The Insomniac Guide to New Year’s Eve 2018
We take New Year’s Eve pretty seriously here at Insomniac HQ—so much so that we’ve programmed an entire season’s worth of events to close out this epic year. This month and next, we’re kissing off 2018 with a host of full-on festivals, late-night raves, and bangin’ club events all across Southern California. Whatever you’re looking for, we’ve got you covered.
Ring in the New Year with Insomniac, and join your fellow Headliners for one final dance. See you in 2019, Headliners!
FESTIVALS
Countdown 2018
Monday, December 31
NOS Events Center
San Bernardino, CA
Website | Tickets
Age Limit: 18+
As the biggest New Year’s Eve event on the West Coast, Countdown 2018 is our flagship year-end festival. We’re celebrating our five-year mark this month in B-I-G fashion: an all-new alien theme (peep the trippy AF trailer above), four reimagined extraterrestrial stages, tons of hidden surprises, and every flavor of dance music you can imagine.
The Countdown 2018 lineup is truly out of this world, with more than 30 world-renowned artists slamming bass and beats from beyond the cosmos. We’ve got all your favorite genres covered: big room and electro house (ZEDD, Dillon Francis, Tiësto, Alison Wonderland), bass and dubstep (RL Grime, Snails, Zomboy), and house and techno (CamelPhat, Justin Martin, J.Phlip).
Need some more musical goodness? Check out the five must-see acts at Countdown 2018, listen to the Night Owl Radio mega-mix, and bump our official festival playlist, which includes a track from every artist on the bill.
Follow Countdown on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Audiotistic SoCal 2018
Saturday, December 29
NOS Events Center
San Bernardino, CA
Website | Tickets
Age Limit: 18+
For anyone looking to double their dancefloor delight and get in early on the NYE action, look no further than Audiotistic SoCal 2018, where the cutting-edge, future-forward sounds of hip-hop, dubstep, and dance music collide on the stage and across the dancefloor. Originally launched as a mostly electronic underground event in the late ‘90s, Audiotistic has evolved to become Insomniac’s genre-blending festival destination, creating a cultural bridge between the worlds of hip-hop and dance music and bringing the best of both realms. Mix in some advanced production, and you’re guaranteed an audiovisual experience unlike any other.
For the second edition of Audiotistic this year (following a two-day blowout in NorCal this past summer), we’re bringing the biggest rappers, the hottest producers, and the dopest DJs running the game today, including Porter Robinson (DJ set), Lil Uzi Vert, Flosstradamus b2b 4B, Lil Xan, AC Slater, and many more.
Take a deep dive into the Audiotistic SoCal 2018 lineup: Get to know the five must-see acts and stream our official festival playlist, which includes a track from every artist on the bill.
Follow Audiotistic on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Holy Ship! 13.0
Wednesday, January 9 – Saturday, January 12, 2019
Departs from Port Canaveral in Florida
Website | Cabins
Age Limit: 21+
Trust us: There’s no better way to start off the New Year than by sailing the open waters on a luxury cruise line alongside 4,000 of your new best friends as all your favorite DJs spin the dankest beats for four days under the island sun. Holy Ship!, our annual rave cruise, sets sail for another edition of the floating festival at the beginning of 2019. More than a festival, Holy Ship! is a fully immersive, wholly inclusive electronic music cruise that offers every amenity you could need at your fingertips. Looking to dance? We’ve got nonstop music from the world’s top artists and DJs. Need some downtime to relax? No worries: We’ve got a full-service luxury spa. In the mood for some trouble? We’ve got a full-on casino and bars galore.
Heed warning: This isn’t your average family-friendly cruise. Holy Ship! 13.0 is bringing the best of the best from the dance music world—Claude VonStroke, the Black Madonna, Louis the Child, Rusko, Green Velvet, Tchami, Fisher, and tons of others—in addition to special parties and label events, including 12th Planet’s Dubstep Dungeon, AC Slater’s Night Bass, Ghastly & Friends, and much more.
Of course, there’s more to Holy Ship! than the music. We’ve got poolside parties, curated activities, a daylong party stop at Great Stirrup Cay, and surprise sets locked in.
Start prepping your playlists now: Check out the full Holy Ship! 13.0 lineup, get to know the five must-see acts, and stream our official Spotify playlist.
Follow Holy Ship! on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
RAVES
Factory 93 Presents: Jamie Jones b2b the Martinez Brothers (Open to Close)
Saturday, December 29
Hollywood Palladium
Los Angeles, CA
Event Info | Tickets
Age Limit: 21+
Factory 93, Insomniac’s dedicated underground home, is kicking off the NYE celebrations early with this massive event featuring three giants from the house and tech house worlds: UK tastemaker Jamie Jones and NYC sibling duo the Martinez Brothers. The late-night throwdown, one of the artists’ first Los Angeles shows in a hot minute, will see Jones going b2b with the Martinez Bros in a special six-hour, open-to-close set. Expect the full Factory 93 experience here: immersive live art, cutting-edge technology, and exceptionally curated house and techno.
Follow Jamie Jones on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow the Martinez Brothers on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow Factory 93 on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
CLUB EVENTS
NYE Week 2018 at Exchange LA in Downtown Los Angeles
Green Velvet
 Friday, December 28 |
Deorro
 Saturday, December 29 |
Jeffrey Sutorius
 Monday, December 31 |
Spend your entire NYE weekend at Exchange LA, voted one of the Top 100 Clubs in the world by DJ Mag, for an epic three-night run to close out 2018. Exchange LA, which hosts headline acts and buzzing up-and-comers week in and week out, is inviting a cast of legends to ring in the New Year. House and techno icon Green Velvet kicks things off on night one (Friday, December 28), electro house party-starter Deorro heats things up on night two (Saturday, December 29), and former Dash Berlin DJ/frontman Jeffrey Sutorius closes out the series on New Year’s Eve.
Follow Green Velvet on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow Deorro on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow Jeffrey Sutorius on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow Exchange LA on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
NYE Week at Academy LA in Los Angeles
Dada Life
 Thursday, December 27 |
Audien
 Friday, December 28 |
Afrojack
 Monday, December 31 |
Academy LA, our newest nightclub experience in Los Angeles, is hosting a mega three-day NYE Week takeover. Electro house giant and Happy Face Music provocateur Dada Life handles night one (Thursday, December 27); Grammy-nominated producer Audien delivers some driving progressive house on night two (Friday, December 28); and super producer Afrojack closes out the year on New Year’s Eve. Come experience how Academy LA is redefining Hollywood nightlife this NYE week.
Follow Dada Life on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow Audien on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow Afrojack on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow Academy LA on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
What So Not: Beautiful Things New Year’s Run
Friday, December 28
EOS Lounge
Santa Barbara, CA
Event Info | Tickets
Age Limit: 21+
Australian producer What So Not came swinging into 2018 with his beautifully bassy Not All the Beautiful Things, his debut album and one of the best releases of the year. Traversing bass music, house, and hip-hop, Beautiful Things proves why What So Not has been spearheading the electronic revival in Australia since the beginning of this decade. He closes out his massive year and celebrates his gorgeous debut with this special New Year’s run, where you’ll hear Not All the Beautiful Things come to life.
Follow What So Not on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow EOS Lounge on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud | Instagram
NYE Weekend at Bassmnt in San Diego, CA
Dombresky
 Friday, December 28 |
Jeffrey Sutorius
 Saturday, December 29 |
4B
 Monday, December 31 |
For our San Diego–based Headliners, Bassmnt is hosting an epic three-night NYE weekend with a trio of world-class artists. French producer Dombresky delivers the house goods on night one (Friday, December 28); Jeffrey Sutorius, formerly known as Dash Berlin, takes over on night two (Saturday, December 29); and NYC bass wizard 4B closes the weekend on night three, which falls directly on New Year’s Eve proper.
Follow Dombresky on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow Jeffrey Sutorius on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow 4B on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow Bassmnt on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Basscon Presents: 10 Years of Da Tweekaz
Saturday, December 29
Belasco Theater
Downtown Los Angeles
Event Info | Tickets
Age Limit: 18+
It’s the tweekend, baby! Norwegian hardstyle duo Da Tweekaz are celebrating 10 years of hard dance with an all-out bass apocalypse this New Year’s Tweekend. Presented by Basscon—Insomniac’s epicenter for hardcore, hardstyle, and all other strains of high-octane dance music—the night also features hard-hitting bass from Tweekacore, Da Tweekaz’s happy hardcore side project, Crisis Era, Darksiderz, and Pulsatorz. It’s the perfect way to permanently damage your hearing right before the New Year!
Follow Da Tweekaz on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow Basscon on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud | Mixcloud
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