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.
Dance Clubs by Neighborhood
Old Town Chinatown
Portland’s densest concentration of dance clubs is in the Old Town Chinatown nightlife district. Bars like Stag PDX and the Southern-themed Dixie Tavern are at the epicenter. Gay nightclub CC Slaughters boasts a live DJ seven nights a week; Wednesdays are all-request dance nights.
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 in Downtown Portland.
Central Eastside
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. Nearby, 45 East also rocks a converted industrial space, with an upstairs lounge and downstairs dance floor hosting frequent EDM shows.
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 dubstep, 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.
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. Church, an ironic Roman Catholic-themed bar, brings live music and DJ sets in a cozy space on Sandy Boulevard.
Hit the Dance Floor
Dance Clubs by Style
Bushwackers
It doesn’t get more honky-tonk than Bushwackers, the premier spot for bass-thumping, foot-stomping country dance. Show off your two-step, boogie with the line dancers or waltz around the perimeter of the Texas-sized dance floor at this venue in Tualatin, 20 minutes south of downtown Portland. Belt buckles and cowboy boots aren’t required, but you might want to make room in your luggage, just in case.
The Coffin Club
A horror-themed bar complete with a child-sized coffin as decoration? Yep, Portland has that. Get your goth on at The Coffin Club (previously known as Lovecraft Bar) with a steady stream of industrial and darkwave.
Lola’s Room
Located on the second floor of the iconic McMenamins Crystal Ballroom, Lola’s Room plays host to Portland’s favorite dance party, ‘80s Video Dance Attack. Every Friday night, break out your scrunchies and lace up your high-top Chucks to relive MTV’s heyday and bop your head to your favorite throwbacks. Classic music videos are projected across giant screens, so it’s a lot like when you used to dance along with Paula Abdul’s “Cold Hearted” in your living room (but with less carpet burn). Prefer songs and styles from the following decade? Dance to hits by Nirvana and Snoop Dog at “Comes As You Are: 90s Dance Flashback” on Saturday nights.
Tango Berretin
Portland has one of the largest Argentine tango communities in North America, with studios offering lessons, practicas and milongas (social dances) almost every night of the week. At the heart of the scene is the Tango Berretin in Foster-Powell. Owned by world-renowned tango instructor Alex Krebs, this intimate dance hall injects the old-world charm of dimly lit Spanish salons and a tango’s overt sensuality. The popular Saturday night milonga is prefaced with a beginner lesson and frequently hosts live music.
Find more milongas the second Friday of the month at Norse Hall, or every February, participate in Portland ValenTango with more than 50 classes, ranging from beginner to advanced and nearly 20 milongas featuring music from top tango DJs and live bands.
On Tuesday nights, Tango Barretin takes things down a notch by offering soulful, sultry blues music. Stop by before the dance for a free introductory lesson hosted by the Portland Blues and Jazz Dance Society. There’s no partner required, which is perfect if you’re flying solo. If not, enjoy cuddling up to your sweetie in a close embrace and swaying the night away.
Trio Lounge
Trio Lounge is a neon beacon that beckons night owls hungry for a slice of Miami’s nightclub vibe. It looks a bit out of place in Portland, but for fans of salsa, it feels like home. With three different dance floors and DJs spinning everything from traditional mambo to Latin EDM, the Trio Club’s Salsa Sunday is sure to keep you shimmying into the wee hours of Monday morning. (The party goes ‘til 4 a.m.!)
Nightlife Events
Enjoy a night out in Portland with these upcoming events.
Karaoke From Hell
The Northwest's original live karaoke band, Karaoke From Hell, has been rocking Portland for over 25 years and counting. The catalog boasts nearly 700 songs for you to sing, covering every genre from show tunes to skate punk. Catch it every Monday at Dante's and every Thursday at The Spare Room.
OMSI After Dark: Dinos
Straight out of the Cretaceous, come dig in at OMSI and check out dinosaurs, fossils, and more. OMSI After Dark is for the 21-and-over only crowd, where you can drink beer or wine and roam the museum with no kids around. There will be science demos, performances, DJs, artisan food and beverage vendors and more.
Belonging with Museum of Light and Fox Medicine
Museum of Light Their debut record, Horizon, pulls between two poles: big, crushing, overwhelmingly heavy riffs and dreamy, Zen-like washes of ambiance and found sound. Horizon is a lush, dense, and cinematic record, but without the self-seriousness and lack of restraint that underscores many other releases within the genre. In a time where there are truly…
Drag Bingo
Get your ass to The Houston Blacklight for DRAG BINGO hosted by the one + only Peachy Springs every first Wednesday of the month. Play your favorite geriatric game-gone-glamorous with the queen of bingo for a chance to win prizes. Get there early cause they've got drink specials, and your girl’s got a following.
Burly-Q AF
Fuse Theatre Ensemble and Baby B Stiletto proudly announce ‘Burly-Q AF,’ a monthly burlesque celebration of diversity. Enjoy burlesque on the second Saturday of every month.
BodyMagick Burlesque Summer Showcase
It's already hot in here. Come welcome Summer with gorgeous performers featuring new Burlesque acts from our Burlesque 201+ participants, fabulous guest instructors, High Priestesses, and delightful Teasettes. Join a tantalizing space where all bodies and identities are honored for their unique expression and where all reside in their power, pleasure and joy. PERFORMERS: MC: Luna…
Dapperlesque: A Gender Bending Burlesque Cabaret
Experience a stylishly seductive, decidedly debonair gender-bending medley of burlesque and drag as Lacy Productions and The Alberta Rose Theatre present Dapperlesque: A Gender Bending Burlesque Cabaret. Bringing you the most smartly-dressed, dashingly sultry, and dare we say, rakish performance artists from burlesque, boylesque, draglesque, and drag king communities around the world- here to cut a…
St. Paul Rodeo
Located in the charming town of St. Paul, Oregon, this annual rodeo has been a beloved tradition for over eight decades. Experience the thrill of saddle bronc riding, barrel racing, steer wrestling, and the legendary bull riding that keeps spectators on the edge of their seats. With a rich history and a reputation for delivering…
Gaylabration
Gaylabration returns for the 12th year and is back to SATURDAY NIGHT. Join ASCENSION – the biggest dance party of Portland Pride Weekend. The first Gaylabration was launched in 2011, following the passage of marriage equality legislation in New York, to celebrate love and community. While the United States continued denying same-sex couples in Oregon…
Magic Men Australia
Worldwide sensation – the MAGIC MEN AUSTRALIA are finally coming your way. Australia’s most anticipated men are heating up the town. Magic Men’s “FEEL THE MAGIC” showcases its most talented men in a heart-stopping live performance. Featuring Will Parfitt, this one-of-a-kind stage show tears up the stage with hot hunks, smooth moves and a lighting…
Portland Erotic Ball
In 1999, a group of sex-positive friends started the Portland Erotic Ball. Twenty-three years later, the Ball returns as Rose City's biggest adult Halloween experience. Guests can experience the sexy side of the scare as the Ball does a complete venue takeover with 3-floors of non-stop entertainment. Hosted by Emmy-nominee Sasha Scarlett, the 23rd annual…
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