The sound of “Jingle Bells” fades into the collective memory as the winter holiday season races towards the grand finale, New Year’s Eve. On the Monterey Peninsula, there are several annual events that draw in those who enjoy tradition or have an interest to be entertained by music, dance, good food, good vibes and more without too much fuss.

First Night Monterey is one of those traditions that draws in people of all ages; families with kids especially find this Tuesday event attractive for its early 3-5 p.m. Kids’ Night Out section. Downtown Monterey becomes a playground of festivities centered around the splendors of our creative community. The event of course runs through the midnight hour for revelers intent upon counting down to 2025.

Along the way there’s the Twilight Procession at 5:30 p.m., where everyone is welcome to enjoy the revelry of marching bands, dance groups, large-scale moveable sculptures, puppets and costumed participants with lights and glow-in-the-dark elements. The procession starts at the intersection of Franklin and Alvarado and the Mardi-Gras style parade of performers and patrons will make its way down Alvarado to Pearl St.

The streets are alive with music and dance, and there are 15 venues with over 60 performances, where live music and more takes place for those with the entry badge, available in advance online at www.firstnightmonterey.org or at all Monterey County Safeway Stores, Adronicos and The Grove Market in Pacific Grove. Prices vary according to age, group size and whether tickets were purchased in advance or day of the event, ranging from $17 to $85. Details are available online on First Night Monterey’s website. The online sales end Saturday. You can purchase badges at the event at the Will Call, where those who purchased online will go to pick up their badges. Children 5 and under are admitted for free.

With all of the great musical groups to choose from, with information about them online, I’ve chosen to highlight the two Grande Finale Bands that I include among my favorite Central Coast musical acts. I would be hard pressed to choose between the two, but the good news is they each have two sets at their locations, so it’s just a matter of choosing who you want to listen to at countdown time.

The Coffis Brothers, who appear at the Golden State Theatre, 10-10:45 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.-midnight, are a Santa Cruz band that arrived on local stages when I was writing about that county’s music scene during the early and mid 2000s. Coincidentally, they arose from my neighborhood in Ben Lomond, one of a string of small towns that line Highway 9 that winds through the Santa Cruz Mountains. They were The Coffis Brothers and the Mountain Men then, but they’ve since dropped the last section of their name.

Right off the bat I was a fan because they adopted much of their musical DNA from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, as well as a list of country rock bands from the ’70s with a Neil Young vibe, another mountain man in the range further north from Ben Lomond. Right down my alley.

They’re still rocking and rolling, but on a much larger scale, taking their music on tour through the West and beyond, as well as music festivals on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. They now claim six full-length albums with the recent release of “Kaw-fis Bruth-urs,” produced by their close associate Tim Bluhm, known primarily for his role as singer/guitarist/songwriter and founding member of the Mother Hips band. They have in a sense been joined at the hip for years now, the Brothers often serving as backing band when Bluhm goes out on his solo tours.

“Jamie (keys/vocals) and Kellen (guitar/vocals) Coffis grew up near Felton learning to sing with their mom, Vicki Neville Coffis, a popular children’s-music performer in the 1980s and ’90s,” said Wallace Baine for Lookout Santa Cruz. “They first started performing together in 2007 and came together as a band formally in 2011. The brothers are both songwriters, and the band’s output consists roughly of a 50/50 balance between the original songs of the two of them.”

In addition to the two brothers, the Coffis Brothers band consists of guitarist Kyle Poppen, bass player Aidan Collins and drummer Cory Graves (Mother Hips drummer John Hoffer played drums for the new album), none of whom are old enough to have directly experienced the ’70s. Still, the sound that flowered in that era has deeply influenced and shaped the Coffis Brothers aesthetic.

“The five of us all live in the Santa Cruz County and three of us grew up in Ben Lomond, in the Santa Cruz Mountains,” Kellen said. “Jamie and I grew up close enough to Kyle to walk to his house, though I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that walk. Ben Lomond can be a tough walking town.”

That’s because it’s primarily rugged mountain cabins and homes scattered over large tracts of land with deep woods in-between, and with steep, winding, mostly one lane roads that are not necessarily well-connected. It’s a soulful place to grow up, undoubtedly. Check out their website at www.coffisbrothers.com, where you’ll also find the album release tour news. After their NYE performance at First Night Monterey, they’ll join an eclectic lineup of bands at the Tropic of Cancer Music Festival in Todos Santos, Mexico, Jan. 15-19, an hour’s drive north from Cabo San Lucas on the Pacific Ocean side of the Baja California Sur peninsula. Looks like a fun one. More info at www.tropicofcancerfestival.mx//.

The Latin Jazz Collective is one of the Monterey Peninsula’s premier jazz bands, a seven-piece ensemble that will definitely have you up and dancing at their sets in the Serra Ballroom at the Monterey Conference Center (10:15-11 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.-midnight). There as a witness, I can attest to the full-house standing ovation the larger eleven-piece ensemble performed at the 2017 Monterey Jazz Festival. They continue to perform on local stages and outside our area to enthusiastic crowds.

Many of the members have been performing for more than 50 years, including band leader/founder/percussionist John Nava, saxophonist Stu Reynolds and trumpeter Brian Stock. Co-founder/drums/timbales player Martin Binder, pianist/arranger/music director Kevin McCullough, bassist Steve Uccello and trombonist Felix Diaz round out the smaller size ensemble who will perform a blend of original compositions and highly acclaimed standard jazz arrangements steeped in authentic Latin rhythms.

You can read more about the members’ histories and to get more information about purchasing LJC’s second full-length studio album titled “La Bahía” and their debut recording “Latin Jazz Collective” at www.latinjazz-collective.com/.

The Pacific Repertory Theatre presents its Annual New Year’s Eve Bash: Legends of Rock ’n’ Roll, Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. at the newly renovated Golden Bough Playhouse in Carmel, featuring tribute performances from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, re-created live on stage. Staged by Director Stephen Moorer, the concert features PacRep favorites Davitt Felder, Lydia Lyons, David Schulz, Travis Poelle, Scott Free and Musical Director Don Dally on lead guitar.

Forty classic hits will be recreated live onstage, including songs by Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Linda Ronstadt, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and the Mamas and Papas. Tickets are $91 including fees, which include desserts, wine, champagne, party favors and dancing, available online at www.pacrep.org/new-years-eve-bash.

There is also a limited run of this show, without the party favors, Jan. 2 — 12, Thursday through Sunday. Please visit PacRep online for more details and to buy tickets for both evening and matinee performances. You can also call the Box Office at 831-622-0100.

The Portola Hotel & Spa’s annual NYE celebration this year is titled Wild Wild West. Decorated for the theme, the Wild West will come to life with live music, an open bar, dancing, a buffet dinner, a champagne toast and more. For those 21 and over, the event begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday. This night has a different theme every year, with dress up according to the theme part of the fun.

Dust off your boots, don your best Western attire and get down to the music of the Alison Sharino Band in the newly renovated De Anza Ballroom. The band will play a mix of country and contemporary music hits.

Ticket pre-sales have ended, although General Admission advance tickets and at the door are $240 per person, which includes taxes, gratuity and Eventbrite fees. Hotel rooms may be purchased so you can safely have the party of the year go on all night.

Visit www.seemonterey.com/event/wild-wild-west-portola-hotel-spas-2025-new-years-eve-party/ for all the info and details you’ll need to book this event.