If you haven’t made your New Year’s Eve plans yet (don’t laugh, for many folks, just getting through Christmas is an ordeal) and would like to stay a bit closer to the Greater Lowell area, there’s a new event taking place this year that might strike your fancy.

Made in Lowell, the economic and community-building organization devoted to increasing the livability of Lowell and developing Lowell into a destination for culinary, shopping, arts and culture, is putting on The Ball, an event its organizers say is “Lowell’s most exclusive New Year’s Gala.”

The Gatsby-style, black-tie event takes place on New Year’s Eve at Lowell Cathedral (formerly Jeanne D’Baptiste Church) on 741 Merrimack St.

Event organizers say The Gala, which is a 21-plus event, should appeal to singles, couples and groups large and small. The evening will include live music, entertainment, dancing, dessert and a champagne toast at midnight. As a “Gatsby style” event, it will also feature a red carpet, fashion show hosted by Humanity Style, signature cocktails and more. Prizes will be awarded to the man and woman who best embody Gatsby style.

“This is the first time we’re doing it,” said Tobias Marx, CEO of Made in Lowell. “Our thought was that after a really successful year for Lowell overall, with a lot of great events and a lot of great things happening, it’s a good idea to end the year with a bang. Let’s bring people together one more time to celebrate 2015 and ring in 2016 with all the exciting things that will happen next year.”

Early admission starts at 8:30 p.m. for VIP ticket holders (it begins at 9:30 p.m. officially and ends at 1 a.m.) and professional photographers will be on hand both for the red carpet and through the evening, which will include a live projection of the countdown to midnight from Times Square in New York City.

It is a cash-bar event, and there is an ATM on site. In order to gain entrance, you must show a state-issued ID, driver’s license or passport.

The program for the evening says that the live music and entertainment will run from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., the fashion portion takes place at 10 p.m. with the dessert buffet from 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. The champagne toast and ball drop, of course, take place at midnight.

Attire is officially listed as semiformal, black-tie optional, but who doesn’t want to wear a tux to a Gatsby-style event on New Year’s Eve? Party hats and noisemakers will be provided to all guests and a photo booth will allow guests to grab a keepsake of the evening.

Amazingly, the planning for all this started less than a month ago, Marx said.

“We originally wanted to do a ball at the beginning of December as a year-end fundraiser, but we were so busy, we said, let’s do it next year. Then we found out about this really good location, the old Jeanne D’Baptiste Church. We met the owner, who said the beginning of December would not work out, as it was only two and a half weeks away (from the time of Made in Lowell meeting with him), but he said maybe New Year’s Eve would work. I said, ‘Sure, let’s do it.’

“Nobody has done anything like this before. We’re showing people that these are the efforts we’re having in the city.”

For what it’s worth, though it’s on short notice, Marx is not worried about the event and whether it will go off without a hitch.

“It’s always great to go into a new location, but also challenging. There’s no predecessor, no rule how it’s been done. We’re really fortunate we’re getting really good support from the city of Lowell helping us navigate through the challenges. Sometimes, when you have never done something before, you ask yourself how you do it. The city has been really great to help us navigate through it. We’re pulling it off. It’s going to be exciting. We have everything in place, now it’s just putting it all together.”

Marx said that though the event is advertised as black-tie, “If you don’t want to dress up in a tux, that’s, of course, OK. This is a really modern take on the Gatsby style. We’re working with great artists from Western Avenue Studios on Lowell-centered art and photography. It’s a modern, industrial way to pay homage to Lowell as an industrial city. We’ll have lounge chairs and couches, and it will be very cozy. The music is mixed. We’ll have a jazz band, a cover band that plays soul and RB, and then more modern music as we head into the New Year.”

Marx said he is negotiating with the Angkor Dance Troupe to perform and wants to incorporate the city’s Cambodian population as much as possible.

“Made in Lowell is all about Lowell. That’s the whole point. We wanted to start at 7 p.m., but we said, ‘Let’s start later. Let’s encourage people to go to dinner in Lowell.’ We spoke with restaurants and told them we are pushing our event later to send people to you. They said, that’s great. They are having a prix fixe menu and then they’ll send people to us later. That’s what we need to do. Show people who we are, not Made in Lowell, but who we are in Lowell, working together instead of against each other.”

Tickets are $35 for general admission, which includes 9:30 p.m. admission, champagne toast, late night snack and dessert buffet; and $75 for VIP admission, which includes 8:30 p.m. admission, private cash bar in VIP area, reserved seating, snack buffet in the VIP area, champagne toast, and the late-night snack and dessert buffet.

“If you’re looking for a place to go, last-minute, affordable, not a crazy price, where I know I’ll meet cool and funky people, have fun, be entertained, and enjoy good music in a great atmosphere with great people, and also experience my city, this is where you want to be,” Marx said.

Tickets can be purchased at www.madeinlowell.org/theball.

Party on…

Though Made in Lowell’s The Gala promises to be a fun and festive evening, it’s not the only event happening on New Year’s Eve. Here’s a quick look at some other events in the area on Dec. 31:

• Roomful of Blues perform at The Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley at 7 p.m. Tickets are $95 and include dinner, the concert, champagne toast, hats and noisemakers. Visit www.bullrunrestaurant.com.
• Christine Ohlman and James Montgomery perform at The International in Bolton. Doors open at 7, buffet starts at 8 and the concert starts at 9:30 p.m. Visit www.theinternational.com.
• Ellis Paul performs his 24th annual New Year’s Eve shows at Club Passim in Cambridge at 7 and 10 p.m. Visit www.passim.org.
• The Drifters perform at Stoneham Theatre at 7 and 10 p.m. Tickets are $60, $65 and $75. Visit www.stonehamtheatre.org.
• Comedians Dave Rattigan, Mark Riley, Mike Murray, Chris Pennie and Abhishek Shah perform at The Cabot Performing Arts Center in Beverly at 9 p.m. Tickets are $25 each. Visit www.thecabot.org.
• First Night in Boston starts at noon and runs through the day and night with a host of events. Visit www.firstnightboston.org.