The loyal legions of Le Cirque 2000 gathered for an over-the-top, bitter-sweet New Year’s Eve bash at the theatrical, circus-themed hot spot in the Palace Hotel, where it has held court since 1997. The end-of-year celebration marked the end of an era — a glorious, final hurrah. After the last adoring guest had bid adieu, owner Sirio Maccioni closed the doors of his landmark eatery on Madison Ave. (at 50th St.), for the very last time.

It was truly a night to remember! On hand to ring out the old and ring in the new: Crooner Neil Sedaka (dining with his wife, Leba), who hopped up and sang a Mexican love song, in Spanish, with the roving mariachi band. Also in the mix: Sirio’s wife, Egidiana, with their sons Marco (with girlfriend Angela Coté) and Mauro (with wife, Francesca, presently expecting a new member of the next Maccioni generation). Also in the mix: Rudy and Judith Giuliani, Joan Collins and Percy Gibson, Nora Ephron and Nicholas Pileggi, and The Sheet, partying the night away with comedian/actor Robert Klein.

Guests dined on exquisite French-inspired fare, including: halibut foie gras, wild mushrooms and sea scallops en croûte with fresh black truffle jus; venison noisette with pumpkin puree, chestnuts, and caramelized pears; and stuffed boneless quail with braised carrots and white truffle shavings. The pièce de résistance: a decadent dessert of chocolate kir royale.

Sirio, who spent his childhood in Tuscany, first opened the doors of Le Cirque in 1974 on East 65th St. (off Park Ave.), where it remained for nearly 23 years, despite an increasingly crowded space. In 1996, he closed the doors there, then reinvented his dining oasis the following spring in the spacious, grand, brightly hued Madison Ave. space we have all known and loved for the past seven years.

Le Cirque might be gone for now, but not for long. For the NYC celeb/society crowd, the poignant strains of “Auld Lang Syne” never had more meaning. Sirio’s friends and admirers wait with bated breath for the restaurant’s next incarnation....