Chibuku presents their sure-to-be Amazing (note: yes, with a capital A) NYE Party complete with The Final Countdown as it’s theme. I’m in love! I didn’t think it was possible to be in love with an event, but life is just full of surprises!

Contrary to what some people would have you believe, fancy dress is not just for the bedroom, but can be worn to fancy dress events such as this one. FYI it’s probably best not to explore the same titilation one would behind closed doors, but feel free to enjoy yourself in other ways. I’d warrant you will soon forget about those baser insticts when you wrap your ears around the output of the DJs appearing on the night.

Featured are: *Deep breath* Luke Carr, Andy Carroll (We Love… Space), No Fakin, Six AM, Rich Furness, Dash, Revo, Mr Paul & James Rand, Andy Currie (Freeze), Rob Casson (Freeze), Mark Mac (Coco de mer), and Arron Hunter (Coco de mer). *gasp*

Advance tickets are £15, find further info at www.chibuku.com or via a telephonic device on 0151 706 8045.

Chibuku @ The Masque, 90 Seel Street, Liverpool, L1 4BH

The UK’s biggest indie club night presents ‘A Night at the Circus’ NYE Party with a DJ Set from The Cribs’ Ryan Jarman.

The O2 Academy Birmingham will be tranformed as if by magic from a normal music venue into an eye-popping Big Top! Ta-Da!

If that was where the circus theme ended you’d feel pretty short changed, but no worries, those clever propagandists have put together a truly impressive array of entertainment including daredevil fire jugglers, bearded ladies (eww, and at the same time, ooh), aerial displays and King Kong!

With advance tickets a snip at £10, the darlings are also providing an exclusive wristband that’ll get you in free in January too. A circus theme, but no clowns here…

Propaganda @ O2 Academy Birmingham, 16-18 Horsefair, Bristol Street, Birmingham, B1 1DB

Don’t pretend you haven’t been thinking about New Years Eve since, well the last New Years Day, because we can see through your thin veil of lies. You’re a filthy party animal aren’t you? You don’t have to lie, we’re cut from the same cloth. Luckily for you New Years is the best known excuse to start over, and the best occasion to shake your groove thang.

The 09/10 New Years Eve event at The Custard Factory will be ‘a mini music festival’ with added pyrotechnics to see in the beginning of 2010. It’ll be a spectacular ‘do’ with everything under the sun you could ever want, nay demand from a club night! Headlining the many marquees are Caspa and MC Rod Azlan, Scratch Perverts,

Bailey (of Radio 1 Xtra fame), James Ruskin, and about a gazillion others in between will wow you with their talents. If we had to tell you everything that’s going on, it’d be New Years before we got to the end, so check it out on the web.

Ticket prices start at £15 for the early bird ticket, £20 standard, or £25 for a VIP ticket that will let you jump the queue and give you access to a private area in The Gallery that has an extra bar, comfy seating, and soothing lighting. Ahh.

Big Custard Factory @ Gibb Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, B9 4AA www.factoryevents.co.uk

18 November – 10 January

Let’s set the record straight. It is perfectly admissable for grown men and women to invoke the spirit of their childhood at Christmas. In real life application, that could mean being a bit greedy and playing games is acceptable behaviour.

In a not-completely-unrelated matter, the ice rink is back at the Victoria Centre for the second year, and I’m getting my skates on (figuratively and literally) to show the kids how it’s done.

Whether you’re the expert twirler in town, or just looking for an excuse for someone handsome to rescue you from the floor and begin a whirlwind romance, it’s all good old fashioned fun. Wrap up warm! (And consider taking an extra scarf for padding…)

Sunday December 27th

I don’t need to tell you who Laurent Garnier is. If you don’t know by now, you’ve got some explaining to do. And some speedy Googling. What I do need to tell you, is that the legendary frenchman is coming to our fair Liverpool to show us a good time on the 27th December, and for 5 HOURS! Blow me down with a feather, that’s alot of bang for your buck. Or mixing for your moolah.

Monsieur Garnier will be holding court in the theatre, but if you fancy breaking up the set, why not check out Marco Corolla, Yousef, Paul Ritch Live, Ink… The list goes on. You can’t stop the beat, so get there for opening at 10pm and dance ’til dawn (or ’til 3am when it wraps up).

Advance tickets are on sale for £18, or £16 if you’ve got a valid NUS card. Any questions can be answered by a real person on 0151 706 8045, or if you’re not feeling sociable, try www.circusclub.co.uk

Circus @ Barfly, 90 Seel Street, Liverpool L1 4BH

If Boxing Day is just too soon for you to get your party frock on and your dancing shoes out the door, if you feel like pacing yourself just a little bit, Circo are also hosting a kick-ass New Year’s Eve Ball with all the trimmings.

Another amazing Freakshow, DJ Robbie Edwards on the decks with a little help from his friends playing the best in party tunes from past, present and future, and a special 5 course meal. Tickets are £30 in advance, £35 on the door, but if you feel like a bit of exclusivity and maybe a secluded spot for that all-important First Kiss of the New Year you could splash out on booth hire. Remember, it only happens once a year!

Circo @ Britannia Pavilion, Albert Dock, Liverpool, L3 4AD

Tickets are available from Circo and 3 Beat Records @ Wood Street, at £20.

Call 0151 709 0470 to check availability of booths

My favourite part of the Christmas season is the no man’s land that frequents the period between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. It’s a celebratory free for all, full of fun and catching up with everyone. The only drag is the fact you have to organise people to get to your house, or yourself to theirs, and that’s pretty difficult considering how much food and drink is consumed in the all-too-short festive season.

That’s why I love Circo so much. They give you a really good excuse to escape the moustachioed kisses of elderly aunts on Boxing Day and a chance to dance away some of the sinful consumption you’re indulged in by putting on a swish event in the ultra cool Albert Dock area.

The Circo Boxing Night Spectacular will host one of their famous Freakshows, with DJ Robbie Edwards spinning only the finest feel good tracks to revive even the Scroogiest Humbug-er. And if you’ve not managed to eat your own weight on the previous two days, the full A la Carte menu will also be available to gorge yourself silly.

Circo @ Britannia Pavilion, Albert Dock, Liverpool, L3 4AD

Tickets are available from Circo and 3 Beat Records @ Wood Street, at £20.

Booth hire is on offer too, if you’re not in the mood to hobnob with the masses. Call 0151 709 0470 for info.

We love Leeds. You must know this by now. But did you also know that we love Love Leeds?

If you don’t remember what you did last NYE, you clearly didn’t attend the Love Leeds event with us and thousands of other clubbers. This year the venue has changed to The Loft, and the party promises to be the most decadent in the North, so say those in the know.

The Loft (you may remember the venue as ‘The Northern Light’) has recently been subject to a facelift and has emerged resplendent, with room for plenty of sexy individuals like yourself to dance to featured musicmeisters Feature Federation, KissdaFunk and Back2space. We’ll be sure to save you a dance.

You can officially ‘Love Leeds’ between 10pm-5am.

Advance tickets are £15, so it’s well worth being organised!

Love Leeds @ The Loft, 1 Cross York Street, Leeds.

Boxing Day – Saturday 26th December 9pm – 4am

If you like clubbing, wearing white and generally looking frickin’ awesome, you’ll probably already have your tickets ready for The White Party at the newly refurbished Ultra! Gatecrasher in Nottingham on Boxing Day. Or maybe you’ve read this and have realised The White Party is an experience that will complete you, because you are A, B and C as stated above.

Generally I like to steer clear of shindigs with strict rules, but this party has one that I’ll gladly indulge – you must wear at least one item of white clothing to get in. Think how BEA-utiful everything will look in crisp whites this festive season!

This special night will bring together some of the biggest trance DJs in the world including Sander Van Doorn, Marco V, Sean Tyas, Richard Durrand, and Riley & Durrant. Along with the characteristic Gatecrasher world class entertainment, the winter wonderland within will be brought to life with daring performers and computer wizardry.

I literally cannot wait, and will be therefore trying to create a mini Gatecrasher experience in my living room tonight.

Ultra! Gatecrasher @ The Elite Building, Queen Street, Nottingham, NG1 2BL

For more info call 0115 910 1101

Advanced tickets are £17.50 and are available from www.gatecrasher.com/tickets

Once upon a time Christmas was all about Christmas cake and presents. Now it’s about Christmas cake, alcohol and presents.

Happily, Birmingham hosts an annual market in the style of Frankfurt (the two are twinned), which provides me with ample amounts of the above necessities.

If like me, you intend to get the gifts sorted by November so you can be smug but inevitably end up weeping in the aisles of Asda because you can’t find a pressie for the cat, you should pay a visit to the Victoria Square and New Street area where you’ll thank your lucky stars for over 180 stalls selling a little something for everyone.

Potential stocking fillers include handmade jewellery, ceramics, candles as well as genuine German sweet treats and bread all fresh and ready for sampling.

Last year 2 million people (which is alot by any standard) visited Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market, and there’s plenty of Gluhwein if the crowds get too much for your delicate constitution.

Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market @ Victoria Square and New Street

12 Nov – 23 Dec (Craft Fair from 19 Nov) between 10am – 9pm

Satisfy your curiosity by calling for info on  0121 464 2012