Best bets for New Year's fun around Sonoma County and beyond

Before we kiss 2014 goodbye - the year that brought us a Kimye wedding, Taylor Swift’s off-the-chart sales and “Boyhood,” a film made over the course of 12 years - there’s just enough time for one more celebration.

From the highs (ice buckets galore, invention of the selfie stick) to the lows (saying goodbye to Robin Williams and Philip Seymour Hoffman), it’s almost over. And now’s the chance to get in your last shot. Here’s a highly distilled look at the best of the New Year’s eve blowouts in the North Bay and beyond:

Best Live Blues NYE: Back for more, bluesman Tommy Castro and the Painkillers return to the Mystic Theatre for what is now a New Year’s tradition and easily the rowdiest live blues NYE blowout in Sonoma County. 8 p.m. 21-plus. $41-$46. 21 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. www.mystictheatre.com.

Best Local Hip-Hop Show: Roach Gigz (aka “Goomba”) and Kool John (creator of “Shmoplife” clothing) team up for a rare all-ages NYE show in the North Bay at 8 p.m. at the Phoenix Theater, 201 Washington St., Petaluma. $30. www.thephoenixtheater.com.

Most Expensive: At $299 a pop, it’s awfully nice of the Fairmont Mission Inn and Spa to throw in the Veuve Clicquot midnight toast as part of the package. What starts with a special Sante menu, ends with a DJ and dancing. 100 Boyes Blvd., Sonoma. www.fairmont.com/sonoma.

Best Bang for the Buck: At Murphy’s Irish Pub, you get not one but two NYE countdowns, starting at 3 p.m. with a spirited Dublin toast to the tune of Shards of Green. And then local NYE festivities begin at 9 p.m. with Cynthia Carr and the Carrtunes. Free admission. 464 1st St. E., Sonoma. www.sonomapub.com.

Best Cabaret Send-Off: Always eager to get theatrical at the end of the year, Cinnabar Theater stages the world premiere of the new cabaret show, “Edith Piaf: Beneath Paris Skies.” $56-$66. 3333 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. www.cinnabartheater.org.

For the Wee Little Ones: Root beer always flows freely at the “Happy New Year, Charlie Brown” celebration at the Schulz Museum, with a baby balloon drop at noon and the signature “Up-Down” balloon drop at 3 p.m. Kids under 3 free, $5 kids 4-18 and $10 adults. 2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa. schulzmuseum.org.

The Seven-Course Countdown: Reality TV celeb chef Louis Maldonado is going all out at SpoonBar, starting with scrambled eggs in their shell with caviar and ending with chocolate and vanilla covered in gold. Midnight toast and dancing follows. $135 per person. 219 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. www.spoonbar.com.

Best Excuse to Flee for Napa: Choose your seating - 7 or 10 p.m. for the Los Lobos mini-residency at City Winery. Before the Chicano rock band from East L.A. plays, a prix fixe dinner starts at 5 p.m. Show: $45-$65. 1030 Main St., Napa. www.citywinery.com/napa.

Best Excuse to Flee for San Francisco: On any day of the year, no one throws out more eye-candy at a show (confetti canons, crowd-surfing in a bubble ball, mic cams) than the band Flaming Lips. On NYE, they take it to another level, with a little help from Foxygen. 8 p.m. The Warfield, 982 Market St., San Francisco. $55-$70. www.thewarfieldtheatre.com.

Best Excuse to Flee for Oakland: Les Claypool escapes his Rancho Relaxo outside Sebastopol to helm Primus as they mount the “Uber Drum Spectacular” with Tool drummer Danny Carey at the Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland. 9:30 p.m. $49.50-$65. www.thefoxoakland.com.

Bay Area freelancer John Beck writes about entertainment for The Press Democrat. You can reach him at 280-8014 or john@beckmediaproductions.com.