Don’t expect to see Kim Kardashian, Sofía Vergara or Lindsay Lohan hosting your New Year’s Eve bash — party promoters and club owners are shelling out cash on the talent such as DJs and performers, instead of celeb eye candy, at this year’s Dec. 31 celebrations.
The days of Kim K getting paid $100,000 to turn up and pout at a club near you are over: DJs and musicians including Tiesto, Kaskade, Macklemore and John Legend are the headliners at major venues this year. One nightlife insider said, “People want to see a performance and have an experience. Just watching a celebrity do the countdown just doesn’t seem to be what guests want right now.”
Some venues, particularly in New York, are holding back their spending on New Year’s to go all out for the Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium on Feb 2. The Twitter feed New York Nightlife posted, “For nightlife revenue, New Year’s Eve is just an appetizer; Super Bowl weekend is the main course.”
In Manhattan, rapper Macklemore will host the annual Dream Downtown New Year’s Eve party at three separate venues inside the Chelsea hotel, while Marquee will have DJ Cedric Gervais spinning.
In Miami, Tiesto will perform at LIV at the Fontainebleau, while Afrojack and Pharrell Williams will host poolside at the hotel. DJ Luciano is performing at Story nightclub in South Beach. “Blurred Lines” singer Robin Thicke will perform at SLS Hotel South Beach, and rapper/ singer The Weeknd will perform at the Delano. Cash Money’s Lil Wayne will host a party at nightclub Cameo in Miami.
In Vegas, John Legend will perform at Haze Nightclub at Aria, and DJ Calvin Harris will rock Hakkasan at the MGM Grand. Kaskade will spin at XS at the Wynn Las Vegas, and R&B singer Miguel will perform at Tao.
For those who still want their eye candy, Paris Hilton (unfortunately nicknamed “Lord Voldemort” by some in the nightlife industry) will “DJ” at Hyde at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.