The best week of the year is finally here; next week will be parties galore with Christmas and New Years serving up some interesting treats for us all. Whether you celebrate in SoHo, Lan Kwai Fong, Wanchai or Tsim Sha Tsui, have a fabulous time!

FU Bar is gone but The Priory (75 Wyndham Street, Central, 2522 2628) is now in its place. A sleek, cosy lounge bar with lovely Italian leather seats, some comfy armchairs and the walls adorned with pictures, this is the new place to be seen. Hang out here after work and relax; soak in the subdued ambience and tunes of resident DJ Ant Man and enjoy the happy hours from Monday to Friday 4pm to 8pm.

If you mix chocolate and alcohol, you’ve got a bloody good time. That’s what Anthon Berg, the Danish chocolate makers, figured out with their ingenious liqueur-filled chocolates. They’ve just added five new spirits to their already long list including Remy Martin, Grand Marnier, Malibu and Galliano. They must be doing something right; they are the official chocolatiers of the Danish Royal Court.

In this city it’s difficult to take a date out anywhere without bumping into 20 people you know. Where better to try your romantic luck away from prying eyes than at the aptly named Tryst (Wynn Macau, Rua Cidade de Sintra, Nape, Macau) – the new club at the Wynn Macau, opening next week? Impress your date by arranging tickets for the ferry beforehand, when you get there order a bottle of Dom Perignon, and it just might be the beginning of many future trysts.

Christmas and beer have been linked through the ages and to help you enjoy this festive season, there’s the Tuborg Christmas beer available on draught at Chinatown, FINDS and The Keg. While the beautiful hand-crafted Jacobsen will be available at LUX and FINDS through December.

If there’s a place where the party won’t be stopping on New Year’s Eve, The Globe (39 Hollywood Road, Soho, 2543 1941) will be it. They are celebrating every New Year as it happens in each country around the world starting with New Zealand at 7pm. Entry is free and you can get drinks at happy hour prices if you are a national of the country whose time zone they are celebrating that hour. See how many of the world’s time zones you can make it through!

For seasonal treats check out Xperience (G/F Asia Orient Tower, 33 Lockhart Road, 2143 6008) with their special offer of Kir Royale and mulled wine at happy hour prices all day and all night from the 18th till 2007 begins.

A little-known fact about Stella Artois is that it was first brewed in 1926 in Leuven, Belgium, as a Christmas beer. Named after the Latin word for ‘star’, it was made solely for the purpose of the holiday. However, it became so popular, the brewers decided to make it available all year round. Something to keep in mind when you enjoy that cold glass of Stella Artois on Christmas Day.

There’s a new place to party the night away in Soho – check out Soiree (G/F, 19 Elgin Street, Soho), an opulently decorated bar with chandeliers, dark walls and luxurious interiors. This may just be the one place in Hong Kong where the bar is prettier than the people who frequent it. Also new is Club CiXi (Shop A, G/F On Hing Building, 1 On Hing Terrace, Central) opening soon underneath Sugar and Hei Hei.
If you’re in Wanchai on December 22, keep a look out for a Santa (or several) singing their way through the bars to raise money for Operation Santa Claus. The Singing Santas are singers from Katterwall who will be warbling all your festive favourites, a cappella, for sing-a-long fun.

Perrier-Jouët is the new champagne on everyone’s lips, literally and figuratively speaking. The champagne house was established in 1811, after the marriage of Pierre-Nicholas-Marie Perrier and Adele Jouët, in Epernay, the ‘capital’ of champagne. Now Perrier-Jouët has introduced five of its champagnes to Hong Kong, including the Grand Brut, its vintage sibling Grand Brut 1998 and, of course, its signature champagne, the Belle Epoque in a 1998 vintage. The Belle Epoque’s bottle was designed by glassmaker Emile Galle in 1902 and has a lovely floral façade. Officially launched this month, at an invite-only bash at drop (Bsmt, 39-43 Hollywood Road, Soho, 2543 8856), and is available at premium clubs, including drop, which has chosen the drink as its house champagne.

Viceroy (2/F Sun Hung Kai Centre, Wanchai, 2598 1112), along with its sister venues Sukho Thai, Milano and dv8 are throwing a lavish New Year’s Eve bash with the theme Cleopatra and Her Men. Dress up as the queen herself, or a pharaoh, slave or Roman – whatever takes your fancy – and enjoy the dinner buffet, the breakfast buffet at 3am, ‘poison’ cocktails and Caesar’s shooter bar. The champagne will flow freely and the bar will be open all night. It will all set you back $1,088 per person starting from 8pm, December 31. Get creative – there’ll be prizes for the best costumes.

Nokia are hosting the ultimate New Year’s Eve party – the same party is going to be celebrated in five different cities around the world. Joining HK are Mumbai, Berlin, Rio de Janeiro and New York. So be part of Nokia’s global community at the car park in Ocean Terminal, Harbour City in TST. Gracing the stage to help us countdown to 2007 are Atomic Kitten, DJ Jamaster A, Eason Chan, The Grasshoppers, Hacken Lee, Joey Yung, Josie Ho, Jun Kung, Paul Wong, Soler and Twins. Two tickets can be redeemed with every purchase of a Nokia phone (models: N73, 6288, 5300) at Nokia stores. For enquiries call 2136 6338.

Celebrate Christmas with Maya, (G/F 68-70 Lockhart Road, Wanchai, 2866 6200) Agatha Christie style. For Christmas Eve, the Wanchai nightspot is throwing a dinner party cum murder mystery night called “Who Killed Santa?” Tickets are to be bought in advance and you will be given a character to play (you are expected to dress accordingly! The more flamboyant, the better...). The mystery will unfold over the course of the evening while you enjoy your dinner and drinks. There are only 50 tickets available for a drinks and dinner package ($400), so hurry now to book your spaces.

And for something different this winter, drop by Lee Tung Street for a special multi-media projection called ‘Wanchai - In a Different Light’ that celebrates the glory of this little side street that was once filled with printers who specialised in wedding invitations. Like many other parts of old Hong Kong, it is now marked out for urban renewal. Showing from December 13 to January 2 from 6pm to 11pm. Enquiries: 2232 0088.