(January 1, 2013, Space Needle fireworks, photographed by David Hutchinson)
Happy final day of 2013! Today’s highlights list focuses on some of your options for tonight, besides watching the fabled Space Needle fireworks, whether in person or on screen. You can get started before dark:

NEW YEAR’S EVE WALK: Any time between 4 and 7 pm, you can start a 5- or 10-kilometer West Seattle walk mapped out by the Emerald City Wanderers, starting at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church. Details in our preview, which notes the New Year’s Day walking plan, too. (California/Hanford)

Once it’s dark, you can start your night with one last look at some of West Seattle’s brightest Christmas-lights shows:

WEST SEATTLE LIGHTS FINALE: Tonight is closing night for the music-and-movement West Seattle Lights/Helmstetler Family Spectacular show.

Creator Jim Winder says you can help them hit a charity milestone:

Last Show Of The 2013 Season Is New Year’s Eve – Also your last chance to be involved in a momentous last four years of giving by the West Seattle Community!!!

West Seattleites (and those visiting from out of town) have been in a giving spirit since Christmas Eve as YOU have donated over $900 and 300 lbs of foodstuffs for our two charities…the West Seattle Food Bank and The Northwest Parkinson Foundation. Soooo…we are that much closer to collecting $10,000 for our two charities since 2010!!
Only $89 to go!! Thank you, West Seattle!!!!

Jim says this year’s giving has already passed last year’s total – $2,777 so far. Tonight’s schedule is 4 pm-midnight; if you’re not going tonight but you want to donate (everything goes to the nonprofits – nothing for show operations), you can do that online. What? Haven’t been? Find WS Lights at 39th and Charlestown.

WEST SEATTLE YULETIDE: This new music-and-movement display now has a name, and a website! Ken Iverson says they’ve dubbed the show at 4120 38th SW “West Seattle Yuletide”:

You’ll find WSY online at westseattleyuletide.blogspot.com, and Ken says the show IS on tonight.

MENASHE FAMILY LIGHTS: The biggest and brightest display in West Seattle is still on too! (5605 Beach Drive SW)

Then:

HIGHLAND PARK’S NOT-SO-SILENT NIGHT PARADE, FIRE PERFORMANCE, CORNER BAR: Highland Park Improvement Club is a one-stop shop for a multifaceted New Year’s Eve. The night starts with the parade, all ages, everyone welcome, leaving from the HPIC parking lot around 6:30 pm. Bring lights and noisemakers to parade through nearby neighborhoods:

Then it’s back to the lot for the Sage Comet Fire Performance, and then inside for HPIC’s special New Year’s Eve edition of the Corner Bar. Details on all of the above are here, as well as on the HPIC website. (12th/Holden)

Last but not least – bar parties! No matter where you prefer to drink, we bet they have a party. Here are the venues we have heard from:

SKYLARK: New Year’s Eve Prom Party with Baby Ketten Karaoke, starting at 8 pm – Facebook invite here. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

BAMBOO BENEFIT: Bamboo Grill on Alki is having a dance party starting at 8:30 pm and collecting donations for the American Cancer Society. Here’s the Facebook invite. (2806 Alki SW)

FEEDBACK LOUNGE: Fifth annual New Year’s Eve Party at The Feedback (WSB sponsor) with the Disco Cowboys, starting at 9 pm. Details in our calendar listing. (6451 California SW)

NEW YEAR’S EVE AT OUTWEST BAR: The lineup from OutWest: “A ‘White Party’! We’ll have a Video DJ, White Winter Jello Shots, a hosted Champagne Toast at midnight and a special guest vocalist to sing Auld Lang Syne.” (5401 California SW)

THE BENBOW ROOM: Live music starts at 9:30 pm – details in our calendar listing. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

And if you’d rather just take a walk on the beach:

LOW-LOW TIDE: -2.9 feet just before 10 pm, according to our favorite tide chart.

As for the Space Needle fireworks – just one word of advice: If you’re heading down to the north/northeast-facing shore to watch them from here – or one of the official viewpoints – do NOT wait until the last minute; in our experience, things start getting crazy by 10 pm.