A Toronto house party grows into a New Year's Eve legend

Tim McCready moved into his place at 159 Manning Ave., just south of Dundas Street West, in January 2005.

And after 10 years of living there, he's had thousands of guests.

Some of those guests lived with him — he says he's cycled through 45 different roommates in that time — but most came by for his New Year's Eve soirée.

For the eighth year, McCready will open his doors to whoever wants to party from 9 p.m. to well into 2015.

As the years went by, the legend of McCready's yearly jam grew. He's expecting more than 700 people to show up to ring in 2015. He says there will be 300 to 400 people there at any given time throughout the night.

He invited 2,291 people on Facebook alone.

"How many people came last year? 642," he calculates. "But that's when we stopped counting at 4 a.m."

His neighbours, he swears, don't mind.

McCready hires security guards to keep guests off the street and under control. But last year there were no problems. And he doesn't need a licence because it's bring your own alcohol.

He sells 100 advance tickets for $10 each, $15 at the door and $20 after 1 a.m.

For that, guests can hear DJ sets on the main floor by local musicians Justin Peroff, Sunclef, Elaquent and TAIZA, and musical performances in the basement by Buck 65.

He worried last year the party was starting to outgrow the house, so this year he added an enclosed, heated tent in the backyard, which he describes as "quiet-chill-out".

Beyond McCready's party, there is lots else going on in Toronto on New Year's Eve. Party responsibly.