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San Francisco New Years Eve Guide | 2011

Fireworks, open bars, concerts, free all-night dance parties, free lap dances and more…
By - posted 12/30/2010 No Comment

Here’s FuncheapSF’s top picks for celebrating New Year’s Eve 2011 in San Francisco if you’re on a budget – We’ve got free events, deals & discounts, plus lots of ideas if you don’t mind spending a few bucks for want great value… and a few “worth the splurge” picks if you’ve got a bit of cash to burn. If there’s anything you think we’ve missed, please leave a comment below.

And if you’re looking for our East Bay New Year’s Guide or our San Jose New Year’s Guide, you know where to click.

New Year’s Eve : Top Picks / Best Bargains

San Francisco New Year’s Eve Midnight Fireworks Show
Pier 14, SF | Embarcadero
December 31, 2010 | 2pm to close

Ring in 2011 with 200,000 fellow bundled-up San Franciscans for a waterfront fireworks tradition as the city is once again hosting a free waterfront midnight fireworks show on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2010. The best viewing location for the 15 minute display is along the Embarcadero south of the Ferry Building between Mission and Folsom. | FREE

1984 New Years Eve Dance Party
Mighty | 119 Utah St. (@ 15th St.), SF | SoMissPo
December 31, 2010 | 9pm to 2am

Club 1984 is throwing a free New Years Eve dance party at Mighty with two Dance Floors of Non-Stop 80′s music and music videos. Free party favors and free champagne toast at midnight. | FREE

Free $20 NYE Bar Tab for December Birthdays
Royal Exchange | 301 Sacramento St. (@ Front), SF | Financial District
December 31, 2010 | 2pm to close

We’re not sure why they’re doing this on a night this busy, but we’ve confirmed if you have a birthday any time in December (and a valid ID to prove it), the Royal Exchange pub in the Financial District is offering you a free $20 bar tab (good for food also) good from 2pm to close on New Year’s Eve. Plus there’s happy hour prices all night. Full details, fine print and downloadable voucher here. | FREE

Open Bar NYE Pre-Party
Valley Tavern | 4054 24th Street @ Noe, SF | Noe Valley
December 31, 2010 | 7pm to 9pm

A great neighborhood bar, the Valley Tavern in Noe Valley, is giving us all a fantastic end-of-the-year present with free drinks from 7pm to 9pm on New Years Eve, December 31, 2010. Free well drinks and domestic beers for all comers for two hours, but remember to tip like a rock star. | FREE

The Endup’s 26-Hour-Long New Year’s Eve Party
The Endup | 401 6th Street, SF | SoMa
December 31, 2010 | 8pm until 10pm the next day

Do you have what it takes to dance straight for 26 hours? Get your chance as The Endup is hosting “Ghettodisco” with 20 DJs kicking out jams all night and until 10pm on New Year’s Day. Cover charge from 10p to Midnight is $25, and after midnight it’s $35, but if you show up before 10pm on NYE, it’s absolutely free | FREE before 10pm

Free Strip Club Lap Dances at Midnight
Condor Gentlemen’s Club | 560 Broadway, SF | North Beach
December 31, 2010 | 10pm until late

The Condor, one of the legendary strip clubs on Broadway is kicking off 2011 with a titillating offer – Free lap dances at midnight for as many patrons as they can accommodate. There’s no cover charge (except for a 1 drink minimum), free champagne and midnight and arrive early to get your free lap dance vouchers | FREE

Free Coffee All Night from 7-Eleven
Participating 7-Elevens All over the Bay Area
January 1, 2011 | 12:01am to 6am

Need a way to stay awake late on New Year’s Eve (perhaps to get your lap dance or dance all night at the Endup)? Start your 2011 with a jolt with a free small coffee at 12 participating 7-Elevens in San Francisco. Full list of participating stores in SF & Bay Area here | FREE – No Coupon Required

More NYE Events in SF… Lots More!

Everyone is looking for something a little different on New Year’s Eve, and we’ve tried to make it easy for you to find the type of event that suits your mood – whether you’re up for being crowded with 200,000 and kicking off 2011 with a bang, dancing all night (and we mean alllll night), getting your rocks off at midnight, or turning the volume down way low, we’ve probably found an event that you’ll like.

New Year’s Eve Events…. For Heavy Drinkers
Speakeasy Brewery Tour & New Year’s Eve Pre-Party | SF – FREE
Open Bar! Noe Valley New Years Eve Pre-Party | Valley Tavern – FREE
Luscious NYE 2011 Bash with Open Bar | North Beach – $15*
80′s Remix Party & All-You-Can-Drink Special | SoMa – $20
Free $20 NYE Bar Tab for December Birthdays | Royal Exchange – FREE*
Free 7-Eleven Coffee Night | New Year’s Eve – FREE
Free AAA Tipsy Tow – FREE
Free Cab Rides Home – FREE

…For Late Nighters
1984 New Year’s Eve 2011: Free 80s Dance Night | Mighty – FREE
Rocky Horror Picture Show: Midnight Screening | SF – $9.50
The Countdown: New Year’s Eve at Club Six | SoMa – $15*
Free Lap Dances at Midnight | Condor – FREE*
The Endup’s 26-Hour-Long New Year’s Eve Dance Party | SF – FREE*
Free 7-Eleven Coffee Night | New Year’s Eve – FREE
Last BART Train Times

…For Cheapskates
Free Rockstar Makeovers for New Year’s Eve | Macy’s
– FREE*
Free Theater Tickets: Bollywood Tribute “Siddhartha” | SF – FREE*
Free Jazz & Afro-Solo Theater at Yoshi’s | SF – FREE
Critical Mass: New Year’s Eve Bike Mess | SF – FREE
1984 New Year’s Eve 2011: Free 80s Dance Night | Mighty – FREE
New Year’s Eve With Ramones Tribute | Outer Sunset – FREE
Joe Russo Free NYE Piano Concert at Tosca | North Beach – FREE
NYE Rock ‘n’ Shlock Karaoke Bash | Mission – FREE
New Year’s Eve at One of SF’s Oldest Bars | Elixir – FREE
A Funkadelic New Year’s Eve & Free Drag Show | Cafe Flore – FREE
Marlena’s New Years Eve Drag Show | Hayes Valley – FREE*
San Francisco New Years Eve Fireworks Show | 2011 – FREE
Free Lap Dances at Midnight | Condor – FREE*
The Endup’s 26-Hour-Long New Year’s Eve Dance Party | SF – FREE*
Free $20 NYE Bar Tab for December Birthdays | Royal Exchange – FREE*
Free 7-Eleven Coffee Night | New Year’s Eve – FREE
Free AAA Tipsy Tow – FREE
Free Cab Rides Home – FREE
$25 Gift Certificates for SF Restaurants for $2 | SF – offer ends 12/31
Escape From New York Pizza | Free Slice Deal – offer ends 12/31
Ike’s Place 50% Off Sandwich Deal – offer ends 12/31

Odd & Weird Ways to Celebrate New Year’s
25th Annual Japanese New Year Bell Ringing Ceremony | Civic Center – $12*
New Year’s Eve: Silent Film Screening of Phantom of the Opera | Nob Hill – $20
Critical Mass: New Year’s Eve Bike Mess | SF – FREE
Rocky Horror Picture Show: Midnight Screening | SF – $9.50
Free Lap Dances at Midnight | Condor – FREE*
New Year’s Eve Roller Disco Party | Mission – $10
Mr. Nifty’s New Year’s Eve Vaudeville Extravaganza | SF – $25
A Funkadelic New Year’s Eve & Free Drag Show | Cafe Flore – FREE
Marlena’s New Years Eve Drag Show | Hayes Valley – FREE*

Live Music
New Year’s Eve With Ramones Tribute | Outer Sunset – FREE
Joe Russo Free NYE Piano Concert at Tosca | North Beach – FREE
Eclectic Fever 2011: New Year’s Eve Extravaganza | SF – $40*
Hillbilly New Years Eve “The Earl Brothers” | Inner Richmond
– $10*
The Dresden Dolls: New Years Eve at the Warfield | SF – $35*
A Jazzy New Years Eve George Lacson Project | TL – $20
Bottom of the Hill: Punk Pop from Nerf Herder | Potrero Hill – $20*
Mr. Nifty’s New Year’s Eve Vaudeville Extravaganza | SF – $25

Comedy
W. Kamau Bell’s $15 New Year’s Eve Comedy Night | Union Square
– $15
Mr. Nifty’s New Year’s Eve Vaudeville Extravaganza | SF – $25

Family Friendly
25th Annual Japanese New Year Bell Ringing Ceremony | Civic Center – $12*
Free Theater Tickets: Bollywood Tribute “Siddhartha” | SF – FREE*
New Year’s Eve: Silent Film Screening of Phantom of the Opera | Nob Hill – $20
San Francisco New Years Eve Fireworks Show | 2011 – FREE

Food & Drink Deals
$25 Gift Certificates for SF Restaurants for $2 | SF – offer ends 12/31
Escape From New York Pizza | Free Slice Deal – offer ends 12/31
Ike’s Place 50% Off Sandwich Deal – offer ends 12/31

See All 57 San Francisco Bay Area New Year’s Eve Events on FuncheapSF
We’ve got tons more events on Funcheap all over the Bay Area including a Last Night DIY Parade and Street Party, a Pinball “Free Play” party, a Balkan’s Bash, a Taoist midnight meditation, dance clubs with free hors d’oeuvres, a burlesque show, jazz concerts, blues concerts and lots more.
View the complete list here

East Bay: New Year’s Eve Events

East Bay New Year’s Eve Guide
Oakland, Alameda and Berkeley will be rocking along with the rest of the East Bay this New Year’s. We’ve got the low down on free classical music concerts, a “Hubba Hubba” New Year’s bash with burlesque and rockabilly (pictured), a party with 90 classic pinball machines, a midnight potluck and meditation and more, along with the deets on exactly how to get home via BART
View the complete list here

South Bay: New Year’s Events

San Jose New Year’s Eve Guide
There’s Christmas in the Park with over 60 animated displays, Winter Wonderland with amusement park rides and a ferris wheel, $5 off ice skating, free rides on VTA, extended Caltrain service and over several bars and clubs hosting free parties in downtown. Plus all the details about free Caltrain and VTA rides. [read more]

Looking Forward…

Saturday, January 1, 2011

12:00 am Free 7-Eleven Coffee Day | New Year’s Day FREE
All Day New Year’s Day Parking Rules in SF | How Not to Get a Ticket FREE
7:00 am Kung Fu & Lion Dancing: Cultural Day Celebration | Chinatown FREE
All Day Final Day of “Christmas in the Park” | San Jose FREE
10:00 am Lululemon New Year’s Day Resolution Run | Berkeley FREE
All Day Free Museum Day: Chabot Space Center & San Jose Museum of Art FREE*
3:00 pm African Drumming, Black Film Festival & Spoken Word | SF FREE
8:30 pm Scared Straight 4: Vintage Drug Scare Films | Mission $10
9:00 pm New Years Day Folk-Americana Concert | Sonoma FREE
10:00 pm Ween Tribute Band Plays Acoustic/Electric Sets| Mission $5

Sunday, January 2, 2011

10:00 am Asian Art Museum Free Admission Day: Target Sundays | Civic Center FREE
All Day San Francisco Guided Walking Tour Day | 14 Free Tours FREE
All Day Bank of America Free Museum Day FREE*
11:00 am Free PIXAR Exhibit Day | Oakland Museum of California FREE*
12:00 pm Macy’s Holiday Pet Adoption Windows : Final Day | Union Square FREE
1:00 pm Free Hot Dog Day | Inner Richmond FREE
2:00 pm Blue Bottle Coffee: Free Tasting Event | Oakland FREE
3:30 pm San Francisco Shipwreck Hunt | Lands End FREE
8:00 pm Drink Booze & Play Classic Board Games | Elixir FREE

Monday, January 3, 2011

6:00 pm Free Pilates Workout & Massage | Walnut Creek FREE
7:00 pm Quiet Lightning 2.0: A Night of Readings | SoMA $3

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

9:30 am de Young Museum Free Admission Day | First Tuesdays FREE
9:30 am Legion of Honor Free Admission Day | First Tuesdays FREE
10:00 am Conservatory of Flowers: Free Admission Day FREE
11:00 am Cartoon Art Museum: First Tuesday “Pay What You Wish” Day FREE*
11:00 am First Tuesdays: Free Admission to SF MOMA FREE
12:00 pm Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) | Free First Tuesdays FREE
4:00 pm Giants World Series Trophy Tour | SF City Hall FREE
6:30 pm Bike Clinic: Flat Fixes Plus | Presidio FREE

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

10:00 am SF Zoo Free Admission Day: First Wednesdays FREE
10:00 am Exploratorium Science Museum | Free First Wednesdays FREE
12:00 pm “Yes, But Is It Art?” Lunchtime Lecture | SJ FREE
12:00 pm Yelp’s Holiday Hangover 2011: Five Nights of Free Parties | Jan 9-13 FREE*

Thursday, January 6, 2011

10:00 am Pez Museum: First Thursday Free Admission Day FREE
6:00 pm Etsy Labs: Craft Bar with Local Artists & $1 Beers | SoMa $5
7:00 pm SpaceCraft Monthly Art & Performance Show | Mission FREE
9:00 pm Electric Feel: Indie Music Video Dance Party | Castro $2

New Year’s Eve Travel Tips

Free Taxi Rides Home
December 31, 2010 | 10pm to 4am

Revelers in Alameda, Oakland and San Francisco can get free cab rides home from 10pm to 4am within the city limits up to a $35 fare thanks to the Safe and Sober Free Cab Ride Home program from Berg Injury Lawyers. Nearly 500 free cab rides are paid for through this program each year. Full Details

AAA Tipsy Tow: Free Car Tow Home
December 31, 2010 | 6pm to 6am

AAA’s Tipsy Tow Program offers a free tow for drinking drivers in Northern California – members and non-members – from 6pm on New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2010) until 6am the next morning, in Northern California, Nevada and Utah. Full Details

SF Muni: Free rides on all Muni lines & routes (including cable cars) from 8pm NYE until 6am New Years Day. Additional Metro service from Embarcadero to West Portal until 4am.
Extra Owl Service – Buses run every 15 minutes (instead of every 30) from 1am to 5pm
5 Fulton, 14 Mission, 22 Fillmore, 24 Divisadero, 38 Geary, 90 Owl, 91 Owl, and L and N Owl motor coach service

CalTrain: Free rides after 11pm and there is extended service after midnight. Four extra trains depart San Francisco southbound – 12:45am, 1:15am, 1:45am, and 2:15am making all local stops to the San Jose Diridon Station

BART: No special fares for New Years Eve 12/31/10, but there will be extended service until 3am. The best tip we can give is to buy your round trip ticket in advance to avoid a line on the way home.

“Skip Stop” Schedule at Embarcadero & Montgomery
To help ease overcrowding due to the New Year’s Eve fireworks show at Pier 14, some trains will not stop at either Embarcadero or Montgomery Street stations during peak hours.

  • Pittsburg/Bay Point and Richmond trains will not stop at Embarcadero Station until 1:40am – Use Montgomery Station instead
  • Dublin/Pleasanton and Fremont trains will not stop at Montgomery Street Station until 1:26am – Use Embarcadero Station

Last Trains from Embarcadero:

  • To Dublin/Pleasanton & Richmond at 3:18 a.m. – Full Service
  • To Pittsburgh/Bay Point & Fremont at 3:26 a.m. (no trains at Embarcadero from midnight to 1:40am – use Montomgery instead)
  • To Millbrae at 3:32 a.m.
  • To SFO at 4:02 a.m.

Last Trains from Montgomery Street Station:

  • To Dublin/Pleasanton & Richmond at 3:15 a.m. (no trains at Montgomery from 12:06am to 1:26am – use Embarcadero instead)
  • To Pittsburgh/Baypoint & Fremont at 3:23 a.m. – Full Service
  • To Millbrae at 3:33 a.m.
  • To SFO at 4:04 a.m.

New Years Eve BART details
Full New Years Eve BART schedule (pdf)

A Word From Johnny Funcheap….

2010 has been an amazing year for Funcheap… First we were named “Best Events Website” by the SF Weekly, then we won our very first “Best of the Bay” award as Best Local Website from the SF Bay Guardian. Then Johnny Funcheap got married at Cafe Du Nord in May (pictured) and threw a free concert for all the funcheap readers the same night.

So I hope you’ll understand that we’re a bit sad to see this year end. But we’re excited about what 2011 will bring and have a lot of great changes to the site in store and we’re happy to have all you funcheapers along for the ride!

Yours Cheaply,
Johnny Funcheap


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