My Son the Hurricane holding New Year’s Eve concert at Bushplane Museum

While some may be reluctant to take part in New Year’s Eve parties at nightclubs or indoors due to lingering COVID concerns, there are options available for those who do want to go out and celebrate the ushering in of 2023 on Saturday evening.  

One such event is a live performance by My Son the Hurricane at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday.   

“There are already over 250 tickets sold for the event so hopefully there’ll be a few last minute buyers so we can be closer to that 300-person event,” said event promoter Steve Alexander speaking to SooToday on Friday.

Tickets are available online.

“We scheduled My Son the Hurricane to play New Year’s at the Bushplane Museum in 2020 and that got postponed because of COVID to 2021, then that got postponed, so this concert was years in the making,” Alexander said.

“We did a show with them in April and we had over 300 people at that event. They’ve been playing in our community for the better part of 10 years already so I think a lot of people are excited.”

The group is travelling from southern Ontario for the Sault New Year’s Eve gig.

The Niagara Region-based band includes drummer and Sault native Dan O’Shea.

“With Dan we had an inside track to My Son the Hurricane but the community itself has embraced the group as one of its own. The community itself just loves this band,” Alexander said. 

“It should be a pretty fun event. The last three years we haven’t been doing too much because of COVID so this is a nice way of sending off 2022 and looking forward to 2023.”

Live music, food and drinks will be available at a New Year’s Eve party at The Water Tower Pub.

‘New Year’s Eve Inn the Pub’ will include live music from Fort Creek, an appetizer buffet, a midnight toast and party favours.

“We only have 100 tickets and we’ve sold about 70 per cent of them. We’re selling fast. People want to get out and do this tomorrow night,” said Edynne Marquez, Water Tower Inn reception supervisor. 

Tickets are available at The Water Tower Inn’s reception desk.

The Dell Brothers - a power trio - will be performing at Soo Blaster on Saturday, doors opening at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available online or at Soo Blaster.

Elsewhere in the Sault’s downtown, Reggie’s Downtown will hold a New Year’s Eve Party beginning at 9 p.m. with live music by Smokehouse.

While no New Year’s events are scheduled for The Marconi Cultural Event Centre, Karina Frair, the centre’s project manager and events coordinator said the club hopes to look into such festivities next year.

Al Payette, Showstoppers Events owner, said sales of items for home-based New Year’s Eve parties have been good.

“I think there’s still a little reluctance in the air. We’re looking forward to 2023. We’re going to remain positive and we’re trying to put COVID behind us. It’s not 100 per cent there, but it’s heading in the right direction,” Payette said.