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Boozy AF
McMenamins Edgefield New Year's Eve
End the decade at everyone's favorite McMenamins location. The besotted little village of Edgefield gets even boozier, with a cocktail and hors d'oeuvres reception and multicourse dinner paired with the company's beers and wines. If you book a room as part of a package, your hungover stomach will appreciate the $30 dining credit for breakfast at the Black Rabbit Restaurant. McMenamins Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey St., Troutdale, mcmenamins.com/edgefield. 8 pm. $75, $415-$600 per couple for overnight package.
Murderboat NYE: Roaring '20s Speakeasy
As we enter the 2020s, every bar, club and restaurant in town is using the opportunity to revisit the 1920s with a themed party. But if anyone is going to serve authentic bathtub gin while providing bathtubs to lounge in for a midnight toast, our money is on Murderboat Productions. The group that brought you last year's pirate-themed soiree and a rave on a plane in the forest helps you usher in 2020 with everything from games of spin the bottle to giant teddy bears. And yes, you'll need a password to enter this speakeasy. No, we don't know what it is. Watershed PDX, 5040 SE Milwaukie Ave., watershedpdx. com. 9 pm. Sold out. 21+.
Loud AF
New Year's End
There's no guarantee we're even going to survive the next decade as a species, so why not kick off the 2020s with a blast of ungodly, nuclear noise? Local thrash-metal band Separation of Sanity leads an all-metal New Year's Eve bill at Dante's, enlisting such charmingly named bands as Kingdom Under Fire, Piranhapuss and Dead Animal Assembly Plant to give the new decade the loud, ugly fanfare it deserves. Dante's, 350 W Burnside St., danteslive.comhttp://danteslive.com. 8 pm. $12. 21+.
A Very Gaytheist New Year's Eve
Send 2019 off in noisy, headbanging style. Raucous and beloved local trio Gaytheist headlines this plugged-in evening of hard, hard rock. The band's last record, 2017's Let's Jam Again Soon, is a scalding, speedy collection of take-no-prisoners punk rock. If there were a good kind of earthquake, it would be the gut-rumbling, hyperrhythmic and percussive sounds of this three-piece. End-of-year shows demand fireworks, and in that regard, Gaytheist rarely disappoints. High Water Mark Lounge, 6800 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., gaytheist.bandcamp.com. 9 pm. $10. 21+.
Classy AF
Governor's Ball
Seven years ago, Portland got tired of New Year's Eve sloppiness and decided its citizens deserved a classier affair—for a plush $125. The Governor's Ball is staunchly anti-buffet and pro-vaulted ceilings, with dancing—but only of the highbrow variety—and Champagne served by the bottle for VIPs. Ring in the decade as your aspirational self and remember that the bill is a problem for 2020 you. Sentinel Hotel, 614 SW 11th Ave., thegovernorsball.org. 7 pm. $125-$800.
New Year's Eve at Bergerac
You might not have made it to Paris this decade, but you can still shlep your way to Southeast Portland for a four-course French feast. Bergerac will serve a special menu of pancetta-wrapped guinea fowl, baked brie and chocolate-black cherry cake. Pro tip: Be sure to over-pronounce "legumes d'hiver" to your waiter. Bergerac, 5520 SE Woodstock Blvd., bergeracpdx.com. 5:15-8:15 pm. $75-$105.
Quaintrelle New Year's Eve Dinner
There's a 5-to-9 slot for this New Year's Eve dinner, and you could very well take the whole four hours—Quaintrelle, the industrial-chic restaurant in the Boise neighborhood, will have you crawling into the new year with seven courses of locally sourced New American fare. Start with scallops and aguachile, end with tangerine and mille feuille, find God somewhere in the middle. Quaintrelle, 3936 N Mississippi Ave., quaintrelle.co.
5-9 pm. $140.
New Year's Eve at Estes
Balance out the bubbly with a heavy main of pasta and a refreshing side dish of slightly different pasta. Estes chef Patrick McKee's Italian pop-up at wine bar Dame will herald in the New Year with an elaborate four-course dinner featuring cacio e pepe, cappelletti, beef carpaccio and a romaine and braised farro salad. If there were ever a time to indulge, it's now. Dame, 2930 NE Killingsworth St., estespdx.com. 5 pm. $68.
Pix Midnight Chocolate Buffet
Ten bucks will buy you three-fourths of an appetizer at one of Portland's swanky restaurants, or it can get you into Pix Pâtisserie for the chocolate buffet of Willy Wonka's acid trip. Pix and Bar Vivant patrons are invited to spend their New Year's Eve indulging in chocolate mousse, cake, meringue, ice cream, truffles and, in true Portland style, chocolate beer, so you can get lost in the sauce, literally. Pix Pâtisserie/Bar Vivant, 2225 E Burnside St., pixpatisserie.com. 10 pm. $10.
Queer AF
Lumbertwink NYE 2020
A modern-day Village People might include Portland Man: flanneled, bearded, always with the best beer recommendations. Lumbertwink has celebrated the cabin-in-the-woods kind of guy for eight years, and is saying goodbye with a final New Year's Eve party. If you're looking for a man who can carve a mean canoe out of a tree, this is your spot. Alberta Street Pub, 1036 NE Alberta St., albertastreetpub.com. 8 pm. 21+.
Cake
Karma Rivera and KayelaJ headline this month's edition of beloved queer hip-hop dance party Cake, giving the girls and the gays everything we need to ring in the new year right. Rivera and KayelaJ are among Portland's crown jewels, rappers who unapologetically bring their full selves to the stage. DJs Automaton, Father Fannie, and L.A.'s Breezy EZ will keep bodies moving between sets, while hosts Sindel and Ikechi the Catalyst keep the vibes cute into 2020. Killingsworth Dynasty, 832 N Killingsworth St., killingsworthdynasty.com. 9 pm. $15. 21+.
Of Montreal
Twee pop, Prince-inspired freak funk, literate dance pop—Kevin Barnes has tried it all over the course of 20 years and nearly as many albums with his band Of Montreal. We can always count on him to throw a party, though, so don't be surprised to see masked pig men grinding against Barnes' tights or random celebrities coming out to help dump confetti on the crowd when the clock strikes midnight. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., wonderballroom.com. 9 pm. $25. 21+.
Country AF
Rhinestone Cowboy Bash
Usually, the closest you'll get to a country hoedown in Portland is someone playing Kacey Musgraves at a wine bar, but the annual Rhinestone Cowboy Bash is determined to end 2019 with some Southern grit. Local country favorite Caleb Klauder performs his bluegrass tunes, and cheap drinks will be on offer all night long—until 2 am, at least. The Spare Room, 4830 NE 42nd Ave., spareroomrestaurantandlounge. com. 8:30 pm. $18. 21+.
Murder at the Deadwood Saloon
The year is 1870, you're in an Old West saloon, and there's just been…a murder! Eatery at the Grant House hosts a murder mystery party for just 34 guests, stuffing patrons with heavy appetizers and praying the accents don't get too out of hand. Maybe you'll portray an outlaw with a heart of gold, or maybe you'll be nondescript Saloon Girl No. 3. Either way, bring an empty stomach and your poker face. Eatery at the Grant House, 1101 Officers Row, Vancouver, Wash., eateryatthegranthouse.com. 9 pm. $75.
Oceanic AF
New Year's Eve Lobster Fest
Consider the lobster—or don't, and enjoy a four-course New England lobster dinner with that bumbling crustacean steamed up every which way it can. Chef duo David and Melissa Root of the Hairy Lobster will cook a lineup of Northeastern specialties for the new year, with produce and meats sourced locally alongside an all-star menu of handcrafted cocktails and microbrews. The Hairy Lobster, 900 NW 11th Ave., thehairylobster.com. 5-10 pm. $100.
Nimblefish New Year's Eve Dinner
Nimblefish sees your five-course New Year's Eve dinner and raises you an 18-course meal of lightly cured nigiri and handrolls. It is sushi at its most minimalist, with fish sourced exclusively from Oregon and Washington and a strict no-soy-sauce policy. Pair your feast of the sea with a thoughtfully paired sake or Japanese whisky. Nimblefish, 1524 SE 20th Ave., nimblefishpdx.com. 5:30 and 8:30 pm seatings. $125.
Aqua Ball
Manatee Commune, aka Grant Eadie, headlines Aqua Ball, Holocene's oceanic New Year's party. Along with a DJ set, Eadie performs original material, including selections from his new album, PDA. Expect beats paired with soft, lush nature sounds. Favorite local DJs VNPRT and Klefto provide support throughout the night, keeping the tide chill all the way to midnight. Shades of blue and sea life attire are strongly encouraged—think SpongeBob at the Met Gala. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., holocene.org. 8 pm. $25 advance, $30 day of show. 21+.
Parental AF
Kids' All-Day New Year's Eve
If your holidays are a little more kid-centric these days, then you'll probably want to get home as quickly as possible on New Year's Eve—if you make it out of the house at all. Satisfy your rugrats' demands to count down to midnight with Memoz's family-friendly bash. "Midnight" will be celebrated at the top of each hour, and there's sparkling apple juice for the kiddos and thankfully wine for the adults. You could be home by 4 pm. Memoz Dessert Cafe, 3494 N Williams Ave., memozcafe.com. Noon-9 pm.
New Year's Eve with Jay Larson
Why not ditch the bar altogether and spend your New Year's Eve at Helium Comedy Club, bidding the 2010s farewell and laughing your way into another decade of Portland clownery. The special guest is Jay Larson, whose standup has graced the stages of Conan, The Late Late Show and Comedy Central—expect weird stories and sagelike reflections on fatherhood. Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th Ave., portland.heliumcomedy.com. 8 and 10:30 pm. $42-$66.
