New Year's Eve is the biggest night of the year for parties. It comes once a year and celebrants want to make it memorable.
So what works best? Epic fireworks displays, all-night dance parties, one of kind culinary dinners. It all depends on your tastes.
St. Albert has it all. You don't have to go far to scout the party destinations and join the revelry.
Below is a list of St. Albert establishments ready to toast the New Year with VIP treatment.
Bourbon Band and DJ Sean Fever
The Bourbon Room
#112, 205 Carnegie Dr.
Dinner & Dance
Tickets: $40. Reserve 587-290-0071
A digital video opening, special sound effects and a stage built in the middle of the room with a 360-degree view.
The piano bar setting is dramatic. The entertainment is more so.
Owner Paul Ballach throws open his doors with an eclectic set of six singer-songwriter-musicians that have been brought together specifically for this occasion.
Gospel singer and piano impresario Jared Sowan, one-half of The Spare Keys Dueling Piano Duo and resident musician at The Bourbon Room, is the group lynchpin.
Sylvan Syll and vocalist Matt Landry, and the original lead singer for Tupelo Honey, now both with Dryland Band, are on speed dial. Naomi Carmack and Matt McCotter from Six String Loaded as well as Shalisa Liesch from Cadillac Junkies have tuned in to keep the good vibes going.
"I've been packing it in every weekend and it's all adults. We have four bands built into one and this is going to be the biggest number of recording artists I've had in one place," said Ballach.
DJ Sean Fever closes the evening spinning his electronic catalogue.
Jakked
LB's Pub
23 Akins Dr.
Steak and Lobster Dance
Dinner and Dance 7-9 p.m.: $59.95
Dance only $20: at 9:30 p.m.
Reservations: 780-460-9100
If you are looking to party with old friends, check out Jakked. This three-year old cover dance band aims to party it up with the pop-rock-country favourites of the past decades.
Laura Ouellette (vocals-sax), Bob Lallier (bass/vocals), Stacey Arbeau (drummer) and Adam Malkovitch (guitar) are rapidly gaining a reputation for their lively presence on stage.
"We've learned a bunch of new songs and we're all jacked up. It's going to be a fun evening – totally. We're not a boring band."
Double Vision
Crown & Tower Pub
11 Bellerose Dr.
Three course steak and lobster dinner 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.: $39
After 9 p.m., no cover
Call 780-419-6754 for reservations Champagne, party favours and a grand prize
There are a surprising number of twins in the entertainment business: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Patricia and Gisele Bundchen, and Hunter and Scarlett Johansson to name a few.
Our region now has Peter and Paul Cammie, two East Coast twins who learned the business at their father's knee and have played professionally for 26 years.
They recently reunited after living in different parts of Canada for a few years and are bringing their brand of fun to the Crown & Tower.
In catering to a wide variety of tastes, their New Year's gig focuses on classic rock with music from The Tragically Hip, Eagles, Collective Soul and Eric Clapton.
"Over the years we've learned what crowds want to hear says Peter, who plays harmonica and mandolin. Paul's specialty is lead vocals and bass.
As twins, they harmonize intuitively and are able to complement each other's vocal register in a unique fashion.
"We're identical twins with the same amount of passion and drive. Our music is our thing and when we play we try to get lost in it. We select our music and if it doesn't sound good, if it doesn't meet our standards, which are fairly high, it's not in our repertoire."
Robin Kelly's Tribute to Elvis
Apex Casino Vee Banquet
24 Boudreau Rd.
Dinner: 7 p.m.
Show and dancing: 9 p.m.
Complimentary champagne at midnight
Tickets: $99. Call 780-460-8092
Tackling the music of an international icon is no easy feat and it becomes even more difficult when trying to live up to the legacy Elvis Presley left.
But over the years tribute artist Robin Kelly has become a favourite at Apex Casino and he returns once again with Robin Kelly's Tribute to Elvis.
Kelly pays a great deal of respect to the man he called the first great superstar, a man with looks, talent and heart.
One of about 80,000 Elvis tribute artists worldwide, Kelly mimics the King's changing voice over the course of a career that spanned gospel, blues, rock, pop and country.
A test of physical as well as musical endurance, Kelly has said in interviews he can lose up to five kilograms of water per show with all the singing, acting, dancing and acrobatics involved.
Unlike some singers who stick to one period of Presley's life, Kelly's range extends from the 1950s and the years with Sun Records to the comeback years in the '70s.
Rum Brothers Vegas Cabaret
Apex Casino Vee Lounge
24 Boudreau Rd.
Plated Dinner: 7 p.m.
Show: 9 p.m.
Tickets: $75. Call 780-460-8092
The Rum Brothers Vegas Cabaret is all about entertainment. These four musical magicians impersonate all the greats – Elvis, Neil Diamond, Tom Jones, ABBA, Sonny and Cher and Nancy Sinatra.
Wearing era-appropriate costumes, they dance and sing to tunes from the swinging sixties to the cabaret nights of the '80s.
Their list ranges from Chicago to the Doobie Brothers, the Bee Gees to the Rolling Stones and Engelbert Humperdinck to the Beatles.
With a 10-track under their belts, this four-piece takes adult contemporary big band music to new heights.
Ron Pederson
O'Maille's Irish Pub
398 St. Albert Trail
Early dinner 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.: $35 to $45
Dinner and dance 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.: $30
Reservations: 780-458-5700
Also known as Mullet Man, this veteran road warrior of the music scene has played across the three western provinces since 1986. A guitar player, who has studied many styles of music including country, rock and classic rock, Pederson likes to get the crowd involved – either singing or dancing.
DJ Will
Celtic Knot
388 St. Albert Trail
Dinner features reserved seating until 8 p.m.
King crab bucket $40 or chicken supreme $18
Music until closing
Reservations recommended: call 780-470-5668
In ushering in 2015, this local watering hole is playing it low key, inviting guests to enjoy a couple of food specials accompanied by their favourite songs.
DJ Will, a.k.a. William Hill, newly hired in the fall will be spinning the Top 500 of all time.
"It's going to be a relaxed evening with traditional New Year's Eve songs, prizes and food specials," says Hill.
Hill was swept into the infectious beats when he attended a club with friends. Intrigued by the equipment, Hill stopped at the DJ table.
"We were talking and he asked me if I'd be interested in playing a song. Then he went to the washroom and that's how it happened."
And although his career path has veered toward sales, Hill still likes to keep his toes in the business.
"New Year's Eve is one of the few nights when lots of different people come together and celebrate. This is going to be a fun night and I'm going to keep the energy level going all night."
