It's time to start making plans for where you will be when the ball drops on New Year's Eve.

• If you want a spot at one of the best parties or dinners in the Triangle to ring in the new year, choose from one of the many options and grab a ticket soon, before they sell out.

Raleigh New Year's Eve parties

🐿 First Night Raleigh is the city's annual New Year's Eve celebration in downtown, featuring the iconic acorn drop.

• The celebration goes from 2pm to midnight and will feature musical performances, a Ferris wheel, a silent disco and a storytime for children.
• Advance tickets are $12 and kids under 5 are free.

🥂 The Willard, one of Raleigh's best rooftop bars, will host a party featuring live music from Peter Lamb & The Wolves and a champagne toast at midnight.

• The party goes from 8pm to 1am and tickets are $155 a person.

🕺 Transfer Co. Ballroom is throwing a party with soul artist Eddie 9V. Tickets start at $45.

🎉 Vidrio, the Glenwood South Mediterranean restaurant, will celebrate with music from DJ Wayne Draper.

• It starts at 10pm and tickets are $40 per person.

✨ City Club Raleigh is throwing a party with one of the best views in town.

• Tickets for drinks, dinner or group packages start at $190. There will be free-flowing prosecco.

🎊 Boxcar Bar & Arcade in Raleigh will be hosting a New Year's Eve party with no cover.

💿 The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences is hosting its own New Year's Eve gala this year, featuring four floors of food, entertainment and bars.

• The theme for this year's gala is the 1980s.
• Tickets are $200.

🍾 Gatsby's House New Year's Eve is bringing a 1920s-themed party to the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Raleigh.

• Tickets start at $109 and the party includes four DJs and multiple bars.

Keep reading for Durham parties and New Year's Day brunches in both cities

📬 Tell us which parties you're eyeing (and guess which ones we're most likely to attend).

Raleigh rental prices fell faster last month than any other large metro area — a 1.3% decline month-over-month, according to data compiled by Zillow.

Why it matters: It could provide some relief to Raleigh renters, who have suffered from some of the fastest-growing rents in the country over the past two years.

By the numbers: Apartment List reported the same decline as Zillow, with median rents in Raleigh $1,487 per month. Rents are still up 4.8% over the past 12 months.

• Durham is also seeing some price cooling, with median rent in the city falling 2.1% last month to $1,375. However, rents are still up 4.1% over the past 12 months in Durham, according to Apartment List.
• Last year, rents grew by more than 20% in both Durham and Raleigh, according to Apartment List.

The big picture: Overall, national rent prices saw their biggest drop since Zillow started tracking this data in 2015, Axios' Emily Peck reports. It's another sign that inflation is easing.

• Rents fell the most in fast-growing cities like Raleigh, Austin and Seattle, all of which have large tech hubs and have seen elevated migration since the pandemic.

The intrigue: Zillow reports that more people are choosing to live with roommates and families rather than keep paying the massive price increases of the past two years.

💰 Disgraced Congressman Madison Cawthorn's own lawyers are suing him for owing nearly $200,000 in legal bills. (WRAL)

🚨 A report from the National Women's Soccer League contains new abuse allegations against former N.C. Courage coach Paul Riley. (News & Observer🔒)

🥿 Sustainable footwear store Rothy's is expected to open in North Hills early next year.

🍺 Long-awaited Raleigh brewery Edit Brew Co. is expected to open in the coming weeks, four years after signing a lease. (Triangle Business Journal 🔒)

🥽 Biotech manufacturing company Catalent will add 200 new jobs in Research Triangle Park after agreeing to an incentives package with the state. (WRAL)

Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Southern Coalition for Social Justice co-executive director and chief voting rights counsel Allison Riggs to the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

• Why it matters: Riggs has spent recent years fighting the state's Republican legislature over redistricting.

The city of Durham started its pilot of a controversial gunshot detection technology this week after months of delays.

• ShotSpotter, which uses artificial intelligence to pinpoint where guns have been fired, has raised privacy concerns and questions of whether it will actually reduce crime in other cities.

Why it matters: The Durham City Council has made combating gun violence a top priority. The pilot will last one year.

• The city has looked at ShotSpotter since 2015 but its implementation was blocked several times.
• They approved the rollout earlier this year and set aside $197,000 for the pilot, which will study a three-square-mile area in East Durham.

Go deeper: Critics say gunshot-detection technology often doesn't work, Axios' Russell Contreras reported earlier this year

💼 See who's hiring around the city.

1. Director of Market Development at Michael Best.
2. Manager Customer Engagement Sales at Builders First Source.
3. Medical Director at Syneos Health.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a job.

🎼 Anisette will host a live music and wine night tonight from 6-10pm.

🧑‍🎄 The Durham Holiday Parade will begin its procession down Main Street in downtown at 10am Saturday.

🎁 Snag holiday gifts at State of Beer's Holiday Pop-up Saturday from 12-5pm.

🍷 The City of Raleigh Museum is putting on a Sip N' Shop Saturday night with live music, holiday crafts for kids and more than 20 vendors.

👩‍🍳 Check out the Gingerbread Jamboree at Marbles Kids Museum Saturday or Sunday. Cost is $15 for members and $18 for non-members.

🎬 Head out to Wendell for an "Elf" movie night at Bearded Bee Brewing Company.