for the Largest InPerson 2025 New Year’s Eve Celebration in Texas from 4PM to 2AM.. This all-ages event is free to the public, and includes live music & festivities. Enjoy live entertainment on the Sundance stage with DJ Danny West and some of the hottest bands from North Texas and New Orleans. The Plaza will be alive with interactive street performances such as jugglers, stilt walkers, trick ropers, disco ball dancers, living statues, and mirror-suit cowgirls. Plus, a variety of delicious offerings will be available from food trucks and a plaza bar. As the night progresses, participate in Texas’ Largest In-Person 2026 NYE Countdown, led by Fort Worth’s own 2025 Oscar-nominated recording artist, Abraham Alexander. This will be followed by a stunning fireworks display illuminating Fort Worth’s downtown skyline. Additionally, NBC 5 TV’s 10th Annual Lone Star NYE 2026 show will be broadcasting live from the Plaza from 11 PM to 12:30 AM. Last year’s celebration drew over 55,000 revelers, and this year promises to be even bigger. To ensure a prime viewing spot for the countdown and fireworks, guests are encouraged to arrive early.
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Promotional Feature
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Sundance Square extends its gratitude to Visit Fort Worth, the event’s tourism community sponsor.
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3.) Mercury Chophouse (2221 E Lamar Blvd, Ste 910, Arlington, 817-381-1157) is offering a four-course meal and Champagne toast for $150 per person. The first course is a shrimp bisque, followed by a second course of an arugula salad with baby beets and a five-spice plum sorbet. For the third course, choose a petite filet and lobster-tail duo; the Lobster Tail Imperial with crab meat, shrimp, and risotto; a braised Colorado lamb shank; or a grilled veal chop. Each is served with pomegranate Champagne sorbet. The dessert is your choice: bananas foster crème brûlée or cranberry-orange bread pudding. Reservations are available every half hour from noon to 11:30pm at MercuryChophouse.com.
4.) At Rex’s Bar & Grill (1501 S University Dr, Fort Worth, 817-968-7397), Rex’s Red Carpet NYE Bash will include an elevated dinner of filet mignon for two and a shared dessert, live music from Taylor Young & The Party Crowd 9:30pm-12:30am, and Champagne at midnight. Dinner + Concert packages are $99 per couple at loom.ly/G00-VyQ. Show-only tickets are also available at $10 per person. 5.) Restaurant506 at The Sandford House (506 N Center St, Arlington, 817-801-5541) is offering a threecourse prix fixe menu for $124 per person from 5pm to 9pm on Wed, Dec 31. The first course includes shortrib pozole, pomegranate-pear salad, and chipotle tempura shrimp. For the second course, choose from a pecan-smoked prime rib, pistachio-encrusted halibut, or confit of duck leg. For dessert, you have your choice of a Bailey’s dark chocolate panna cotta, a strawberry tiramisu, or white chocolate cherry bread pudding. Make your reservation at TheSanfordHouse.com.
6.) The Statler Hotel (1914 Commerce St, Dallas, 214-459-3930) is hosting its ninth annual NYE event
New Year’s Eve
7.) Ring in the New Year with authentic Italian flavor at Stellini Trattoria (400 E Dallas Rd, Ste 100, Grapevine, 817-410-1010), where Executive Chef Vittorio di Buglione has curated a special four-course menu of dishes paired with Italian wines from 3pm to 9pm. It starts with an appetizer of short rib arancini with cheese, arborio rice, and rosetella sauce with caviar. The pasta course is a lobster bucatini in a three-tomato sauce topped with sliced lobster tail. For the main course, there’s New Zealand rack of lamb with mashed potatoes, Barolo reduction, carrot frites, and winter black truffles. Then for dessert, there will be a pandoro with bacio al cioccolato gelato. The cost is $129 per couple or $64.50 per person. Reservations are recommended at OpenTable.com.
8.) Winslow’s Wine Cafe (4101 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-546-6843) is hosting a New Year’s Eve Dinner with reservations available between 5pm and 9pm. The multi-course meal will include an appetizer of prosciutto with Parmesan mozzarella arancini; a spring salad with grapes, goat cheese, olives, and nuts with a basil-mustard vinaigrette; and your choice of soup: English clam chowder or tomato bisque. Entree selections include a Texas redfish, cavatappi pasta, or short ribs. For dessert, Winslow’s will serve a red winepoached pear with vanilla ice cream and port red wine syrup. Each guest will also receive complimentary chocolate-covered strawberries and Champagne. The cost is $85 per person. Call the restaurant for reservations.
Once you get through Wednesday night, hungover or not, we can all use a little good luck for 2026. If you are on the hunt for black-eyed peas, Tom Jones at Tom’s Burgers & Grill (1530 N Cooper St, Arlington, 817-459-9000) has you covered. As he’s done annually since 2008, he’s serving up complimentary black-eyed peas, greens, and cornbread on New Year’s Day. “It’s kind of a Southern thang, y’all,” Tom’s says. The place is open 7am to 9pm on Thursdays. Happy New Year!
By Jennifer Bovee
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2.) At Farena at Loews Arlington Hotel (888 Nolan Ryan Exp, 682-318-2810), Chef Tony is presenting a special à la carte menu that includes Akaushi beef tartare with potato pave, confit egg yolk, and cream fraiche. Then head to The | Bar on-site 7pm-1am for the live TV countdown to the New Year with a Champagne toast at midnight. Dinnertime seatings are available every 15 minutes from 5pm to 9:30pm at Resy.com.
with a ball and a rooftop party. From 9pm to 2am, a casino floor will offer $10K in casino chips to attendees of the Royal Masquerade Ball. DJs will play Top 40 hits and hip-hop mashups in the ballroom. Masquerade masks are encouraged but not required. The open bar will serve premium cocktails and Champagne from 10pm to 1:30am. Individual tickets start at $150 on Eventbrite.com. As for food, Scout Restaurant, located below the ballroom, will have late-night snacks for purchase thru 2am, including chopped brisket sliders, chicken wings, grilled fajita quesadillas, fried pickle chips, sourdough pretzels, smothered Texas fries, and queso blanco. Meanwhile, there is also the Midnight in Miami Party at the hotel’s poolside rooftop bar with DJ music by Grant Fisher, the touring DJ for country star Dustin Lynch. There are still a limited number of $100 advance purchase GA tickets that include an open bar from 8pm to 10pm. The price will be $125 on the day of the event. Reserve tickets at TheStatlerDallas.com.
DECEMBER 2025
1.) In addition to its regular full menu, Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine (4259 Bryant Irvin Rd, Fort Worth, 817-738-5489) has special features for Wed, Dec 31, including she-crab soup, an appetizer of NOLA shrimp with garlic bread, and an entrée of 5-oz filet and 4-oz chicken-fried lobster tail served with a Cowboy Beurre Blanc butter sauce. A few seating times are still available, but you can also join the waitlist at OpenTable. com. Also, consider ordering a take-away feast via BonnellsOnline.com/curbside-family-meals-to-go.
Many dining options are on the table for NYE.
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If fine dining sounds better than fast living this NYE, North Texas has its share of special food events to ring in the New Year with style.
Cour tesy Canva
Ate Days of NYE Dining
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Whether your holiday plans are here in Fort Worth or somewhere a little farther away, Trinity Metro TEXRail has you covered! Take an easy ride to Grapevine, the Christmas Capital of Texas, for a festive day out. Or park your car at a TEXRail station and get to DFW Airport without the stress of driving. All for just $2 per ride! Plan your holiday travels now at RIDETRINITYMETRO.org/TEXRAIL.
Check off your
holiday wishlist
New Year’s Eve
HOLIDAYS 2025 Time to figure out your plans for NYE. We’re here to help.
are $175 per person on Eventbrite.com and include an open bar with beer, cocktails, and wine, unlimited hors d’oeuvres, a DJ spinning period music, and a midnight countdown and toast.
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By Elaine Wilder
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DECEMBER 2025 FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY
a midnight countdown with a Champagne toast. Tickets are $118 on Eventbrite.com. The Volstead (2750 E Southlake Blvd, Ste 130, Southlake), a Prohibition-era bar and kitchen, will be hosting a Roaring ’20s New Year’s Eve Party 7pm-1am. Great Gatsby-inspired attire is encouraged. Tickets
DECEMBER 3-9, 2025
Event tickets are a fun gift in general, but scoring a pair for New Year’s Eve (Wed, Dec 31) can help set the tone for the coming year. To that end, here are some stocking stuffer-worthy events to consider. Billy Bob’s Texas (2520 Rodeo Plaza, Fort Worth, 817-624-7117) is ringing in the New Year with Dylan Gossett, a rising Americana singer-songwriter from Austin. Doors open at 6pm, then Pawn Shop Pearls play on the Honkey Tonk Stage at 8pm, followed by Gossett on the Main Stage at 10pm. There will be a complimentary Champagne toast at midnight with four different balloon drops. Tickets start at $34.54 at BillyBobsTexas.com. But first, Billy Bob’s is ringing out the old year the night before (Tue, Dec 30) with
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Three, Two, One … Happy New Year!
Cour tesy Canva
LAST CALL
an annual homecoming show by native sons The Toadies at 9pm. Pit passes are $45, and GA tickets are $25 at BillyBobsTexas.com. Country artist Parker McCollum has announced a special New Year’s Eve performance in Fort Worth to kick off 2026. The show at Dickies Arena (1911 Montgomery St, Fort Worth, 817-4029000) also includes special guests Jake Worthington and Jarrod Morris. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 8:30pm. Tickets start at $56 at Ticketmaster.com. Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar (621 Houston St, Fort Worth, 817-335-7383) is throwing a sing-along party at 8pm with four piano players, party favors, and Pete’s signature bathtub cocktail. Tickets are $30.87 per person, and if you book a whole table, you’ll also receive a complimentary bottle of Champagne for your midnight toast. Book now at PetesDuelingPianoBar.com. Award-winning eight-piece band Trey & The Tritones will perform at the NYE on 40 celebration at the Petroleum Club (777 Main St, Fort Worth, 817-335-7571), one of the city’s oldest private social clubs. The festivities include a four-course dinner, a Champagne bar, and a late-night breakfast buffet. Non-members can attend by purchasing a single ticket ($125) or ones for couples ($200) by calling the club. Located on the 24th floor of the Kimpton Harper Hotel, Refinery 714 (714 Main St, Fort Worth, 817-332-7200) is hosting the Western chic-themed party A Starry Night in Cowtown from 9pm to 2am, with cocktails, food stations, a DJ, and
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Are more people really saying boo to booze? Last year, a Gallup poll revealed that only 58% of Americans said they drink alcohol, when that number was 62% in 2023. Music venues, bars, and restaurants, which had already been struggling since the pandemic, are really struggling with this new reality.
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As less alcohol is sold, local music venues learn to adapt.
DECEMBER 17-23, 2025
Downward Booze Sales a Killer?
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New Year’s Eve
EATS & drinks
Bouncing between inflation and tariff woes for months, consumer costs have been rising on pretty much everything. The first to be sacrificed are often wants rather than needs, and alcohol is definitely a want. The Texas Restaurant Association says that up to 40% of survey respondents mentioned a dip in booze sales from the previous year. There was a time when many calmed their stress with a drink, but trends are changing. Younger generations are creating opportunities to socialize and have fun without alcohol. Some are doing it to save money and others for their health. In their quarterly survey, the Texas Restaurant Association has confirmed this downward drop in drinking is vastly among younger people, especially Gen Z and millennials. Brooks Kendall, co-operator of The Post and president of Afallon Productions who books and produces live music all across Fort Worth, said that almost all the revenue at The Post and other music venues comes from alcohol sales. Ticket sales and nonalcoholic drinks contribute, but the downward trend has been problematic. This doesn’t just hurt venues. It also hurts live music and musicians. “Live local music in small independent venues has historically been funded by alcohol sales,” he said. “Until a new revenue model becomes equally effective, yes, a decline in alcohol sales directly hurts the local music scene.” To address the deficit, many affected businesses are experimenting with mocktail menus, to offer the same creative taste but without the hangover. Mocktails are not necessarily
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venue. There is a two-item minimum purchase requirement from the menu for every attendee, but they can be for food or nonalcoholic drinks, including Oak Cliff Beverage’s pure cane sugar sodas, hot tea, and Topo Chico. Having celebrated 18 years in business on December 6, Scat Jazz appears to be flowing as strong as ever in spite of, or possibly because of, some recent changes to the operating model. They removed standing room tickets and kept group sales to a max of six per person, kept seating between 100 to 120 people per show, and are bringing a more exclusive appeal to live jazz. Co-operator of The Post, Kendall agrees that offering a more diverse variety of nonalcoholic drinks can stave off some losses, but those numbers do not close the gap entirely. To stay afloat and continue to support music and the local music community, “in the context of a live music venue, what you will ultimately see is both drink prices and ticket prices continuing to increase to offset the reduction in volume.” l
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booze sales, Discount Liquor has made their products easier to buy by opening up to Uber Eats and DoorDash. Convenience may be the key to staying out of the red. Alcohol-free events are also becoming more popular. They are plentiful on invitation platforms throughout the country, a few even in Fort Worth, where there are coffee and cacao get-togethers and all-ages sober-minded celebrations. Despite the downward trend of alcohol sales, one local venue is doing fine. Cary Ray, managing partner of Scat Jazz Lounge downtown, has not seen much change in revenue following the decline in overall alcohol sales. His niche business model insulates the Scat from reliance on primarily alcohol sales. About 60% of the lounge’s revenue comes from admission, about 32% percent from nonalcoholic menu items, and only about 8% from alcohol overall. The Scat is more of a showroom, or after-dinner club, than a bar or standard music
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Alcohol-free events are also becoming more popular.
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healthier. Many essentially contain from 10 to 30 grams of sugar per drink, which adds up fast and can lead to other health issues. Another factor that may be at play is the huge upswing in people using GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic for weight loss. GLP-1 drugs regulate insulin and change how alcohol may affect the drinker. The laws regarding THC are a bit blurry, but quite a few local establishments sell THC beverages. Martin House has taken things a step further. The brewery has crafted its own hemp-derived Delta-9 THC seltzer. Power House is alcohol-free and has been a big hit since its release a year ago, selling well and amplifying Martin House’s consumer base to drinkers and nondrinkers alike. It seems that alcohol-infused businesses are experiencing a maelstrom of challenges all at once, from the fallout of the pandemic to GLP-1s, THC drinks, and high inventory. High prices alone are enough to keep people home more often. And the trend is not just affecting alcohol sales at restaurants but also at liquor stores. Fort Worth Discount Liquor Manager Ashok Shrestha reported a 15% to 20% drop in sales since last year. Shrestha believes it has a lot to do with younger drinkers opting for seltzers and newer fusion products. To combat this drop in
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New Year’s Eve
Eats & Drinks
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Take the whole family to Epic Waters for NYE or wait for the #AdultSwim on Fri, Jan 2. Adult beverages are available either way.
C o u r t e s y Tu r t o n W i n e s
The Owl gets us. In a partnership with Blackland Distillery, the Boiled Owl Tavern (909 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-920-9616) is hosting a free 21+ party. Heaven Is a Dive Bar includes specialty cocktails, a photo-op wall, and a costume contest. To dress on theme, come as an angel or devil, all black, all red, all white, or a combination thereof (casual to full costume, your call). Doors open at 8pm, and the live music starts at 9:30pm with Mean Motor Scooter, Heavy Petal, and DJ Shower, with a complimentary Champagne toast at midnight. At Hoot’s Hall (5220 FM1187, Burleson, 817563-5583), legendary country duo the Bellamy Brothers will perform with up-and-comer
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Toasts & Tunes
Heaven Is a Dive Bar with with Blackland Distillery at the Boiled Owl Tavern on NYE.
Hayden Haddock. Tickets are $50 on Prekindle. com and include a complimentary Champagne toast and a prize-filled balloon drop at midnight. In case you get hungry, a food truck is on-site until closing. Doors open at 7pm. Must be 21+. With NYE being such a hot topic, we already covered a few things in our recent Holidays issue. As of this week’s press time, you can still also see Parker McCollum with Jarrod Morris and Jake Worthingson at Dickies Arena or Dylan Gossett with Pawn Shop Pearls at Billy Bob’s Texas (and The Toadies the night before). For a boozy good time, you can also still get reservations at Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar, the Petroleum Club, Refinery 714, or The Voldstead. And while the Ricki Derek show at Scat Jazz Lounge isn’t technically sold out, the two remaining tables will be gone before you can say, “Happy New Year!” You’re welcome. l
By Elaine Wilder
I-2O & MIKUS RD • THEDISTRICTATWILLOWPARK.COM
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Speaking of childhood, party promoters Call Me, Beep Me are taking over Ampersand (3009 Bledsoe St, Fort Worth, 682-707-9626) with A Late 2000s New Year’s Eve Party. From 9pm to 2am, your childhood soundtrack enters its club era with a night of music from your favorite Disney Channel and Nickelodeon artists, house remixes, and more. Table packages start at $400. The Pop It Like It’s Hot table package at the $400 starting point includes one bottle of your choice of tequila or vodka, one bottle of Wycliff Brut, and six cans of Red Bull. For details and booking information, see posts on Facebook.com/CallMeBeepMeParty. Club Ritzy 1201 (1201 Oakland Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-888-3360) will have a buffet, party favors, and a midnight Champagne toast at its Biggest New Year’s Eve Party in the Savannah Lounge. Doors open at 8pm, with live R&B music by D.O.B. (Definition of a Band) and Throwdown Sam. The Mont (4729 Saint Amand Cir, Fort Worth, 817-502-3400), the subject of last week’s Eats & Drinks story, is presenting a seven-course tasting menu, complete with a Telmon Brut Reserve Champagne welcome toast, from 5pm to 9pm. The cost is $125 per person, with wine-pairing options available for $75. (Our food critic found this new fine-dining establishment near Benbrook to be “destination-worthy.” Read more at FWWeekly.com in “Mont-ster Flavor.”)
Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark (2970 Epic Pl, Grand Prairie, 972-337-3131) is hosting Epic Family New Year, a huge all-ages 12-hour event (1pm to 1am), where you and the kids can slide into the New Year with a splash and make new childhood memories. There will be live circus acts, a DJ spinning dance music, and family activities, including arcade games, arts and crafts, hula-hoop contests, Singo, and two countdowns with rubber duckie drops, plus contests with $10K in prizes. Tickets start at $59 per person at EpicWatersGP. com, and you can also upgrade to a private cabana with a home base and premium seating for up to eight people. VIP options also include a buffet dinner. If you’re looking to leave the kids at home, Epic does 21+ adults-only nights on the first Friday of every month. The next one is Fri, Jan 2, from 9:30pm to midnight, and admission is only $15 per person.
For New Year’s Eve, The Mont is presenting a seven-course tasting menu, complete with a Telmon Brut Reserve Champagne welcome toast.
Discover the Sounds, Styles & Flavors of Willow Park.
Tie One On
Family Time
Cour tesy Blackland Distiller y
Not sure where to go for New Year’s Eve? Worried your boyfriend will try to propose to you in front of God and everyone? You’ve got #ChampagneProblems, my friend. Since I’m hitting the Toadies show on New Year’s Eve Eve at Billy Bob’s, I may just stay home on the big night (Wed, Dec 31) and stream the new TS docuseries End of an Era. Then again, I could go to the movie theater for the end of another era: the theatrical release of the very final episode of Stranger Things. Or I could partake in any one of the solid options below.
Cour tesy Epic Waters
Champagne Problems
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New Year’s Eve