Going into the NYE weekend this year, my wife and I knew we were in for something special.

With a NY Eve gig at an intimate spot in the lower Haight from my favorite East Bay break crew and a slightly more debauchery NY Day gig at Breakfast of Champions, this was the quintessential New Year’s way to get down. Also knowing that we had a full 24 hours of worry free partying as my in-laws would be taking care of our son for the night meant that we had an obligation to ourselves to make it count.

First up was Faultline’s NYE Party at Underground SF in the lower Haight. An intimate venue with a chill vibe. When we arrived the party was just getting started with Ion Zide from Jacksonville laying down some crispy clean electro vibes. Yes! It may have been NYE but that doesn’t mean people were getting started any earlier than they normally do. The dance floor didn’t really get poppin’ until around 11:45PM just in time for people to dance their way into 2017. Seeing as how I was DJing, I wasn’t really paying attention to the time and almost forgot the whole countdown thing. By midnight the drinks were flowing, the dance floor was full and the walls were rattling to some heavy 808 business. My set was followed up by Otter who kept things bumpin’ nice and heavy. We decided to make our way back to our temporary home at a friend’s house in San Francisco a little early. The first rule about partying two nights in a row is that you don’t blow it all on the first night!

With a proper brunch in our bellies and a short trip to the car bar, we arrived at the Midway around noon. A quick entry with no search meant we were able to get in and check the venue out and grab some beers in no time flat. BOC was previously held at Mighty, but last year the club decided to start throwing their own NYD party so the Space Cowboys moved the party to the Midway, a warehouse venue in the Dogpatch. The space is huge with plenty of outdoor area for the large tent they set up for the outdoor stage as well as some food trucks, a bar and Philz Coffee. The inside main room has a good size stage and some great visuals and lighting. The side room is also a good size room and its position in the front of the building allows it to get some natural light.

The best thing about Breakfast Of Champions is that you are likely to see all of your friends there at some point. Also since it starts at 6am and goes until 7pm,  the vibe only gets more intense as the day wears on. Last year’s show didn’t get nearly as full as it did this year. When we got there it seemed like all the rooms were pleasantly full but by 4PM. The rooms were packed to the brims and the main room had a line of people waiting to get in. The outdoor stage is headed up by the Cowboys crew so you get a nice mix of breakbeat and house all day with the beats progressively getting heavier as things wear on. Inside the main room it was all house music, kind of like a day rave. And the perfect place for a game of “Did that person sleep last night?”. It’s a game we play with our friends every year, and it’s pretty easy to tell by 5pm who slept and who hasn’t. But that’s part of the beauty of BOC where only the strong survive!

-Alex Dias