Brighton Rocks, Brighton
Tucked away off the Kemp Town seafront, a pebble's throw from the new Brighton Wheel (brightonwheel.com, open 10am-11pm, £8pp), Brighton Rocks is throwing a "bell-hopping, drink-spilling, leg-slapping, lip-kissing" party. The bar hosts one of Brighton Pride's best-loved street parties, so your New Year celebration will be in safe hands. It will be spinning swing-blues-funk and mixing up superb cocktails, with a late licence till 3am.
• 6 Rock Place, 01273 600550, brightonrocksbar.co.uk. Free
Mosey down to Moseley, Birmingham
Steer clear of Broad Street and Brindleyplace in the city centre, and head south to Moseley, aka Hipster Central. The Patrick Kavanagh pub has DJs on two floors; upstairs you can dance to electro, and downstairs throw shapes to classic Smiths-era indie. The Prince of Wales round the corner has a 24-hour licence and will be "going till everyone slows down". In the garden, DJ Cheesedip, from long-running funk/soul night Sweat, will be playing till 11pm, then the Steve Ajao Blues Giants will be playing live till after midnight.
• The Patrick Kavanagh, 142 Trafalgar Road, 0121-449 2598. Free. Prince of Wales, 118 Alcester Road, 0121-449 4198, theprincemoseley.co.uk. Free entry to the pub, £10 for garden party
Motherfunk Hogmanay, Edinburgh
With the city on full Hogmanay-alert and 80,000 revellers partying into 2012 with pre-purchased tickets, finding spontaneous New Year fun to please everyone can be tough. Try the Voodoo Rooms, for two clubs, a bar and a restaurant. Upstairs in the ballroom, the Motherfunk Hogmanay party will be playing soul, funk, R&B and 1980s boogie; in the Speakeasy, the Shebang girl DJs will be spinning unashamedly dancefloor-friendly party tunes. Entry allows access to both clubs and you don't need street party passes to get in.
• 19a West Register Street, 0131-556 7060, thevoodoorooms.com. £5
MoJo's Hippy New Year, Liverpool
Harness the awesome power of social media, and RSVP to MoJo's Hippy New Year on Facebook, to get free guaranteed entry before 10pm. Mojo's "music for the people" motto usually translates into a foot-stomping good-time night out, and Hippy New Year promises to be no different, with the usual guitar-heavy debauchery given a flower-power twist for a spot of extra love 'n' peace.
• The Stables, Back Berry Street, 0845 611 8643, facebook.com/events/154416127993081. Free before 10pm, then £10
Mad Phat NYE, Leeds
If you can blag your way into the Nation of Shopkeepers' Mad Phat NYE party, go for it – a night of hip-hop karaoke and dancefloor bangers sounds irresistible. Tickets are free from Welcome Skate Store, Nation of Shopkeepers, Jumbo Records and Crash Records. If you can't nab a ticket, Plan B involves a trip to the Elbow Room for American pool, cocktails and late-night DJs instead. The dancefloor is spacious, with special offers on drinks, and US-influenced snacks from burgers and hotdogs to nachos and wraps. One rule applies: don't dance on the pool tables. They really don't like that.
• Nation of Shopkeepers, 27- 37 Cookridge Street, 0113-203 1831, anationofshopkeepers.com. Free with ticket. The Elbow Room, 64 Call Lane, 0113-227 7661, theelbowroom.co.uk/leeds. Free
Big Chill, Bristol
Spent up over Christmas? The Big Chill bar is hosting a free party with one of Bristol's finest DJ crews, Bristol HiFi. Massive Attack tour DJ Queen Bee, Peter D Rose (of Smith & Mighty) and a host of others will blast you into 2012 with a bass-wobbling blend of hip-hop, soul, reggae and funk until 4am. If you want to start the year with a clear head, try Conscious Clubbing for an alcohol-free night. Dance to live music on harp, flute and sax, plus DJs. There is also a raw food cafe, children's play area and massage space. Open 8pm–2am.
• 15 Small Street, 0117-930 4217, bigchill.net/bristol. Free. Conscious Clubbing, 25 Portland Square, St Paul's 0117-929 9008, consciousclubbing.co.uk. £15pp, £25 couple, £30 family
The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge
A members club to which non-members are more than welcome: you just get signed in and pay a little extra on the door. The Trades Club is celebrating the "last New Year's Eve on the Mayan calendar" with a night from the Mental Elf Collective. Music from DJs including Daddytone and DJ Babel, plus a live set from 20-piece drum collective Drum Machine for an ear-ringing start to 2012. Management promise a "gentle and mad" night, with "locals full of love". Music 9pm–3am.
• Holme Street, 01422 845 265, thetradesclub.com. Members £5, non-members £7.50
Cathedral Quarter Hooley, Belfast
Nights out in Belfast tend to be pub-hopping affairs, and no place hops more than the Cathedral Quarter. Plan to end your night at the John Hewitt, at its annual "Hooley", DJ'd by the godfather of the Belfast punk scene, Terri Hooley. Tickets go to regulars but if you arrive before 9pm-ish, you will still be fine to get in. The pub is owned by the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre, so each time you buy a drink, your money goes to a good cause.
• The John Hewitt, 51 Donegall Street, 028-9023 3768, thejohnhewitt.com. Free
Cotswolds life, Stow-on-the-Wold
If you want a traditional village New Year's Eve, Stow-on-the-Wold is the place to be: eight bars will all operate a refreshingly laid-back "no tickets needed, it's the Cotswolds" attitude. Stay at the Royalist (theroyalisthotel.com, doubles from £90), thought to be the oldest inn in England; the Grapevine (thegrapevinehotel.com, doubles from £125) or the Kings Arms (kingsarmsstow.co.uk, doubles from £70). All are beautiful honey-coloured stone pubs. After a few pints by roaring fireplaces, head to the Talbot, which has all-night licence, live band, disco and a healthy dash of local eccentrics.
• The Talbot, The Square, 01451 870934, thetalbot.net. Free
Fancy dress revelry, Weymouth
Mild weather is forecast, so make for Dorset's biggest outdoor party. Fancy dress an absolute must, and everyone tries to up the ante, so forget lame sheet-over-head ghost get-ups – more is definitely more. Start around Brewer's Quay and the main square to get warmed up with beer tents, hot-dog stands and music. It's a go-with-the-flow kind of night, so follow the crowds and see where you end up. Be at the Jubilee Clock for midnight to join the countdown to 2012 and then hit the beach.
• visitweymouth.co.uk
