Dance Clubs
Whether it's with soul nights, '80s parties or dubstep bashes, Portland's dance clubs will get you moving.
John Patrick Pullen
Portland may be best known for its indie music, but with a wide variety of dance clubs, the city has a rhythm that’ll get just about anyone moving.
Old Town Chinatown
Portland’s densest concentration of dance clubs is in the Old Town Chinatown nightlife district. Bars like Dirty Nightclub, the Southern-themed Dixie Tavern and outdoor-party-cum-piano-bar Barrel Room are at the epicenter, but lower-key dance lounge spots like Valentine’s also ring the area.
Gay nightclub CC Slaughters boasts a live DJ seven nights a week; Wednesdays are all-request dance nights. At Jones, the theme is all ’80s and ’90s, all the time.
Portland’s Best Dance Halls
Downtown Portland
With a big neon sign that says “Dance,” Lola’s Room is hard to miss, located below the Crystal Ballroom. Regular ’80s and ’90s nights ensure that you’ll be glad you popped into this intimate space.
Southeast Portland
Running everything from DJ sets to local performers, Holocene has mixed music with visuals for a decade-plus, turning an old auto-parts warehouse into a 5,000-square-foot temple to art and audio. Its inner southeast Portland neighbor 45 East also rocks a converted industrial space, with an upstairs lounge and downstairs dance floor hosting frequent EDM shows.
Across town, The Goodfoot Lounge is where locals go for laid-back nights of festival-style stomping on the hardwood dance floor. Great for small music and big laughs, the two-level dance hall plays everything from funk to dub step, so long as it gets the crowd moving.
The big basement dance floor at the log-cabin themed Doug Fir Lounge gets plenty of traffic on its electro-pop and hip-hop nights, though most of the time the club stays true to the city’s indie rock ways with live performances.
Other popular options in Southeast include Dig a Pony, Crush, Lovecraft and Church.
Northeast Portland
Aztec Willies in Northeast Portland’s Lloyd neighborhood is a go-to for salsa and Latin grooves, with different offerings nearly every night.
North Portland
Hosting regular queer dance nights, Killingsworth Dynasty is a go-to for dancing every night of the week.
Nightlife
Portland’s Entertainment District
On weekend nights, several blocks in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood are closed to cars, making it easy to visit the area's many dance clubs and bars.
Nightlife Round-Up
Portland comes alive after dark, with restaurants, clubs, theaters, concert venues and performance halls open late all over town.
LGBTQ+ Nightlife
Portland has no shortage of LGBTQ-owned and -friendly bars and clubs. Whether you're looking for a relaxing night with friends, a high-energy dance party or a drag show, Portland delivers.
Nightlife Events
Ha Ha Harvest Comedy Festival
A three-day post-Thanksgiving comedy festival in in seven central Portland venues with 90 performers. Featured headliners are Dave Hill, Lizzy Cooperman, Adam Cayton-Holland, Janae Burris, Ron Lynch and Nathan Brannon. The venues for this festival are: Kelly’s OlympianOutrageSiren TheaterWhite Owl Social ClubVelvet LoungeKickstandShanghai Tunnel
White Album Xmas
White Album Xmas has become a tradition – a way to keep Portland weird during the holiday season. The Nowhere Band – a full 15-piece Beatles orchestra plays the White Album in its entirety, while the jugglers, aerialists, clowns and acrobats of the Portland Circus Allstars present feats of remarkable strength, focus and dexterity. Guaranteed…
Portland Night Market
The Portland Night Market showcases many unique businesses that call Portland home. Blending food, culture, music, drinks and retail together for an adventurous evening in the Central Eastside. Come meet some of Portland’s best makers and creators! The Portland Night Market is a bimonthly, free event and open to all ages.
Stumptown SantaCon
Starting at 2 p.m. at Ankeny Alley and Candy Ultra Lounge, Stumptown SantaCon spans 30 venues, a dance party in the street and three channels from Heartbeat Silent Disco at Santa’s Playground brought to you by the Barrel Room. 100% net proceeds go to support local charities. Last year, over $20,000 was raised. Costumes required….
Circus Circus Soiree
Join ReFIT for its first annual Circus Circus Soiree. This charity extravaganza will be decorated with Vegas-themed games (Blackjack, Craps, Whip and Skip, Ring Toss, Putting Contest, etc.), a photobooth, gourmet food, beer, wine and more. All for the great cause of helping financially and physically challenged homeowners throughout the Portland metro area through no-cost…
15th Annual HUMP! Film Festival
The HUMP! Film Festival has been bringing audiences a new kind of porn since 2005. The festival features short dirty movies — each less than five minutes — all created by people who aren’t porn stars but want to be one for a weekend. The filmmakers and stars show us what they think is hot…
Live Wire with Luke Burbank
With Mo Rocca, Emmy Blotnik, Jimmie Herrod and more. Join Emmy award-winning host Luke Burbank for the taping of Live Wire, the fastest growing entertainment show on public radio. It’s got a late-night stride, an Oscar Wilde wit and the charisma of Ferris Bueller grand marshaling a parade. Music, comedy and conversation, live and packed…
Elephant Stone
Formed in Montreal in 2009, Elephant Stone is the brainchild of vocalist, bassist, songwriter and sitar player Rishi Dhir. Also featuring Miles Dupire (drums/backing vox) and Gabriel Lambert (geetar/backing vox), Elephant Stone have toured extensively throughout North America and Europe and are prominent members of the burgeoning psych rock scene. Dhir has recorded, performed and…