2026 New Year's Eve EDM Events: Drop the Ball, Not Your Phone

New Year's Eve used to mean one big party per city. Now the last week of December runs like its own festival circuit, kicking off the day after Christmas and spilling well into New Year's Day. We tracked down every NYE festival and headline show we could confirm for 2026, then went through each one's bag rules so you're not finding out at the gate. Plenty of events haven't posted 2026 policies yet, so give the official page one last look before you head out.

Dec 26-27: Jackpot Festival

Location: The Llama Lot, Downtown Las Vegas, NV (18+) Tickets: rvltnevents.com (sold via Eventim)

Las Vegas doesn't need another excuse to party, but this lineup sure gives you another reason to! Jackpot's fifth edition moves to the Llama Lot, the open-air stretch of East Fremont that used to be part of the Life is Beautiful footprint. With GRiZ, ALLEYCVT, Crankdat, and Levity on this year's lineup, it's the bass crowd's warmup lap before the 31st. Desert nights in late December dip into the 30s, so layer up while you headbang.

Lunchbox pick: RVLTN typically allows empty hydration packs in, so we suspect nothing less this tiem around. So the Lunchbox Hydration Pack or Hydration Sling are your best bets to keep all your essentials safe, and yourself hydrated in sin city. Be sure to double check the bag policy closer to the event.

Dec 30: Temper Festival

Location: Petco Park, San Diego, CA (18+) Tickets: Leap Events: Temper Festival 

Temper is the newcomer of the week, and LED Presents is debuting it inside a Major League ballpark. The format is the smart part: three stages sorted by sound, with Zeds Dead, G Jones, and Crankdat holding down bass on TEMPER, Sara Landry and Ninajirachi steering SPARK toward techno, and EDGE going experimental with names like Kurei and Hellgnar. It runs 3 to 11 PM, so you're out before midnight on the 30th with legs left for NYE.

Lunchbox pick: Petco Park's rules apply, which means single-compartment clear bags up to 12"x6"x12", clutches up to 5"x7", and no mention of hydration packs. The Clear Snack Pack or Clear Mini Pack will be your best companions for this event. 

Dec 30-31: Decadence Arizona: Sands of Eternity

Location: Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, AZ (18+) Tickets: decadencearizona.com/tickets · 

Midnight at Phoenix Raceway belongs to Disclosure, who's playing a DJ set through the ball drop at the 12th Decadence Arizona. Relentless Beats built this year's theme around time itself, and the roughly 30-act bill runs from SLANDER, ISOxo, and Wankdat (Crankdat b2b Wooli) to Patrick Topping, SOSA, and Polo & Pan. Gates open at 6 PM and the curfew is 3 AM, which is a long night on a racetrack in December. 

Lunchbox pick: Bags must be clear and no bigger than 15"x15"x5", with one carve-out so the Clear Hydration Pack is your clear winner, so there's nothing for security to argue about. Pro tip: roll up your skin and tuck it on the exterior side pocket. Then zip it on after you're through security for added privacy. 

Dec 30-31: Decadence Colorado

Location: Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO (18+) Tickets: decadencenye.com 

Global Dance and AEG fill the Colorado Convention Center with dance floors boogying to Marshmello, DJ Snake, Excision, Lane 8, Green Velvet, & Seven Lions to name a few. If your group can't agree on a genre, this is the compromise nobody has to lose. Make sure you bring a winter jacket cause it'll be cool outside when you exit the fest!

Lunchbox pick: Empty hydration packs with two main compartments plus one small one are allowed so the the Lunchbox Hydration Pack and Hydration Sling are in the clear. Clutches max out at 6.5"x 4.5" so if you're a minimalist, you can bring your Phone Satchel.  Note that backpacks of any kind (plush ones included) are banned. 

Dec 30-31: Lights All Night

Location: Fair Park, Dallas, TX (18+) Tickets: lightsallnight.com/tickets 

Lights All Night is revisiting an old address. The 16th edition returns to Fair Park for the first time since 2012, and all three main stages are indoors and climate-controlled, so Dallas weather stops mattering once you're through the gate. Tiësto and Chris Lake supply fuel the house heads, Subtronics and ATLiens cover thebass, and I Hate Models plus KETTAMA give techno fans their own reason to buy in.

Lunchbox pick:

The 2026 guide only allows hydration packs so you're gucci with your Lunchbox Hydration Pack or Hydration Sling. The Snack Pack also clears the fanny pack policy if you're looking for something lighter. 

Dec 30-31: Eternal NYE

Location: Orlando Amphitheater, Orlando, FL (18+) Tickets: eternalnye.frontgatetickets.com

If you've been putting off seeing Zeds Dead, Eternal is where the clock runs out. Their Dec 31 set is billed as the last one before an indefinite hiatus, while Knock2 headlines the night before and RL Grime, LSDREAM, NGHTMRE, and Space Laces fill out Phase 1. Sacred Hive and Primal run it as an independent festival, and this year adds a warehouse stage for a house takeover, live graffiti, and midnight fireworks.

Lunchbox pick: Eternal hasn't posted its own bag rules, and the venue's policy allows hydration packs only if they're clear and empty (clear bags up to 12"x6"x12", no backpacks), which makes the Clear Hydration Pack an easy call.

Dec 30-31: To The Future

Location: The Warehouse at the Nashville Fairgrounds, Nashville, TN (age TBA; 2025 was 18+) Tickets: tixr.com: To The Future NYE 2026

BLNK CNVS's third To The Future surrounds them with a tight, bass-only roster inside a warehouse instead of a convention hall. Nine artists over two nights is the point: you see full sets instead of 20-minute drive-bys between stages. 

Lunchbox pick: The FAQ requires every bag to be clear and under 12"x6"x12", and hydration packs must be single-chamber and completely empty. Grab the Clear Hydration Pack or a Clear Mini Pack if you want something smaller. 

Dec 30-31: HiJinx Festival

Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA (18+) Tickets: hijinxfest.com/tickets

Yes, Shaq is on the bill. DJ Diesel joins Subtronics, Tape B, Dabin, Excision b2b Wooli, and Ray Volpe b2b Sullivan King as HiJinx shifts from its usual late-December slot to proper NYE dates. Make sure you bring a winter jacket cause it'll be cool outside when you exit the fest! 

Lunchbox pick: Since clear isn't required, the Lunchbox Hydration Pack or Hydration Sling works great for this fest! 

Dec 30-31: ILLENIUM NYE

Location: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA (18+) Tickets: Ticketmaster: ILLENIUM (Dec 31)

For years ILLENIUM was the headliner other people's NYE festivals were built around. This time he's throwing his own, with two nights in San Francisco.  You bet all 7K daily attendees will be singing along to all the melodic bass melodies!

Lunchbox pick: The Lunchbox Hydration Pack or Hydration Sling are always great options for Bill Graham. Or if you want something smaller, check out our compact anti-theft packs. 

Dec 30-31: Club Darc NYE Week

Location: Shed A at Pier 48, San Francisco, CA (21+) Tickets: AXS: Club Darc Season 2

Goldenvoice's waterfront warehouse series has a more diverse lineup with Justice (DJ set) on Dec 30 and Jamie xx with Honey Dijon on NYE, then hands Jan 1 to Beltran from open to close. Phone cameras get stickered at the door, so the energy stays on the floor instead of on someone's story. 

Lunchbox pick: The bag policy is unusually specific: hydration packs must be empty, 2L or under, with two main compartments max, and otherwise it's a clear bag up to 12"x6"x12" or a 4.5"x6.5" clutch. A packed warehouse floor suits the Hydration Sling, with the  Hydration Pack as backup if you're carrying for two.

Dec 31: Above & Beyond NYE: Celebrating 40 Years of 1015

Location: 1015 Folsom, San Francisco, CA (21+) Tickets: See Tickets: Above & Beyond NYE

1015 Folsom turns 40, and it's celebrating with a trance act that normally plays arenas. Putting Above & Beyond in a single SF nightclub is a booking that sells on the room as much as the name, and tickets run roughly $150 to $300 to match. It's an Above & Beyond-only night so far. 

Lunchbox pick: The club doesn't publish a bag policy, so plan on standard nightclub rules and a coat check line. Keep it slim with a Snack Pack or Mini Pack you can wear all night and forget about.

Dec 31: Tiësto NYE at LIV Las Vegas

Location: LIV Nightclub, Fontainebleau Las Vegas, NV (21+) Tickets: livnightclub.com: Tiësto

Tiësto's LIV residency lands on NYE, and this is the one night on the list where your outfit gets checked as closely as your ID. The dress code rules out athletic wear and loungewear, and the music is the Tiësto you already know: wall-to-wall hits for a room full of bottle service. 

Lunchbox pick: LIV turns away oversized bags, backpacks, and large purses. The Phone Satchel or Snack Pack locks down your phone and ID without fighting the dress code.

Dec 31: Steve Aoki NYE at Omnia

Location: Omnia Nightclub, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV (21+) Tickets: Steve Aoki NYE at Omnia

Steve Aoki at Omnia is the cake-throwing, crowd-surfing version of Vegas NYE, played under Omnia's kinetic chandelier. One caveat: the date shows up on Discotech and Vegas event calendars, but it wasn't on Omnia's own calendar when we checked, so confirm before you buy. 

Lunchbox pick: A Snack Pack or Phone Satchel keeps essentials close.Omnia allows small purses up to 12"x12"x6", bans backpacks, and won't take them at coat check either.

Dec 31: The Glitch Mob NYE

Location: Substation, Seattle, WA (21+) Tickets: Eventbrite: The Glitch Mob NYE

Seattle's best NYE bet is a small one. The Glitch Mob helped define glitch-hop in the late 2000s, and seeing them in a Ballard club this size is a very different experience from catching them on a festival main stage. Sam Binga and Klippee open.

Lunchbox pick: No bag policy has been posted, and for a room this compact, a Sling Pack is plenty.

Dec 31-Jan 1: Countdown NYE

Location: NOS Events Center, San Bernardino, CA (18+) Tickets: countdownnye.frontgatetickets.com

Insomniac is going full sci-fi for Countdown, which expands to two days for the first time since 2023. The alien-themed build has five covered stages, carnival rides, the Galaxy Mall, and official afterparties running until 6 AM, with Marshmello, DJ Snake, Subtronics, Alesso, James Hype, and Tchami among 75-plus acts. 

Lunchbox pick: Lunchbox is the Official Anti-Theft Pack Partner of Insomniac Events, so our Hydration Pack is bag policy certified along with any of our more compact collab packs. 

Dec 31-Jan 1: Proper NYE/NYD

Location: Petco Park, San Diego, CA (21+) Tickets: Leap Events: Proper NYE/NYD

Proper got harder this year. FNGRS CRSSD's house-and-techno lineup now leans into the heavier end with I Hate Models, Sara Landry, and Eli Brown next to Cloonee b2b KETTAMA b2b Josh Baker, plus takeovers from Lane 8's This Never Happened and Player Dave's Daisy Chain. NYE runs from afternoon to 12:30 AM, then the whole thing comes back for a second day on Jan 1 across the field, Gallagher Square, and the Lexus Premier Lot. 

Lunchbox pick: The latest posted policy mirrors the ballpark's: single-compartment clear bags up to 12"x6"x12" and clutches up to 5"x7" so the Clear Snack Pack is the clear choice here. But check propernye.com for 2026/27 updates closer to the event.

At the time of this post's publishing, Contact, Jackpot, Temper, Eternal NYE, Countdown, Proper, Dreamland, and a few of the club shows were still running on venue rules or last year's policies. Check again the week of your event. Then pick your pack from the full Lunchbox Packs lineup!