Submitted by flimsywicket t3_yw4t6s in washingtondc
Reposting from the last few years. Link to last year's post if you wish to read the comments.
TLDR: If you are going to a ticketed NYE event, make sure you know who's running it. Most often, it's not the venue itself, but a shady outside promoter who plans poorly and doesn't care if you have a bad time. They have your money before you set foot in the door. If you have a problem, the venue won't help you and the promoters can't be contacted. Because there's no place to leave bad Yelp reviews etc., there is no record of it being a bad event and the cycle repeats the next year.
If you want to go out, you're better off supporting a neighborhood bar or restaurant.
I'm sure everyone knows someone that's planning to spend NYE at one of those dress-up events at a hotel or prominent venue in the city, in exchange for a few hundred bucks. If you are considering going to one of these events, do not buy a ticket without doing research first.
I'm talking about the ones that happen in large event spaces, such as:
- "The Mellon Gala" @ Andrew Mellon Auditorium
- "Big Night DC" @ Gaylord Hotel
- "Capital Gatsby Gala" @ HQO
- "Black Tie Gala" @ The Willard Hotel
If you search for these events, you would think they're being put on by the venues themselves. This is not the case. These spaces are being rented out by promoters, who hide their names on the event info, if they put them on there at all.
I've been to several of these events (shame on me). They are not all mis-managed, but it happens frequently, and every year the promoters get away with it. They charge $100+ for a ticket, but the catch is you have no recourse if the event is poorly managed. They run out of food before you got in? Too bad. 30 minute lines to get a drink? Nothing they will do about it. (And yes, 30 minute lines are typical.)
Because events like these are put on by promoters, the venue itself won't help you. There are few (if any) ways to contact the promoters. Some promoters, if you can even find their name, don't even list a phone number, email, or physical address on their website. The promoters have little reason to care about their reputation, because their name isn't really associated with the event. They'll just point you to their non-refundable ticket policy.
Every year, many promoters operate the same scheme:
- Rent out a prominent event space. The promoters borrow reputation from the venue since they have little themselves.
- They promote their event ("The X Gala") to local media and on Eventbrite.
- The media includes the event in their run-down of NYE parties, giving it credibility.
- The public buys tickets, since they know the venue they assume it's managed by capable people or the venue itself.
- The night comes, and the promoter always under-delivers. Half an hour line for drinks. Bathroom lines may be equally long. It isn't top-shelf as advertised. Food might run out by 10pm. Etc.
- Attendees are pissed and want a refund. They contact the venue.
- The venue tells them they aren't responsible, and to contact the promoter.
- The promoter, if they can be reached at all, points to their no refund policy.
- Attendees can't post a Yelp review for "The X Gala" because it's an event, not a location. If a review is posted to the location's page, it rarely gets seen.* The promoter scrubs negative comments from their Facebook/Instagram pages.
- Attendees eventually give up chasing the promoter.
- 11 months later, everyone's forgotten, there's no online record that the last event was bad, and promoters repeat this whole process for the next NYE.
I'm not saying all NYE events are like this, but in my experience it's more often than not. And these events can get worse than simply running out of booze. I've seen hour-long lines in freezing weather just to get in. At a past NYE event the Mellon Auditorium, there was one men's & one women's restroom for about ~1,000 people. You can imagine that line. People resorted to relieving themselves on the balcony overlooking Constitution Ave.
I imagine this is why some venues, such as the Building Museum, stopped renting out for NYE parties. If you want to go out, go to your neighborhood pub or restaurant. Unlike promoters, their business relies on their reputation, so they're more likely to ensure you have fun.
*But here's a few [Mellon 1] [Mellon 2] [Mellon 3] [Gaylord 2]
![[Mellon 1]](https://i.imgur.com/x7MUkaG.png){kind=link}
![[Mellon 2]](https://i.imgur.com/1D4qOS0.png){kind=link}
![[Mellon 3]](https://i.imgur.com/Qh3iimu.jpg){kind=link}
![[Gaylord 2]](https://i.imgur.com/1piSSXp.png){kind=link}
SquishWindow t1_iwhmh5k wrote
Excellent post. OP I feel like your title does a slight disservice to the message; it's great to support a neighborhood restaurant or bar, but this advice isn't about charity to others, it's about looking after yourself. These events (I have also been to multiple (shame on me)) can be really frustrating as an attendee.
That said, many people have a good time at them, especially if you know in advance what you're signing up for and have reasonable expectations, or if you are the type of person who has other people wait in drink lines for you. It's not impossible to have fun at one of these galas, but just know that it is not the glamorous, full-service experience you would expect from the price and marketing. The drink lines especially are genuinely unconscionable and will eat up a huge chunk of your night if you actually want to get a good buzz going on NYE. But if you can deal with that, there will be many young attractive people drinking and dancing in fancy clothes and maybe that's all you need from your night, no judgment.