THE year is finally passing by with all its memories and excitement stacked up in the shelves yet again. It's time to welcome the New Year with a bang, and we at Star Lifestyle think that one of the best ways to do that is to get out of your homes and hit the dance floors.

With almost no night-clubs in the city, the best place to celebrate New Year's eve would definitely be to visit the parties organised by the hotels and recreational clubs. Parties starting from the hip and trendy atmospheres to ballroom dances are being organised in the city this year, so there's something for everyone!

Rainbow Forest, in collaboration with The Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, is hosting a countdown and New Year's eve party at the ballroom of the hotel. The lighting at the event is said to be one of the main attractions this year, with black light effects and lasers considered to be well part of their plans. Mio from Japan is the guest decorator of the ballroom, and he has been working on the special arrangements for quite some time now.

Although there shall be constant changing of the music types at the party, it shall contain ambient, progressive, techno, trance and mix music. The DJ's at the event are mostly professionals from Japan, with a few guest DJ's also up for show. DJ's like DJ Kei is going to feature and all of them are largely experienced both at Japan and elsewhere in the world. The other main attraction of the event is that it shall play a record, which is particularly made for this night, and shall be played at places like Frankfurt and London for the first time on New Year's eve.

The party starts from nine p.m. officially, and the tickets to just the party cost Tk.2000 per person. There is the choice of no food added to the ticket pricing. However, tickets are limited and can be purchased at Hallmark, Jazz café at Navana tower and the Sonargaon lobby. Security shall be tight at the event and anyone causing havoc shall be forced to leave.

For the more subtle audience and a dinner, the hotel and Rainbow Forest are also organising a poolside buffet dinner. There shall be live music playing between 8 to 11 p.m. and the tickets are priced at Tk.1200 per person..

This year Jetsetpr (JPR), an event management company in Dhaka, plans to host an event worth looking forward to on New Year's Eve in Dhaka. The venue chosen by Jetsetpr this year is the Dhaka Sheraton Winter Garden and the event has been designed especially for the hip and trendy partygoers.

The event will kick off with "High Times", a band from Dhaka itself, playing a combination of modern tracks, as well as hits from the 80's & 90's.

One of the main attractions of this event shall be the live performance of the hit girl band "Baby Strange" from the U.K.. Steve Tha 4orce, a VJ regularly seen on MTV U.K., who is also a DJ and rapper, will be the VJ for the event and will also grace the deck. In addition to all this JPR shall be bringing in DJ Mo who will be playing a combination of House & Garage, R&B and some of the latest Arabic & Latino dance tracks. DJ MO is the resident DJ at China White and is one of the biggest names in the UK club scene. He is also the DJ used in all the parties of the singing legend Madonna in London. Security and crowd control is considered one of their highest priorities at the hotel. Tickets are priced at Tk.3000 for couples and include dinner. They are available at the Lobby of the hotel.

The Dhaka Sheraton hotel is also organising a dinner and dance programme at its Grand ballroom, which would definitely be a great event for the more mature audience. The event promises to be quite entertaining. The tickets are also available at the Lobby of the hotel and are priced at Tk.1200 per person.

Apart from the hotels, different recreational clubs shall also be organising New Year's celebrations. However, most of these events are at invitations only. There shall also be a number of private parties at different locations of the city. Getting here and there on New Year's eve shall be quiet hard, so plan for transportation beforehand. But don't let this affect the thirst for enjoyment.

We ask you all out there to slip the party shoes on and enjoy yourselves until the sun comes out! Happy New Year to all our readers.

By Mishel Ali Khan

alternatives to partying out

Not everyone's going to be clubbing or hanging out at hotels this 31st night. Other than financial setbacks, or the 'dearth of the dosh' as we like to call it, the mass party scene might not be your cup of tea. So how do you ensure that you still have fun on this night of nights? Read on for a few ideas:

PJ Party: What could be more fun than a slumber party spent with friends? There's bound to be a lot of New Year specials on TV, so just call them over, stash the cupboard with your favourite munchies, and engage in a soul-satisfying 'adda' session that could stretch on till the wee hours of the morning. You could also tap into the puerile side in you and engage in a rollicking pillow fight or a naughty round of Truth or Dare.

Family fun: Let's not be forgetting that the kids in the house will be wanting to participate in the frolic and festivities on the 31st. If you don't have any plans for going out, why not arrange a mini club in your own home, just for the family? This year, take a break from cola, and mix up some fruit drinks, or if you're pressed for time, just make some Tang or Roohafza, or Sunquick. Add some club soda for that twist, and you can set up a mini-bar in a convenient corner. Set up a dance floor in your living room, or wherever you have space, get hold of a few happening dance albums, and you have your own disco. Finally, stock up on those snow sprays for when midnight strikes, and you can all freak out together.

Resolution Revolutions: A new year…time for a fresh start. Time to put the past behind you. Why not do it in style? Bring out the candles for that ambience, maybe incense for that unusual touch, and lower the tempo of the music to something mellow and nostalgic. Then over mugs of hot chocolate, you can all gather together and discuss your resolutions for the coming year.

Get out of the city! If you want to get a refreshing break from the city, try travelling away from it during this New Year's eve. There are plenty of tourist destinations in Bangladesh, and it could be high time to travel to one with a loved one or with family. Enjoy the solitude!

Whether you'll be spending New Year's Eve at home or outside, here's hoping you spend it enjoyably and responsibly but whatever you do get some fireworks handy and exactly at midnight light up your world at your own rooftop garden.

By Sabrina F Ahmad