Dec. 31st, NYE: Shanghai Mermaid

Shanghai Mermaid at the Red Lotus Room
Crown Heights
9 pm, $50–$75, tickets
Easily the most immersive party in the Brooklyn underground scene, Shanghai Mermaid is a riot of feathers, ruffles, sequins, and fringe. The mostly-monthly soiree is generally themed around a decade and a city, but for New Year’s it’s a mix: plan your costume (no one admitted in street clothes) around 1930s Paris, Berlin, Shanghai, New Orleans, or New York. In addition to gawking at other attendees’ spectacular attire, relax on red velvet couches and enjoy cabaret performances all night long (burlesque, aerial, contortion, and fire-spinning are standard fare), interspersed with period bands and DJs.