Adios, 2012

New Year's Eve roundup: The top parties and concerts to kick out 2012 andwelcome 2013

Willie Nelson
Tim Griffin
Alan Palomo of Neon Indian
Bob Schneider

It's time to recover from your peppermint comas and patch up those Red Ryder BB gun wounds, because only a few days are left before the next day of overindulgence arrives.

Private New Year’s Eve parties are fine and all, but massive gatherings with strangers are the proper way to celebrate the holiday. Here are our top choices for ringing in 2013, Austin style.

ACL Live: Willie Nelson with Iron & Wine

Any holiday spent with Willie will be a memorable one, so an evening with Willie Nelson & Friends should put anyone in a good mood before the clock strikes midnight. Top indie artist Iron & Wine will also perform and the entire evening will top off with the traditional champagne toast, a given for any proper New Year's celebration.

W Austin Coast-to-Coast NYE Celebration

Why ring in the New Year just once when you can celebrate it in four time zones? Maximize your champagne toasts as the W Austin utilizes its entire second floor for a night that includes a headlining performance by Quiet Company, an open bar, and cuisine bites inspired by the sister W properties in New York, Scottsdale and Hollywood.

Neon Indian at Mohawk

Although splitting time between Brooklyn and Alan Palomo’s native Texas, Neon Indian has decided that Austin is the place to be to end 2012. And is there a better bar and music venue to rock out than the Mohawk, especially if you’re seeking to escape some of the more glitzy events downtown? I don’t think so.

Bob Schneider’s New Year’s Eve at The Paramount

Music is honestly one of the best ways to celebrate the holidays in Austin, so an evening with one of the biggest Austin-based talents should be a night that’s worth a toast of its own. Saints of Valory will join Bob Schneider in the celebration, marking the band's last Austin appearance before SXSW.

The African Children’s Choir rocks Rainey Street

Joined by big and small screen star Taylor Kitsch at Lustre Pearl, the African Children’s Choir will showcase the work done by the Music for Life Institute. Their work has helped educate over 50,000 vulnerable children and all proceeds from the event will go towards their education program and help the thousands of children in seven African countries. In the end, spreading goodwill is the best way to welcome 2013.

Looking even more New Year's Eve options? Peruse our Events Calendar and perhaps you’ll find the perfect fit for you and your friends to party for the final countdown.

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put it on santa's amex

2 wealthy Austin suburbs top list of biggest holiday spenders in U.S.

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Cedar Park, Round Rock, and Austin loooove to do up the holidays.

It looks like Santa Claus is going to be competing with residents in Cedar Park to see who brings the most lavish holiday gifts this year.

This festive Austin neighbor ranked No. 23 in WalletHub's annual report of U.S. cities with the biggest holiday budgets in 2024.

Residents in this well-to-do suburb are expected to spend $2,930 on their Christmas gifts this year. That's up $576 from the $2,354 they were ready to shell out in the 2023 ranking — and it bumped them up 21 spots from their previous ranking at No. 44.

The U.S. Census Bureau says that Cedar Park's estimated population of 77,516 had a median household income of $118,903 in 2023. No wonder they have the extra cash to spare.

Cedar Park consistently makes the list of the top U.S. cities with the biggest holiday spenders, and now Round Rock is also climbing up the list, landing at No. 39 this year, up significantly from its previous low ranking of No. 283 in 2023.

The average holiday budget in Round Rock skyrocketed from $1,148 last year to $2,538 this year in an eyewatering $1,390 increase. You gotta spend to stay on top.

The No. 1 city in the U.S. for biggest holiday spenders in 2024 is Newton, Massachusetts, a wealthy suburb right outside of Boston, where the median income measured in 2022 was $176,373. Slots 2 through 5 were all cities in California's Silicon Valley: Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Milpitas.

Meanwhile, Austin proper landed at No. 87 in 2024 with an average holiday budget of $1,905.

Each year, WalletHub calculates the maximum holiday budget for over 550 U.S. cities "to help consumers avoid post-holiday regret," the website says. The study factors in income, age of the population, and other financial indicators such as debt-to-income ratio, monthly-income-to monthly-expenses ratio, and savings-to-monthly-expenses ratio.

Whether an Austinite's holiday budget is under $200 or more than $1,000, it's better to prioritize remaining within that budget instead of racking up the credit card bill, according to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

"There are plenty of ways to enjoy the holidays and show you care without spending much money, like hosting potlucks or giving handmade gifts," said Lupo.

Other Texas cities that made it into the top 100 are:

No. 7 – Flower Mound ($3,541)
No. 11 – Frisco ($3,412)
No. 13 – The Woodlands ($3,395)
No. 15 – Sugar Land ($3,214)
No. 18 – Allen ($3,070)
No. 25 – League City ($2,897)
No. 32 – Plano ($2,658)
No. 45 – North Richland Hills ($2,484)
No. 52 – McKinney ($2,386)
No. 60 – Pearland ($2,223)
No. 76 – Richardson ($1,980)
No. 81 – Carrollton ($1,932)
No. 92 – Lewisville ($1,848)

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