Whether you're on the river, a rooftop or Rottnest Island on New Year's Eve, make sure you party in style!
Firework displays are at 9.00pm and midnight on Perth foreshore and in Mandurah and Rockingham. Wherever you go, there'll be a party vibe, and there are heaps of special events that you can book now, but be quick! New Year's events in Perth sell out fast.
This guide lists some of the best parties in town to help you prepare for New Year's in Perth.
Party by the River
It's all happening on Perth foreshore this New Year's Eve. From 7.00pm until 1.00am, the fabulous Supreme Court Gardens will dish out champagne and oysters, craft beer and cocktails, to the sounds of local bands and DJs for another dose of Foreshore NYE.
Beyond the festival stage, roving performers will crave your attention and you're well positioned to see the fireworks go off. Food stalls are there to fill you with delicious munchies, and boutique bars include a gin bar, tequila shack and American whisky bar.
General admission tickets to Foreshore NYE are $39.90, or splash out to gain entry to The Garden for $156.90. The price includes seating, four drinks of your choice, a buffet dinner, cocktail bar and live music. Even more exclusive is the VIP Deck, which costs $229.90 for freshly shucked oysters, drinks all night, canapés, buffet dinner, cocktail bar and live music.
This year, Origin Fields will move into neighbouring Langley Park for Origin NYE, formerly based at Claremont Showground. This event will put Australian and international musicians on the stage for two evenings of celebration, beginning at 4.00pm on both 30 and 31 December.
Tickets for this massive New Year's Eve event on Perth foreshore start at $189.90 for a one-day pass and $331.95 for a two-day pass. VIP tickets are also available, with the full-on Platinum experience giving you access to a private area with all-in drinks, lunch and dinner, front-of-stage access, wi-fi and phone charging stations.
At a more sedate pace, The Old Brewery on Mounts Bay Road or BWG Steakhouse in Heathcote Reserve are both great riverside choices for a traditional gathering of family and friends.
Both venues specialise in meat-lovers' cuisine, and are headed up by Fraser's Group Executive Chef Chris Taylor, who believes in serving 'real food for real people' and also oversees Fraser's Kings Park and Indiana Cottesloe.
For the cocktail style New Year at BWG, he has planned pig on a spit and a chocolate fountain, as well as various food stations for grazing throughout the evening. BWG is in Heathcote Reserve on the south bank of the Swan River, with amazing views across the beautiful estuary.
New Year's Eve at Perth's historic Old Brewery award winning steak restaurant and craft brewery means a three-course set menu with a choice of three entrees, four mains and two desserts. This total riverfront venue has 270 degree views of the Swan River, across to South Perth foreshore and along to the city skyscrapers.
Both events are from 7.00pm to 1.00am, and both include all food and drinks plus live entertainment to take you through New Year's Eve and into 2019. New Year at BWG is $138.00 and at The Old Brewery $154.00. Bookings are essential.
Party on a Cruise Boat
Take the extra leap from the riverside and celebrate New Year's on Perth's tranquil Swan River. Both Crystal Swan Cruises and Captain Cook Cruises are preparing their New Year's Eve 18+ dinner cruises with limited space available, so make sure you book quickly.
You'll be welcomed with a drink as you embark for Crystal Swan's river cruise, and served a three-course long-table dinner with DJ music right past midnight, all included in the price of $195.00. Soft drinks are also thrown in, and there's a cash bar on board. Note that the set dinner offers a choice of lamb or chicken; enquire about vegetarian options.
Cruise into 2019 with a buffet dinner and dancing on board Captain Cook's New Year's Eve Dinner Cruise. The ticket price of $249.00 provides a huge selection of delicious food, including seafood on ice, artisan breads, antipasto, hot meals and mouth-watering desserts, all your wine, beer and soft drinks, plus DJ entertainment. Open decks allow you to enjoy the fresh night breezes and 360 degree views.
Party in Kings Park
On New Year's Eve, Perth locals flock to the foreshore and Kings Park to find the best spots for viewing the fireworks, bringing picnics and enjoying the balmy evening. Kings Park is a great choice because of its height above the city, giving spectacular views of the display. Get there as early as you can to secure a good vantage point.
Another venue in the reputable Fraser's Group that hogs a fabulous position is Fraser's Kings Park. This multi-award winning restaurant, right beside some of the best views across the city and Swan River, is hosting a New Year's Eve dinner from 6.30pm for $168.00 per person. This event will fill up very quickly, so book now to avoid disappointment.
On arrival, guests will receive freshly baked breads, followed by shared entrees of fresh king prawns, tempura soft shell crab and charcuterie. Three choices of main are beef fillet, gold band snapper and saffron risotto, all served with sides of quinoa salad and roasted potatoes, and dessert is a mouth-watering chocolate parfait, hazelnuts and ice cream. Live entertainment will take you through to the New Year.
Party with the Kids
On New Year's, Perth always remembers the kids! Happy Zoo Year is a popular annual New Year's Eve event at Perth Zoo, which brings midnight forward by four hours to include littlies who can't stay awake.
The party starts at 3.30pm, with a countdown to 'midnight' at 8.00pm. Visit the animals first and then settle in for a picnic, lively music and hilarious entertainment. Entry is just $35.00 with under 2s getting in free.
The fabulous Novotel Vines Resort in the Swan Valley is following suit, with their countdown scheduled for 9.00pm when balloons will drop from above.
The NYE Family Countdown is $55.00 adults, $39.00 children aged 5-12, and features kids' activities, pizza buffet with salads and desserts, and DJ music from 7.00pm. A cash bar will be open on the night. Bookings with full prepayment are essential.
Kids will also enjoy partying on Rottnest Island where there are no more fireworks after the 9.00pm show, so youngsters can sleep while the grown-ups keep going. Scroll down for more about New Year's Eve events on Perth's much loved holiday island.
Party in the Swan Valley
The Novotel Vines Resort will be throwing a New Year's Eve Carnivale Party from 7.00pm for adults only. Spend some time in the Swan Valley before getting dressed up to the carnival theme.
The price of $165.00 includes drinks and canapes as you watch the last sunset of 2018, followed by dinner and a five-hour beverage package taking you through to midnight with DJ entertainment and glitter cannons to see in the New Year. A cash bar will be open until 1.00am.
Closer to Perth is the New Year's Eve Mexican Fiesta at the Swan Valley's historic Guildford Hotel. Starting at $100.00, your party package includes Mexican style food and drinks between 8.00pm and midnight. Indulge in nachos with brisket or lamb, tortillas with pork belly and other tasty dishes, followed by churros. There'll be a margarita bar too, and a silent disco will have you dancing the night away.
Party on a Rooftop
Perth's rooftop bars are always a great choice for a summer night out, even more so when there are fireworks going off.
Cabana Club NYE at The Aviary brings the tropics to Perth on New Year's Eve, enhanced by the lush greenery, street food stalls, Tropical Bombay Gin Bar and DJ sets. For $150.00, feed on Latin spiced fried chicken, jalapeño and sweetcorn fritters, kingfish ceviche and more, with four hours of wine, beer and cider, plus Prosecco on arrival.
A more recent addition to the rooftop bar scene is QT Perth on the corner of Barrack and Murray Streets. With free-flowing champagne, premium beer and wine, cocktails and DJ entertainment, New Year's Eve at QT Perth will be pumping. Don't worry about dinner - the mouth-watering hot and cold canapés will keep you going! Tickets for this exclusive party are $250.00.
Party in Freo
Fremantle knows how to celebrate - never more so than on New Year's Eve. Two venues to consider for your get-together are the Esplanade Hotel and Bather's Beach House.
Sitting within a footstep of Fremantle's only town centre beach, Bather's Beach House is throwing a White All Night party. Dress in white for this Instagrammable event and soak up the sunset before joining the party at 7.30pm. General admission is $120.00, which covers beer, wine and soft drinks, cocktail style bites and food stations, and live entertainment.
You can be a VIP for $180.00 to gain access to the pop-up beach marquee from 6.30pm to watch the sun go down with free-flowing Chandon, followed by DJ entertainment until 8.30pm when you join the main party. You'll also be treated to unlimited cocktails at the VIP cocktail bar on the beach and a seafood station. This will be a sell-out, so don't miss out!
The Esplanade is doing its usual thing on New Year's Eve by hosting three different parties in the fabulous heritage hotel. This year's theme is A Night at the Circus, and each event has been styled to suit a different mood.
Gather your mates for the Freak Show Pub Party at the Ball & Chain from 8.00pm to 1.00am. Everyone will dress up in freaky costumes for this 18+ event, which packages up a gourmet barbecue, five-hour drinks package and DJ music for $120.50.
The Big Top Buffet Dinner in the Atrium Garden Restaurant is ideal for families and includes a four-hour drinks package with entertainment from a live band. Tickets are $140.50 adult, $38.50 child (4-12), and teens aged 13-17 get in for only $55.50
Before or after your main event, join the Ringmaster's Rendezvous in the Marine Lounge Bar, open from 6.00pm for drinks, live music and roving performances. Entry is free!
Party on Rottnest
Everyone gets to join in the New Year's Eve party on Rottnest Island! First up, there's a heap of free family fun from 3.30pm like kite making and glow-in-the-dark face painting, and the Settlement Food Village will stay open until 8.00pm. Naturally, there will be plenty of glow sticks around in readiness for nightfall too.
At Hotel Rottnest, the celebrations kick off with live music from 3.00pm and the beach party starts ramping up from 6.00pm, with everyone hitting the dance floor after the fireworks over Thomson Bay. Graze at the food stalls and toast the New Year at the specialty bars. This is a ticketed event at $35.00 per person.
If you're spending some time on the island, the free shuttle bus service will be running a late service on New Year's Eve, right up to 1.00am. For those staying on boats, the $10.00 Island Explorer bus will get you back to your bay up to 11.00pm.
The fabulous Rottnest Express is sponsoring the fireworks this year, and laying on special late ferries for those who need to return to the mainland. These are booking up fast, so don't delay.
New Year's Eve Gala Concert
And finally for something completely different ... A special New Year's Eve event at Perth Concert Hall will present classical favourites at a 2.00pm Matinee Family Concert and again at 9.30pm for the Champagne Gala Concert.
The performance stars the well-known Vienna Pops Orchestra with the wonderful Soprano, Sara Macliver, and Baritone, Andrew Foote, directed by Mark Coughlan, another well-known face on the Perth classical music scene. The orchestra's name comes from the traditional bookends of the annual concert featuring wonderful classical music from Vienna.
Another tradition is to introduce up-and-coming soloists, and this year the event welcomes two young musicians likely to be the big names of tomorrow - pianist William Hu and violinist Emmalena Huning.
All funds raised will go to the Rotary Club of Perth charitable projects supporting survivors of domestic violence and youth homelessness in WA, as well as Cambodian water, sanitation and education programmes.
Tickets for the Matinee Family Concert start at $45.00 and for the Champagne Gala Concert $80.00.
