If the economic woes have you down this year, knowing that you’re not alone doesn’t always help, but here’s something that might: heading to a place that’s sure to offer one helluva New Year’s Eve celebration. Any of the following popular gay, lesbian and mixed bars, clubs and restaurants offer a guaranteed good time.

O’Neill’s Brass Rail at 52 Bank St. in New London, Conn., is offering a dazzling drag show. Everyone gets a gift bag, which includes a champagne glass, horn, mask, confetti, bubbles, candy, and a condom and lube pack.  

At midnight, there will be a champagne toast and a free buffet from its great kitchen. The fun goes until 3:00 a.m. At Donnie O’Neill’s place, drink prices never change for events. He said it’s his way of fighting back at the recession to ensure a lot of affordable fun for his customers.  

O’Neill’s is on the historic section of Bank Street that has been wonderfully gentrified, and there’s plenty of free parking on the streets and nearby parking lots. Check it out at www.oneillsbrassrail.com or 860-443-6203.

A few blocks away is Frank’s Place at 9 Tilley St. at the corner of Bank.  This longtime favorite is a large, sprawling, comfortable bar that features the new and welcomed addition of Jeff’s Kitchen. Chef Jeff Scott brings tasty delights to New London, including chicken wings, flatbread pizzas, steak sandwiches, burgers and more. Dine in or take out.  And bring in the New Year at Frank’s Place with its annual New Year’s Eve party. Everyone could be a winner in more ways than one on the big night.

You’ll get one free ticket to spin the wheel, which is full of many different, really big prizes, such as cash (just in the nick of time!), a free drink, 32” Plasma TV and a T-shirt. Additional tickets can be purchased for $2. From 9 until 11 p.m., play “Flip-it” or “Roll the Dice” for a chance to win more drink prizes. Stick around for the champagne toast at midnight and the buffet at 12:30 a.m. Frank’s Place will be open until 3 a.m. Get your bracelet and ticket early; they’re $20 the day of, but only $15 before Thursday, Dec. 31.  

Frank’s feels like a relaxed NYC lounge, but if you feel like dancing, you can do that, too. The crowd here is always warm and welcoming. Great guys all around. Oh, and did we mention there’s no shortage of hot bartenders? And the drink prices won’t hurt your wallet. For more information, check out www.franksplacect.com.

Center Street Lounge in New Haven, Conn., presents a gala, “Fucked Up Fridays New Year’s Eve 2010,” with three performances by special hostess Diabolique. This gorgeous and talented performer’s “Sweat” is her newly released single on iTunes, and she’s listed as one of the top 100 downloaded artists of 2009.

The lounge’s cover is $15 before 11 p.m. and $20 after for those over 21. If you’re under 21, it’s $20 all night. The cover includes complementary appetizers all night long and a champagne toast at midnight. For the wild and willing, there are crazy drinks all night long, too.

The crowd at Center Street Lounge is a happy mix of gays, lesbians and straight girls who just want to have fun ­— and some of their boyfriends easily mingle with the gay men and women. Welcome to the best of the 21st century! 
For the rest of the year, don’t miss the regular Fucked Up Fridays, hosted by Ilene of Fem Factory, Jason, Jonathan and Ralph aka JEEPMANCT with DJ Sabi.  $3 mixed drinks and $3 Bud Lights from 9 to 11 p.m. You have to be 18+ to play and 21+ to drink. For more information on the lounge at 29 Center St., New Haven, Conn., call 203-231-1491 or visit www.myspace.com/newhavencsl.

The Pub at 382 Dwight St. in downtown Springfield, Mass., dubs itself “The Friendly Bar.” It’s also western Massachusetts’ oldest and largest gay and lesbian bar and nightclub.

The Pub is a two-story complex. The main bar is on street level, and its Leather & Levi bar and dancing are on the lower level for a total of 8,000 square feet of fun. It’s open every day from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.  It’s a place you can celebrate any night of the week: Wednesdays is pizza night, there’s an all-male review Thursdays at The Quarry, located downstairs, and a drag show Fridays, also at The Quarry.   

So you can imagine what fun and games will be happening New Year’s Eve at the place “where anything can happen and usually does,” as The Pub’s Web site boasts. There will be a New Year’s Eve party. Check out www.thespringfieldpub.com for the details as they’re posted.

Tommy’s Restaurant and Pub in Middletown, Conn., is hosting the Northeast Ursamen New Year’s Eve party. It’s on from 9:00 p.m. through 4:00 a.m. The $20 door charge includes a full buffet (think bears), drink and beer specials, a champagne toast at midnight, and a light continental breakfast after that. You don’t need to be a bear to join the fun; all Tommy wants is for the guests to be social and meet people in real life.  

Don’t miss this one. It’s the biggest New Year’s Eve celebration in the central Connecticut River Valley, and you don’t have to be a full-fledged bear or cub to get into the one-on-one guy stuff.

Tommy’s regular Wednesday “Food, Friends, Fun” bar night is for the bear crowd. It tends to be a 25+ crowd with lots of social interaction harkening back to the pre-Internet days when local gay men actually went out to expand their social circle. Each week, you’ll find 60 to 120 men actually talking to one another!

Tommy’s Restaurant is at 825 Saybrook Road, Middletown, Conn. For more information, call 860-346-8686 or visit www.tommysrestaurant.com and www.tommysgaynite.com.

Chez Est, another longtime favorite bar of mostly 21+ men, is throwing a New Year’s Eve dance party with a champagne toast and light breakfast foods that are included in the cover charge.  The rest of the year, Chez Est opens at 3 p.m. seven days a week at 458 Wethersfield Ave. in Hartford, Conn.  There’s something going on every night, including dancing, video bar, karaoke, drag shows, ladies nights, Latin nights, Wii bingo, go-go boys and strippers, pool games, happy hour, food and special events. For more information, call 860-525-3243 or visit www.chezest.com.

Gotham Citi Cafe at 130 Crown St., New Haven, Conn., is celebrating New Year’s Eve with a prix fixe dinner, three-hour open bar and a champagne toast at midnight for $75.00 per person in a private dining room. There’s also a Venetian table at 12:30 a.m. and a continental breakfast at 2 a.m. for $20 per person. We’re told this is a mixed night. Double the fun, double the pleasure on the three dance floors, and there are also live performances. For table reservations, contact Robb at 203-498-CITI. For more details, go to www.gothamciticafe.com. On Jan. 2, don’t miss Boatslip Tea Dance’s iconic DJ Maryalice, from Provincetown.

SLAPHAPS, Senior Lesbians at Play Happily, is again hosting its annual New Year’s Eve dinner and entertainment at Sage American Grill, 100 S. Water St., New Haven, Conn.

“It’s for lesbians over 55,” spokeswoman Kathy Lewis said. “But if you’re younger and like gray hair, come on along. You can become a member that night, too.”

To be added to the group’s reservation, call her at 203-929-8113. The party starts Dec. 31 at 8:30 p.m. There’s no cover charge, just order from the menu; dinners are $13 to $35.

“Champagne will be served at midnight, along with hats and noisy things, with entertainment by the Jeff Fuller Trio, and given half the chance, SLAPHAPS can boogie with the best!” Kathy said.

So if you want to ring in the new year with style, you can count on any of the above events for a high-voltage and friendly New Year’s Eve at the right price.

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