Las Vegas’s hottest New Year’s Eve parties

New Year’s Eve is the biggest party night of the year, so why not celebrate it in the biggest party city in the country? We’ve compiled a list of Sin City’s most sinful New Year’s Eve blowouts, where you can rub elbows with celebrities instead of the sweaty revelers on the Strip. But be warned: access to these exclusive boozefests doesn’t come cheap. And prices are liable to shoot up the closer it gets to the 31st.

Vanity
Hotel: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Ticket Price: $200 and up

It’s out with the old and in with the new this New Year’s Eve at Hard Rock: New nightclub Vanity is opening its doors, and the beloved Body English is hosting its last toast. Hardrock’s longstanding reputation as one of the most unapologetically hedonistic hotels in Vegas should ensure that Vanity will be as successful as its predecessor, which drew a slew of notable celebs (Paris Hilton among them) in its heyday. To start things off on the right foot, DJ Vice is spinning, and Diddy (the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy) is hosting the official grand opening Jan. 2. The ticket price includes open bar access until midnight.

Pure Nightclub
Hotel: Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino
Ticket Price: $175 and up

This posh, white-swathed nightclub feels just like the kind of place you’d find A-list rappers sipping Dom Perignon – and this New Year’s Eve, you actually might. Rapper 50 Cent will host the festivities and perform, and well-regarded DJ Marshall Barnes will spin. A whopping 2,400 people can crowd into the enormous 40,000-square-foot space for the high-profile show.

LAX
Hotel: Luxor Hotel & Casino
Ticket Price: $200 and up

Red leather, mirrors, Gothic accents, low lighting, and lots of pricey bottle service set the atmosphere at this 26,000-square-foot megaclub. LAX is an exclusive hotspot year-round, but with the Black Eyed Peas hosting, it’s guaranteed to be one of the coolest kids on the Strip this New Year’s Eve.

TAO and LAVO Nightclubs
Hotel: The Venetian and the Palazzo
Ticket Price: $200 and up; $150 and up

Christina Aguilara is hosting celebrations at TAO Nightclub at the Venetian, one of the hippest party scenes on the Strip. The trendy, modern space pulls in a young crowd that, on the average weekend evening, you can spot waiting for entry for an hour or so inside the hotel’s mall. The New Year’s ticket price covers open bar access and passed hours d’oeuvres from 9 to 11 p.m., a champagne toast, and access to LAVO Nightclub at The Palazzo after midnight. The deal is the same at the Palazzo’s LAVO, a bustling secod-floor club adorned with arches and a domed ceiling, except that Nicole Richie is hosting and Joel Madden is performing a DJ set.

Playboy Club, Moon Nightclub, Rain Nightclub, and Ghostbar
Hotel: The Palms Casino Resort
Price: $125 and up; $150 and up; $75 and up; $125 and up

The Playboy Club is going to be a fun late-night scene to hit up this New Year’s Eve. After the Maroon 5 show at the hotel’s Pearl Concert Theater, Playboy playmates are hosting the official after-party for the band at the Playboy Club — part gambling den, part swanky bar, and part dance club. The hotel is also home to prestigious Moon Nightclub — which has multiple bars and a retractable roof (famed DJ Z-Trip will spin; passes start at $150) — as well as Rain Nightclub and Ghostbar. A pass to all four venues starts at $375.

Eve Nightclub and Haze Nightclub
Location: City Center
Ticket prices: $150 and up; $350 and up
Anything brand-new and extravagant is bound to be a hit in this flashy town – especially when you add celebrity cachet to the mix. At City Center (which we just previewed), Eve Nightclub is set to open with a bang this New Year’s Eve. Kim Kardashian is hosting a party at the club December 30, and nightclub owner Eva Longoria is hosting the grand opening on the 31st. Haze Nightclub at City Center’s Aria Hotel will celebrate its New Year’s Eve grand opening with dance music mixes by DJ Tiesto.

Jet Nightclub
Hotel: The Mirage
Ticket Price: $150 and up
Go-go dancers, shot girls, colorful light beams, and multiple projection screens characterize the 16,000-square-foot Jet Nightclub. Rocker Pete Wentz is hosting the New Year’s Eve countdown and DJ Skeet Skeet is spinning. Drinks are on the house from 10 p.m. to midnight.