More bash, less cash

TWICE AS NICE At Finn McCool’s and the Loft’s double party, the new year comes two times.

Just your average night at a bar, except with bubbly

Avenue Tavern
2916 N Broadway (773-975-7000). 5pm, $5.
The teeny cover charge gets you $3 Jäger bombs and an unpretentious New Year’s Eve hangout. Televisions abound, so you’ll have no problem catching the Times Square ball drop while toasting with free Champagne at midnight.

The Charleston
2076 N Hoyne Ave (773-489-4757). 3pm–2am, free.
Longtime owner Wendy Pick recently put this tchotchke-ridden corner tap—easily one of Bucktown’s favorites—on the market. She’s looking to go out with a bang, bringing in a mix of country and rock regulars she calls the Charleston All-Stars: musicians Tim Menard, John Keeney, Brian Anderson, Tim Hart, Cathie VanWert and James Wagner among them. We’ll crank a noisemaker to that.

Club Foot
1824 W Augusta St (773-489-0379). 8pm–3am, free.
Hipsters dancing to a DJ’s mix of punk, indie rock and the occasional polka and Ukie Village locals playing pool will join forces for a Champagne toast at midnight.

Danny’s Tavern
1951 W Dickens Ave (773-489-6457). 7pm–2am, free.
DJs Miss Frowny and Melissa Grubbs will spin an eclectic mix of dance music in the vein of soul, funk, hip-hop and reggae, and mammoth 375-milliliter bottles of Henriot Blanc Champagne will be available ($25) for those who consider bubbles a NYE necessity.

Finn McCool’s and the Loft
15 W Division St (312-337-4349). 6pm, free.
Celebrate New Year’s on both Dublin and Chicago time at the Loft’s and Finn McCool’s double-decker New Year’s Free party. Toast the New Year at 6pm and again at midnight with noisemakers and a dance-hit–spinning DJ.

Motel Bar
600 W Chicago Ave (312-822-2900). 9pm, free.
If you visit the yearbook photo booth at Motel Bar’s Class of ’08 New Year’s Eve, do it early, before the booze really kicks in: Last year’s incriminating photos are still posted at the DJ’s website, thebetatheta.com. Drinks will cost you, but expect a variety of Champagne specials throughout the night.

Wabash Tap
1233 S Wabash Ave (312-360-9488). 9pm, free.
Load up on mozzarella sticks and other bar-food staples at the free buffet, then start your New Year’s resolution at 10pm by bopping away your binge to dance-rock classics performed by three-piece band Robot Lounge.

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