Goodbye 2016

Your guide to the best New Year's Eve parties in Austin

It's time to ring in the new year.

Photo courtesy of W Austin

New Year's Eve is quickly approaching — time to leave 2016 behind and prepare for the exciting happenings 2017 has in store. Looking for a place to ring in the new year? We’ve got you covered. Check out Austin’s top-notch new year’s events highlighted below:

The Black Eyed Pea Run
Race into 2017 with the family-friendly Black Eyed Pea Run. This Austin tradition is a free event starting at Rogue Running and offering an array of running routes. To serve as motivation for runners and to celebrate their triumph and the start of 2017, black-eyed peas, mimosas, coffee, juice, and beer will be awaiting participants at the finish line. Participants running up to 24 miles will start at 6 am, and those running up to 14 miles will start at 7 am.

Austin's New Year 2017
Head to Vic Mathias Shores for a family-friendly celebration featuring must-see music/special performances, iconic art, amusing activities for kids, breathtaking fireworks, and tasty cuisine. The event will host 22 carefully selected bands — including Migrant Kids, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Harvest Thieves — performing on four different stages from 3-10 pm. Stick around after the performances for the fireworks show.

Backbeat's New Year's Eve Party
Enjoy drinks from a limited edition champagne and whiskey cocktail menu and snack on Backbeat's regular lineup of delicious bites. Plus, enjoy a stunning patio view of downtown Austin’s spectacular fireworks display and a celebratory champagne toast at midnight. The free festivities last from 4 pm until 2 am. Reservations are encouraged.

New Year's Eve at TenOak Bourbon House + Lounge
Start the new year in the heart of Austin’s Warehouse District. The party includes unparalleled beats by skilled DJs, first-rate bottle service, and a balloon drop, as well as seated reservation and VIP options. Festivities run from 4 pm until 2 am. Dinner reservations can be made between 6-10 pm.

NYE 1989! at Hotel Vegas and The Volstead
Tributes will be made to the best bands of 1989, including The Cure, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Lenny Kravitz, and LL Cool J. Band members of Moving Panoramas, Ringo Deathstarr, The Lochness Mobsters, and more will show their appreciation for the stars of the 1980s with live performances. The celebration is from 5 pm until 2 am.

Willie Nelson & Family New Year
Willie Nelson's three-day affair culminates with an exciting New Year’s Eve celebration. You won’t want to miss this event featuring Willie and special performances by music luminaries Ryan Bingham and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real. The event takes place at ACL Live. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

New Year’s Eve Party at Zach Theatre
Zach Theatre presents a theatrical celebration of 2017 with its final showing of critically acclaimed holiday favorite A Christmas Carol. Guests will join the talented cast and crew to ring in the new year at the anticipated after-party with a complimentary champagne toast and mouthwatering bites. The party is from 7 pm until 1 am.

The Black & White Ball at The Mansion
Don your fanciest black and white attire for The Black & White Ball, presented by the Austin Swing Syndicate. Dance the night away and listen to live music performances by Floyd Domino’s Allstars featuring Emily Gimble, The Hot Damn Damsels, and Joe and Tabitha Robinson. The Black & White Ball is from 7 pm until 2:30 am.

Speakeasy’s Legendary New Year’s Eve Bash
Since 1997, Speakeasy has wowed New Year’s Eve partygoers with a stellar celebration. Individual celebrations will take over the Speakeasy Live Music Lounge, Kabaret Room, and Terrace59. Speakeasy offers reserved seating, VIP arrangements, and bottle service options for guests. The events are from 8 pm until 2 am.

ATX NYE 2017 at The Roosevelt Room + The Madison
Austin nightlife pillars joined forces to create a buzzworthy event with music by DJ Hella Yella, DJ Grip, and DJ Dontizl. Section reservations will receive full bottle service, and all guests (21 years and older) can enjoy Crown Royal, Ciroc, Patron, and Hennessy drink specials. To kick it up a notch, there will be a $1,000 cash balloon drop at midnight to accompany the complimentary champagne toast. The event is from 9 pm until 2:30 am.

Blu Year’s Eve 2017 at My Yacht Club Austin
Presented by Formula VIP Events, Blu Year’s Eve 2017 features cool music by DJ Grey and DJ Rich. Taking place at My Yacht Club Austin, Blu Year’s Eve offers a variety of ticket packages with perks ranging from expedited entry to table-side cocktail service. The party lasts from 9 pm until 2 am.

Bob Schneider’s New Year’s Eve Party
Get your groove on with Austin favorite Bob Schneider at this annual shindig. The Austin native will perform at the Paramount Theatre alongside Leopold and His Fiction. Festivities begin at 9 pm.

New Year's Eve at The Highball
Bust a move this New Year’s Eve with the Highball’s dynamic dance party extravaganza, featuring dance music highlights, photo booth amusement, and delicious snacks and small plates. The celebration will take place from 9 pm until 2 am.

New Year’s Eve with Alvin Crow and the Broken Spoke
Two-step into 2017 with Alvin Crow. Take out your best cowboy hat and boots for a truly Texan New Year's Eve at the Spoke. The event starts at 9 pm.

New Year's Eve 2017 at Topgolf Austin
The event will include live entertainment, a chef-created menu, unique neon features, and vivacious music and dancing to enhance your Topgolf game. The event lasts from 9 pm until 2 am.

Old Fashioned New Year’s Eve Party at the Four Seasons
The Four Seasons is hosting a swanky Mad Men-inspired New Year's Eve celebration accompanied by live music by the Jon Blondell Band and Makers Mark cocktails. Reservations are not required, but space and seating are on a first-come, first serve basis. The event is from 9 pm until 1 am.

Neon Gold at The W
Double the fun and festivities at The W this New Year’s Eve. The hotel will host two parties to greet 2017. The Neon Party will illuminate the Living Room Bar and Trace with zesty music, bubbly champagne toasts, and a cash bar. Head upstairs for the Gold Party, featuring glitz galore enhanced by artisan cocktails and champagne toasts, featured snacks, thrilling surprises, and superior beats by DJ Mel.

drinks holidays families event-planner nightlife

High Score

Austin named the nation's pickleball capital in industry report

Photo by Henry Selis Photo

Other Racquet Social Club is back after city woes.

It's no secret that Austinites love pickleball. A new study proves just how much by ranking Austin the No. 1 city for pickleball in the whole country. Dallas and Houston also made the top 10 at Nos. 3 and 8, respectively.

The report was published by TeachMe.To, an online marketplace for learning sports (and sometimes music) from private instructors. It used data from its own platform, USA Pickleball, Places2Play, local pickleball associations, and more. It also referred to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), which named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America, with a growth rate of 223.5 percent over three years.

Similarly, TeachMe.To ranked Austin as the fastest-growing city for pickleball, and citing this as the main reason for the overall title of "the nation's pickleball capital."

It name-checked the Austin Metro Pickleball Association (AMPA) — with approximately 3,000-3,500 members — and the Austin Pickleball League (APL), estimating that overall, "15,000-20,000 people play pickleball at least occasionally in the greater Austin area." About half of those players — about 8,000-10,000 people — play at least twice a month.

The report did not include gender data on Austin, specifically, but it did note that not only are two-thirds of pickleball players female; women's involvement in the sport is also growing 50 percent faster than men's.

New courts everywhere
This probably isn't a surprise to people who have noticed the number of courts opened around Austin in recent years. By 2024, TeachMe.To's data shows 32 dedicated courts in Austin, and thanks to with a utility rate of 92 percent it doesn't look like that'll be slowing down.

In the summer of 2023, the online booking platform Swimply noticed how many pickleball courts there were in Austin compared to such great demand, and added courts to its service. In fall 2023 and summer 2024, at least two important developments expanded that availability: Other Racquet Social Club opened as a friendly, country club-like neighborhood option, and national chain The Picklr announced it's bringing five locations to Austin and Round Rock.

Perhaps because Austin is such a food-obsessed city, there seems to be some growing opportunity for food and beverage hospitality around pickleball, too. Other Racquet recently started hosting the Bill's Dips food truck, a spinoff of the popular downtown restaurant Bill's Oyster; and a pair of bars with pickleball courts, Drifters Social Coffee & Cocktails and The Pickle Pub, also opened in South Austin this year, with strong online ratings already.

The trend has even reached into real estate (see this cute house with its own pickleball court) and inspired athletes to introduce similar sports to the local market, as in the case of the padel club Paddle39. TeachMe.To's report also mentioned tech companies adding pickleball to their campuses.

Aside from growth, the study also considered lesson activity (including information about teacher availability and diversity of clinic offerings), infrastructure, community vitality, the tournament scene.

Austin had the highest concentration of all the cities of players under 40 (65 percent), as well as the highest share of national lesson bookings. At 16.90 percent, that means about one in six of the pickleball lessons contracted through this platform were in Austin. Lesson demand, the report says, is growing 125 percent year-over-year.

Elsewhere in Texas
Dallas was No. 3 thanks in part to its "central location" according to the report.

"The city's 45 dedicated courts and 85 [percent] public accessibility rate have fostered one of the most active competitive scenes in the country, with 8,500 registered league players," it says. "The combination of strong tournament presence, extensive infrastructure, and a 112% growth in lesson bookings solidifies Dallas as a powerhouse in the national pickleball landscape."

Houston made No. 8 with an emphasis on integrating pickleball with other sports.

"The city's 22 dedicated courts have seen a 92% increase in lesson bookings, driven by innovative programming that includes the nation's first corporate league system," it says. "Houston's success in integrating pickleball into existing sports infrastructure while maintaining 72% year-round utilization demonstrates a sustainable model for rapid growth."

Overall predictions
After laying out data about the top cities in pickleball, the report made some predictions. As the Austin newcomer mentioned above believes, the report also thinks padel is the next big thing. It also guesses more cities will act like Houston by focusing on hybrid facilities.

It also expects to see an expanded professional circuit and mainstream coverage, more technology used on the court, a rise in the prevalence of young players, and more opportunities in corporate wellness and real estate. "Dedicated pickleball facilities will become as common as swimming pools in luxury developments," it says. Texans will be the judge of that one.

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Goodbye 2016

Your guide to the best New Year's Eve parties in Austin

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Austin named the nation's pickleball capital in industry report

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