It may take a deep dig into the pocket, purse or bank account to say goodbye to the old year and greet the new, especially if you are not planning to be in a place of worship to bring in the New Year.
It will cost in the four figured for a couple to go to a “top notch ball” this year. One of the most expensive balls this year is at Norma’s Restaurant, New Kingston. “Babette’s Feast” a masked dinner/dance with “delectable dishes”, Touch of Elegance band and disco music goes for $2,000 per person.
Traditional New Year’s Eve balls are simply not cheap this year. The Wyndham Kingston Hotel is offering a New Year’s Eve Ball for $750 per person or $1,500 per couple. The package will include party favour, and champagne at midnight. Bryon Lee and the Dragonaires will be providing the music.
There will also be a special New Year’s Eve Dinner in the Palm Court at a cost of $200 per person.
The New Year’s Eve Ball at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel is being offered for $800 per person, and includes a similar package to that of the Wyndham. The Mighty Sparrow and Troubadours will entertain.
Over in Ocho Rios, the newly opened Ciboney Resort offers a New Year’s Eve night package for $1,250 per couple. Boris Gardner and the Happening will entertain, and, of course, Ciboney will also be offering dinner, champagne, midnight buffet, breakfast and party favours.
Special package
And, if you plan to spend some time at Ciboney, they are offering special package prices for couples which starts from $2,500 for one night and goes up to $7,500 for four nights.
In Negril, the high-class Grand Lido is offering a $1,000 per person ball that resident manager Joey Issa says will make it “the best thing on the island.” The all-inclusive hotel is taking in only 50 paid locals, and hotel guests will go through the doors free.
At Divi Jamaica Beach Resort in Ocho Rios, the price of their New Year’s Eve Ball is $650 per person or $1,300 per couple. For those, who want something not so expensive the Golden Dragon Restaurant, is offering a special New Year’s Eve Dinner for $200. This is organized by the Kiwanis Club of Liguanea.
The Oceana Hotel, downtown Kingston is offering $300, a New Year’s Eve Party package that includes all you can drink.
The price of celebrating New Year’s Eve Balls has been increasing since the 1980’s. Record high prices were reported in 1985.
At that time New Year’s Eve Balls cost as much as $570 per couple. The general cost of entertainment in that year ranged from about $80 to about $285 per person. But there were also free private parties and dances where $10 could admit a couple.
This year, entertainment cost anything from $120 to 150 per person. One example of this was the Sting ’90 stage show.
In 1985, a New Year’s Eve Ball ticket at the Wyndham cost $259 per person. As a matter of fact, 1985 prices rose by as much as 90 per cent over 1984 prices. For example, Morgan’s Harbour Hotel offered a price of $150 in 1984 as against $285 in 1985.
In the “good old days”, in 1980 New Year’s Eve Balls prices averaged about $60. They were up to about $110 in 1983.
Source: The Gleaner
