So you've bought the little black party frock, dusted down the DJ and buffed up the bow tie.

Unless you've spent the past 12 months in hiding with Lord Lucan on a remote island somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle, you will be aware that there is a bit of a bash due to go off on December 31.

Millennium Eve is at hand, the trigger, excuse, reason and fuse for the mother of all parties.

All across the planet, the human race will be waving goodbye to this century and greeting the new one with a festive bearhug and a French kiss or two. They'll be mad for it in Moscow, having a knees-up in New York and going loco down in Acapulco - but starting a little nearer to home, Wallingford will be staging its long-planned Community Party, the first of its kind.

The town's Millennium 2000 Committee, who organised the event, don't want anyone to be on their own on the big night, so they're inviting everyone to come along to the Regal Centre, where an evening of music, drama, hand-bell ringing, singing, dancing and drinking is on offer.

Although light refreshments and soft drinks will be provided, they'd also like you to bring a bottle for toasting purposes. Sounds fair enough. Party tickets are £5 for adults and £3 for children. Booking ahead is wise. In Oxford, a Millennium Ball at the Harlequins RFC in Marston Ferry Road, will give you the chance to greet the new century in your gladrags while sashaying around in a sophisticated fashion.

A ticket will set you back £50, and for that you get a buffet, a bar and a night to remember. For more details, call 01865 725240 or 01993 705474.

Party animals of the rock and roll persuasion would be well advised to check out the happenings at the Zodiac Club in Cowley Road, where The Egg plus guests culled from Animal House, Hurricane and The Candyskins will be performing.

A hundred quid will secure a ticket, and for that you get a buffet on the large side of vast, lots of party bags and a nice pyrotechnic show. You can rock from 10pm to 5am. Perhaps you might prefer to greet the Age of Aquarius in a more thoughtful fashion. If so, think about cutting along to Ardington on the Lockinge Estate near Wantage just before 8am on New Year's Day.

A semi-circle of stones has been erected and a hole drilled in the main block through which, at 8.12am, the first rays of the third Millennium will shine. (Always assuming that the sun is actually shining, I suppose.)

Over at Didcot, a 13-hour party is planned on New Year's Eve at the Civic Hall, where the organisers say there will be quiet areas to allow folk to reflect on the real significance of the Millennium.

Organised by Churches Together in Didcot, the event kicks off with a senior citizens' lunch and culminates in an all-ages party which gets under way at 11pm. At Grove, a Millennium Disco is the order of the evening at the Old Mill Hall. Tickets are priced at a very reasonable £17, for which you are entitled to partake of the buffet. Further information on 01235 767198.

Groovers in the west of the county could do worse than taking themselves along to The Red Lion in Corn Street, Witney, where The Dirty Earth Band and Road Kill will be pumping up the volume. In addition, there'll also be a laser clay pigeon shoot, three different discos, a casino and an evening and breakfast buffet. A ticket for this will cost you £40. Further details on 07941 212551 or 01993 703149.

There's yet another disco at the Jack Russell pub in Salford Road, Old Marston. You can get in free to this one - but not after 11pm. The disco runs from 8pm to 2am. Learn more on 01865 247668. If fireworks are to your fancy, then a visit to South Park shortly after midnight should prove worthwhile. For that's when Oxford City Council is planning a ten-minute display of 1,000 fireworks, which should be more than enough to ensure that the occasion is not a damp squib...

At The Park End Club, you stand a chance of coming away with a free holiday or a cash prize.

The proceedings run from 9pm - 4am and tickets are £100 to non members and £50 to members. Mind you, there's a free bar all night - plus the opportunity to nab some prizes. Other late, late events include the Gallery Club bash in Hythe Bridge Street, from 9pm to 3am - £25 for members, £35 if you're not and the 5th Avenue nightclub in the Westgate Centre, open from 9pm to 4am, with an entrance charge of £26. On New Year's Day itself, the Oxford Brass Players are due to perform at Cowley Conservative Club in Between Towns Road at 7.30pm. Tickets are a modest £2 each and the proceeds will go to the Helen House Hospice, Oxford. For more information call 01865 326271.

Should you decide to head further afield, London has been gearing itself up for months to mark the Millennium and is stuffed with attractions, from a River of Fire and Fireworks between Tower and Vauxhall Bridges to the Dome itself at Greenwich.

Get the Tube to Waterloo and catch a ride on the impressive London Eye, the Ferris wheel of the future. Or watch the Queen light the Millennium Beacon from Tower Bridge and then take a stroll over to the Potters Field Fair.

Perhaps, though, in the end, you might prefer just to stay at home with your nearest and dearest. If so, we wish you a pleasant evening and a peaceful start to the new century.

After the months of hype, the planet is ready to party.

Story date: Saturday 18 December

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.