The woman who was beaten and raped near the Congress Theater in Logan Square is recovering quickly. Sadly, police now believe as many as eight people were involved in the attack. more ›

It's a joke, right? They're not seriously kissing on live television. Right? more ›

"It's the end of the party, and the morning seems so grey." more ›

Who needs cheap champagne when you can drink beers from Three Floyds, Lagunitas, Bell's and Founders? more ›

Looks like renting the whole restaurant didn't work out. The upside? Now you can get in without 40 friends and a bankroll as large as a small country. more ›

Fish Bar is selling itself on Ebay for New Year's Eve. The starting price? $5000. more ›

New Years Eve should have been a happy occasion for Michael Hilling and Jessica Woytonik, who were at the lakefront celebrating their first anniversary as a couple. The evening took a turn for the worst when Woytonik accidentally dropped her water bottle into Lake Michigan and Hilling, 19, jumped in to retrieve it and ended up drowning. more ›

Looking for a last minute New Year's Eve reservation? Grab a table at Perennial before they are all gone! They are offering up a 4-course dinner, with reservations still available during most time slots. If you're looking to get out to a party afterwards, grab a pre-6:30 reservation (and get a $20 discount off the later price) - head off to your New Year's Eve revelry with your tummy well filled! If you eat something, you can drink more champagne; everyone knows that! more ›

Did you miss your senior prom? Or was it the greatest night of your life, that you want to live over and over and over again? Either way, consider buying a ticket for Prom in the loft at Fizz. For $70, you get an open, all-you-can drink bar and an appetizer package, and the chance to relive your teenage years without a time machine - what a bargain! more ›

New Year’s Eve is just right around the corner, and you know what that means: Somber, stoic reflection upon a year’s worth of accomplishments and disappointments. Or avoiding getting grab-assed by a bunch of skeevy dudes who seems insistent on ruining your Whiskey-fueled buzz. Regardless of what comes first, Chicago DJ duo Flosstradamus will provide your soundtrack to the evening. more ›

Bin 36, one of our favorite spots, is hosting a particularly comprehensive New Year’s Eve party, and spots are still available. If you already have evening plans, Bin 36 is offering a 4-course early meal, seating from 5:30-7:00, so you can grub up before you head out to your drinking and carousing. The early dinner is $55 per person, a good deal for a meal on New Year’s Eve. more ›

As we noted earlier in the year Shawn McClain’s Spring will be closing at the end of 2010. If you are a fan of Spring, this is your last chance to get a taste. Spring has created a menu featuring the most popular dishes from over the last decade, and it looks to be a doozy. They are offering two seatings on New Year’s Eve, an early seating with four courses for $145 and a later Gala seating with 5 courses for $195. The Gala seating also includes champagne and party favors, and both dinners include all wine pairings. more ›

Are you looking for a classic, upscale New Year's Eve party? Is your tuxedo gathering dust in the back of your closet? Look no further - the Peninsula hotel has got you covered. Whether you want to be in the midst of the music and the lights or you want a quiet intimate dinner for you and your sweetie, if you happen to have a spare $300 or so this is the New Year's party for you. more ›

At the other end of the spectrum from yesterday's low key New Year's Eve dinner, today we cater to the high rollers. Want to really impress your foodie friends? Rent out the party room at Blackbird. Sure, it's pricy, but it's a party you will remember for the rest of your life. more ›

We aren't big New Year's Eve partiers. For us, New Year's Eve is a time for friends, family and reflection about what has happened over the last 365 days, not a crazy drunken party. Don't worry, we will have plenty of the best crazy drunken parties in town featured in these pages, but for today, let's stick to a quieter option. Intimate, low-key events are hard to find at this time of year, but West Town Tavern, our perennial favorite, comes through as usual. more ›

With Labor Day weekend out of the way, 2010 is entering its autumn years, both literally and figuratively. Pretty soon, we'll all be ringing in 2011, wondering where the hell this year of tea parties, political upheavals and near book-burnings went. For those who want to spend their last moments of 2010 in less ponderous, more dance-worthy fashion, The Black Keys have got you covered. According to Jam Productions' Facebook page, the stylish twosome have announced that, once again, they'll be playing in Chicago on New Year's Eve. Instead of the Riviera, where the Keys played last year, the duo will see in the new year through in the larger though sonically inferior likes of the Aragon Ballroom. more ›

Elizabeth Grattan, a WGN radio employee, was arrested early Friday after using her fist to break a window and enter the apartment of an ex-boyfriend during a disturbance in the Old Town neighborhood, police said. According to her Web site, Grattan has also done radio production, writing, and on-air work for Clear Channel Research & Development, Sirius Satellite Radio, and WGN Radio. more ›

I was searching through the food and drink archives yesterday and, at one point, keyed in the word "champagne." Ho-LEE!! There's a lot. more ›

This will mark the first year we're NOT attending a show, opting instead for an evening with friends in a private location. It's not because none of the shows that evening seem fun -- both Local h at Double Door and Girl Talk at Congress seem like sure bets for a good time -- we're just not into the idea of going out this year. because of that, we feel under-qualified to list out all the options we might be missing. Windy City Rock put together a pretty solid list of musical events around town ringing in the New Year, and that's a good start, but we're turning to to you ... what are your own kick-ass plans for New Year's Eve? more ›

Despite its budgetary woes, the CTA is continuing with its tradition of offering penny rides and having extended hours on New Year's Eve in an effort to keep your drunk ass from getting behind the wheel of a car. Starting at 8:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve through 6 a.m. on New Year's Day, riders can hop on any CTA bus or 'L' train for the low price of one cent. more ›

Girl Talk's upcoming New Year's Eve shindig at the expansive Congress Theater sold out in record time and there's nothing we hate worse than dealing with the murky shark tank that is Craigslist. We were poking around Facebook on our lunch break when we we noticed an update to the Empty Bottle's fan page and twitter account posted Tuesday evening suggesting that a limited additional number of tickets would be available to purchase for some lucky fans by shooting an email to rsvp@emptybottle.com with "Girl Talk" in the subject line. You have untilTuesdayto give it a shot. more ›

The holidays mean parties, and (if you're smart) parties mean a punchbowl. As a host, who wants to spend the latter part of the evening rooting around in the pantry trying to figure out how to make a palatable drink from the vodka, peppermint schnapps and diet tonic water that are leftover after the "good stuff" is gone? Not us. No sir, a punchbowl is the way to go. It requires a little setup time, but once it's prepared you can back away and concentrate on mingling. more ›

If you usually associate southside Irish stalwarts The Tossers with their alcohol-fueled St. Patrick's day sets at Metro, you get a 3-month-early preview of those gigs when they take the stage near midnight on New Years Eve at Reggies Rock Club. The Tossers have been keeping something of a low profile through the second half of this year, and the NYE gig will be their first show in 4 months, which is an eternity for a band that's almost always on the road. Opening for the Tossers will be avant-garde doom metal group Yakuza, the surf-punk Teen Idols, and Scott Lucas and the Married Men, a group which features Aaron Duggins and Becca Manthe of the Tossers in his lineup as well. [Ed. note: Lucas is gonna be busy that night, since he's playing a headlining set at Double Door later that evening!] more ›

Didn't get tickets to the sold-out Jesus Lizard shows on Thanksgiving weekend? Fret not! The fierce Chicago foursome has just announced they'll be playing Metro for New Year's Eve this year. Tickets for the 18+ show go on sale this Saturday at noon. more ›

Well well, it seems we just settled in on our New Year's Eve show of choice. As an added bonus, it's also an opportunity for local bands to compete to win a set slot and kick off the evening. more ›

In recent years many New Year's Eve bills have sold extremely slowly -- partially due to the economy and partially because there hasn't been much really inspiring --- but this year is shaping up to be different. The Empty Bottle has announced that their shows with Jens Lekman at The Bottle and Girl Talk at The Congress have both sold out. And we're told ticket sales at a number of other venues are also selling briskly. Don't worry though, we hear there are still plenty of tickets available for The Gin Blossoms at The InterContinental out by O'Hare. more ›

If you're looking for something a bit more low-key than dancing with a thousand sweaty bodies at the Congress to the raucous antics of Girl Talk, then pencil in Swedish indie pop singer-songwriter Jens Lekman's New Year's Eve show at the Empty Bottle. Lekman's bittersweet melodies have won our hearts and we think they'd make the perfect soundtrack for stealing a midnight kiss from a stranger. Tickets are going to go fast, so grab yours now for $30 each. more ›

We got word that Girl Talk is playing Congress Theater on New Year's Eve, and though it's not on the venue's website yet, the appearance has been confirmed by the Empty Bottle and tickets appear to be available already. We've seen Girl Talk in that room once before and that leads us to believe that this is gonna definitely be one of the spots people are going to want to be on December 31, 2009. If you're looking to have your mind blown with a few thousand "friends" squirming and smiling beside you, grab you tickets now. more ›

"We're taking a hiatus this year," First Night board member Martha Rudy said Tuesday. "I would be surprised if it comes back next year. I think were looking at two years down the road."

If you're like us (and by "us" I actually mean "me") and have no solid New Year's Eve plans for tonight, we'd like to suggest tonight's third annual Chuckle Bowl. In conjunction with the Lincoln Lodge and Tight Five Productions, the fine folks at Blewt! (who are responsible for Impress These Apes) bring us a fine evening of comedy, bowling, and fun. The fun happens at Lincoln Square Lanes and besides free pizza and a fully-stocked bar (with specials like $3 domestic beer and $4 shots), all 12 lanes will be open for bowling with video screens showcasing some hilarious videos and short films and music from DJ “Bubbles Sanchez.” But perhaps the best thing about this shindig will be the one-night-only revival of the live-action game show Don't Spit The Water. more ›