New Year's Eve and Day events, and more in Wausau

Bradley Sperger 

Thursday  12/26 | The Garage, Rib Mountain

Bradley Sperger is a Wausau area musician and one of the early musicians around these parts to incorporate live-looping into his live show. That means Sperger is essentially a one-man band who can get a party going all by himself. It’s a blast watching him build a song: Drumming out a beat, laying down some bass, maybe some synths, overlaying a guitar part and singing. His style ranges from bluesy to indie, and he has some recordings to his name as well. Come check him out at The Garage, which is starting to really become a powerhouse in the area music scene. 5 pm. 

New Year’s Eve Party 

Tuesday 12/31 | Granite Peak Ski Area 

Granite Peak really needs to do more to promote this event - because it’s pretty epic, and in the past included fireworks on the hill. It’s something only Granite Peak could pull off this adults-only party, with a night of DJ music, champagne, hors d’oeuvres and merriment, and you’re bound to have a good time. $20. skigranitepeak.com

Noon Year’s Eve Party 

Tuesday 12/31 | Children’s Imaginarium, Wausau 

Let’s be honest. If you have kids, staying up until midnight just doesn’t seem appealing, and your kids just aren’t going to stay up that late. But never fear - the children’s Imaginarium has the event for you! The Noon Year’s Eve party centers around noon on New Year’s Eve, including a balloon drop at noon. Hint: The kids LOVE it. Plus make your own noisemaker, create a family time capsule, make your own snacks and so much more! It’s a grand ole time for the whole family. 10 am to 1 pm. Free for members, or cost of admission for the public. 

First Day Hike

Wednesday 1/1 | multiple locations

After all that partying (for me, it’s more like sleeping these days) it’s time to kick off the new year right. The First Day Hike series is going on in many places, and there are at least two in the Wausau area. One is 11 am at Rib Mountain, meeting at the park office. The hike will be 1.5 miles and about one hour and 15 minutes. (Or hike from 10 am to 3 pm at your own pace). The other is at the Poplar Lane trailhead of the Ringle Ice Age Trail. That one meets at 1 pm and is a roughly two hour out and back on the Ice Age Trail (but since it is an out-and-back, you can pick a short distance you’re comfortable with. Bring snowshoes to both if there is enough snow (hey, it could happen between now and then!). 

Brad Emanuel New Year’s Eve Party 

Tuesday 12/31 | Malarkey’s Pub, Wausau  

What happens when you pair one of Wausau’s hottest music venues with one of Wausau’s hottest bands? On New Year’s Eve, we’re about to find out. Brad Emanuel consistently ranks as the number one choice for Wausau area bands in our City Pages annual reader survey. Why? Because Emanuel has a voice of gold and he knows how to keep a crowd partying. And at Malarkey’s which is usually ranked one of your most consistent fun bars (not to mention music venues) it seems like a pretty easy choice. But actually it’s even bigger than that. Malarkey’s will be putting together a supergroup: Brad Emanuel, John Altenburgh, Sidney Rose, Harold Melo and Erik Juvonen. It’ll be one epic show. 9 pm. $10. malarkeyspub.com