One of Portland’s Dance Clubs Now Requires Proof of Boost

It’s not surprising to see Holocene lead the charge.

Holocene in 2019. (Courtesy of Holocene)

It’s something we’ve wondered about for a little while now, on the other side of the COVID-19 booster shot—which took this writer at least three hours standing in line to get. At what point would the boost become the hot new thing bouncers are seeking on your vaccination record card?

One club stepped into the future just before the new year rang into effect. Holocene—one of Portland’s mainstay club venues—announced on Dec. 28: “Beginning Jan. 6, 2022 Holocene will require customers to show proof they have received their COVID-19 vaccination booster shot.”

For the conscious clubgoer this might involve as little effort as taking a new photo of your updated vaccination card and putting it an easy to find place on your phone. If you don’t have the boost but are eligible for it, then the club is asking that attendees show proof of negative test within 24 hours of the show starting.

If you received your vaccination more recently, “second shot of Moderna or Pfizer received less than 6 months ago, or Johnson & Johnson less than 2 months ago” the Holocene site says, then that vaccination is fine. The club is also open to allowing those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons to show a negative test, but those cases require advance permission from venue staff, attained by emailing hc@holocene.org.

The new policy sounds fairly comprehensive and its not surprising to see a club with a progressive reputation like Holocene leading the charge. It rescheduled its “Xxxtraterrestrial” theme New Year’s Eve DJ show (automatically refunding everyone who had bought tickets), due to “the incredible risk of COVID-19 infection.”

Tomorrow, Jan. 6, is the day the new policy would have gone into effect, but the Mistons show that was planned has been postponed, due to COVID cases within the group.

At this time, it looks like Holocene’s Jan. 7 Matthew Dear show is scheduled to go on as planned.

Clubs and venues are in a sort of Wild West of regulation right now. Requiring vaccinations is entirely at their discretion. Many around the city—especially music and performance venues—now require vaccination proof, if not the full boost.

As WW reported earlier this week, Multnomah County has no plans to mandate indoor vaccination across the board. But you may see booster requirements coming to a venue near you, sooner rather than later.


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