Skip to main contentHere's the trouble with New Year's Eve parties: They are, almost without fail, not as fun as you hope they will be. Whether they're too corny, too rowdy or just too boring, you're bound to think, at least in passing, that you might have had a better time elsewhere. With that in mind, we've assembled a list of 94 events to help you choose the one that is least likely to fail you, along with a few stories that will make whatever you do this year feel like the party of the century. And remember to take TriMet home. It's free.
AT LEAST THERE WILL BE MUSIC...
23Hoyt
[GYPSY JAZZ] Pete Krebs.
Alberta Street Public House
[BLUEGRASS] Josh Cole Band, Sterilize Stereo.
Ash Street Saloon
[POWER POP] Throwback Suburbia, Black Mercies.
Backspace
[HIP-HOP] Moose Knuckle.
Biddy McGraw’s
[COUNTRY] The Texecutioners.
Candlelight Room
[BLUES] The Band Elite.
The Chesterfield
[DJ] Skeme Richards.
Cornelius Pass Roadhouse
[CLASSIC ROCK] The Old Elbows.
Crystal Ballroom
[R&B] El DeBarge, Lakeside. Yes,
El DeBarge, he of "Rhythm of the Night" and a recent narcotics arrest. You know he "Can't Get Enough," but we're willing to give him "Another Chance." You know "My Heart Belongs to You," Elda.
Dante’s
[RAWK] Karaoke from Hell 28-hour marathon. The fun continues straight though Wednesday, Jan. 2, to celebrate Tres Shannon's 42nd birthday.
Devil’s Point
[COCK ROCK] Western Aerial and Tripolar, with fire dancers and strippers.
Doug Fir Lounge
[SMIRK ROCK] Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven.
Duff’s Garage
[BLUES] The Insomniacs.
Duke’s Country Bar and Grill
[REDNECK HIPHOP] Sunny Ledfurd.
Goodfoot Lounge
[AFROBEAT] Jujuba.
Gotham Tavern
[BOOMER BLUES] Steve Rodin and friends.
The Green Room
[INDIE POP] The Dimes.
Ground Kontrol
[GLITCH SOUL] The Beauty
Imbibe
[STRING SWING] Ida Viper, Lincoln Crockett.
Jax Bar
[JAZZ] The Andre St. James Quartet.
Jimmy Mak’s
[JAZZ] International Male, Excellent Gentlemen.
Kells
[CELTIC PUNK] Amadan, Grafton Street, Kells Pipers.
Kennedy School
[FUNK] Dr. Theopolis, Redray Frazier.
Laurelthirst Public House
[SAD SONGS] Lynn Conover, Billy Kennedy, Tim Acott.
The London Grill
[PIANO JAZZ] Bill Beach Duo. The Benson Hotel,
Mark’s on the Channel
[JAZZ] Hurricane Hole.
Mississippi Pizza Pub
[SON CUBANA] Melao de Caña.
Mock Crest Tavern
[JUMP BLUES] Papa Salty.
Mount Tabor Legacy
[AMERICANA] Jerry Joseph.
Old Town, various locations
"Old Town Get Down" Block Party, sponsored by
. Twenty bucks gets you into the parties at Someday Lounge, Backspace, Ground Kontrol and Satyricon.
Oba
[AFRO-CUBAN JAZZ] Bobby Torres Ensemble.
Players
[MATTHEWSISH] The Brian Odell Band.
Ponderosa Lounge
[COUNTRY] Pristine Blue.
Portland City Grill
[PIANO JAZZ] Dave Lee, Mark J.
Portsmouth Pizza&Pub
[R&B AD ABSURDUM] Ocean 503.
Red Room
[HALFORD HOMAGE] Hell Bent for Leather.
Rock Creek Tavern
[CLASSIC ROCK] Wildseed.
Roseland Theater
[SHAOLIN STYLE] Wu Tang Clan.
Satyricon
[THRASH] Hatchet, Devastator, Embrace the Kill.
Thirsty Lion
['90S HANGOVER] Holding Out.
Tonic Lounge
[BLUES PUNK] The Obituaries, the Shiny Things, Chris Newman Experiment.
Tupelo Joe’s
[TEXAS BLUES] JR Sims.
White Eagle Saloon
[VANILLA FUNK] Funk Shui, Adam H and The Wounds.
Wilf’s
[THE VOICE] John Gilmore Sings Sinatra.
Wonder Ballroom
[VIRTUOSO JAM] Everyone Orchestra featuring Darol Anger, Tony Furtado, Scott Law, Tye North, Stephanie Schneiderman, Strings 4 Industry, Freak Mountain Ramblers and more.
AT LEAST THERE WILL BE DANCING...
Ace Cleaners
DJ Anjali, The Incredible Kid.
American Cowgirls
Dance on the floor, the bar, the poles—everywhere!
Barracuda
Island-themed bash with balloon drop, light show, etc.
Berbati’s Pan
Prince vs. Michael Jackson DJ battle. It doesn't get any better than that, baby!
Crush
Guest DJs.
Dixie Tavern
"Head Bangers Ball" with the Dixie girls.
.
East End
Mattress Monday New Year's Special.
$5.
Fez Ballroom
Shut Up and Dance with Disc Jockey Gregarious.
$10.
Holocene
Linger&Quiet, Beyonda, Linoleum.
Multnomah Arts Center
Back to the Future New Year's Eve contra dance with Mary Devlin and Calico followed by Eric Weberg and Cascade Crossing. Also: dessert potluck!
Norse Hall
New Year's Eve dance with Blue Skies Big Band, Barbara Lusch and DJ Bob Smith.
On Air
DJ Heather, Dahlia, MarchFourth Marching Band, Ravi, Mercedes, Loki and Zita.
Red Lion Convention Center
Baby Boomers Social Club New Year's Eve Gala with dinner and music by the Kooltones.
Rotture
Threshold steampunk dance party with performances by Monkey Puzzle Players, Batty's Hippodrome Circus, Cherry and Athena Aura and music by Kraddy, Eskmo, Welder, Chris Sia, Solovox, Luke aka SaQi, GlobalRuckus, HyDrive, Gradual Meltdown, Nico, Luminous, Leif James, Angry Buddha, Flying J and Ham and Swiss. Wear your favorite aeropilot goggles and leather gloves, and get ready to party like it's 1899.
Scottish Rite Temple
West Side Swing Lindy Hop party with Rose City Hot Club.
Someday Lounge
Panther, Copy and DJ Hostile Takeover.
Warehouse Project 2
A massive party with 34 DJs, including Adam F. and Simply Jeff.
The Zone
All-night underage party with lots of prizes and barely legal booty-shakin'.
AT LEAST THE FOOD WILL BE GOOD...
Andina
A three-course
menu of Peruvian specialties. The late seating features music by Toshi Onizuka Trio and Luciana Proaño.
Autentica
Five-course meal of traditional dishes from across Mexico: mole beef, fava bean soup, potato cakes and more.
Biwa
Special menu of Japanese New Year's dishes, including soba noodles and mochi.
Carlyle
menu with oysters and lots of chocolate.
Castagna
A luxurious menu featuring the flesh of six different animals, from lobster salad to rack of lamb.
Clarklewis
menu of winter specialties, including prime rib with wild-mushroom bread pudding.
Olea
A four-course
menu to ring in the new year.
Pix Pâtisserie
After last year's unexpectedly popular event, Cheryl Wakerhauser's sugar empire is limiting the free midnight chocolate buffet to the first 100 customers who purchase a beverage. The good news? There will be buffets at each location!
Tabla
Four course Mediterranean goodness.
Ten01
Fab foie gras and seafood heavy five course menu.
AT LEAST THE KIDS WILL HAVE FUN...
Comedysportz
Family-friendly improv comedy competition!
First Run
A run/walk race for the whole family, through drunken downtown Portland. Does this strike anybody else as a strange freakin' idea?
New Year’s at Noon
Cider, cookies and hat-making at the Portland Children's Museum.
Oregon Zoo New Year’s Eve Sleepover
Take in a pizza dinner and watch the animals by moonlight, take a behind-the-scenes tour and spend the night in a classroom at the zoo.
Winter Hawks vs. Seattle
The Portland Winter Hawks take on the Seattle Thunderbirds in an avian battle for hockey supremacy.
AT LEAST IT WILL BE A GOOD SHOW...
Darcelle XV
Darcelle's 41st New Year's Eve drag show features Poison Waters, Celeste Towers and Destiny Lynn, among others.
Oregon Jazz Orchestra
The debut performance of Devin Phillips' 18-piece orchestra, featuring Mel Brown and Darrell Grant, includes dinner by Jake's.
Pink Martini
This edition of the ubiquitous combo's now-traditional New Year's Eve concert features Norman Leyden, the Harvey Rosencrantz Orchestra, the Royal Blues of Grant High School and actress Jane Powell.
Tony Starlight
Tony Starlight Music and Comedy Show.
AT LEAST I MIGHT GET LAID...
BarFly Bus Tour
magazine's pub crawl is back for its eighth year. Spend the evening with a busload of heavy-duty drinkers, with all the cover charges and New Year's trimmings included.
Black and White Ball
Ritzy meat-market fun with a $500 balloon drop.
Champagne Ball
The annual fundraising bash for Friends of the Children, spread over two floors of the Hilton, is a magnet for party-ready thirtysomethings and features six bars, karaoke and music from 5 Guys Named Moe and '80s Invasion.
Darklady’s Erotic Masquerade
Hang with the other swingers at Darklady's fundraiser for Esther's Pantry and enjoy a potluck dinner, costume contest and nonalcoholic champagne toast. Oh, and sex. That too. Will the queen of Stumptown erotica top last year's "pirates and ninjas" extravaganza?
Gamble for the Cure
Blackjack, craps, roulette and dancing—for breast cancer!
New Year’s Eve Gay-la
Go-go dancers, karaoke DJ Ray Lee and "wall-to-wall women" at the Egyptian Room.
Pimp n’ Ho Dress to Impress
A streetwalker-themed party with five DJs at PALA.
Platinum Ball ’08
Music by DJ Alex Hollywood and DJ Robb, hosted by Bolivia Carmichaels. With go-go dancers!
AT LEAST I CAN GET OUT OF TOWN...
McMenamins Edgefield
Norman Sylvester and the Strange Tones.
McMenamins Grand Lodge
Celebration with Vagabond Opera.
Skamania Lodge
Dinner in the Cascade Room and a dance party with Patrick Lamb Band.
Timberline Lodge
Party with music in the Wy'East and fireworks at midnight. Slopes open until 12:30 am.
NEW YEAR’S NIGHTMARES
Byron Beck, WW columnist:
As a gay guy, I've had my share of nasty New Year's Eves, but there was one in particular in the early '90s that should have landed me in jail. My best friend and roommate at the time had a habit of becoming best buddies with my boyfriends just after I broke up with them. That year she joined joined not one, but two of my exes at a swanky NYE dinner party at the Governor Hotel, downtown. Instead of going out and doing my own thing I just sat in the kitchen of our apartment, imaging the time they must all be having. By the time she got home (with one of my exes in tow), I was ready to kill her—and I might have, if my ex (who is still one of my best friends to this day) hadn't pried my hands off her throat. Needless to say, we didn't hang out much after that, and eventually we both moved out of that apartment. Yeah,
was a good year.
Anonymous WW employee:
Much attention has been given to the myriad dangers of college drinking, but no amount of warning could have prepared me for the fateful New Year's Eve (1999, natch) when, halfway through a case of Foster's, one of my male friends began contemplating the humor value in drinking an entire box of laxative tea—
Had I known I'd be spending the dawn of the 21st century, the first moments of the new millennium, sitting on the toilet, I might have saved my college-tuition money and moved out to the country to rake leaves and make goat cheese. I suppose sitting on the can isn't much different from sitting on a barstool, save the celebration part, and the being out in public part, and…well, the having fun part. But at least I got a jump on my New Year's resolution of losing weight.
Heather Nordeen, WW personals director:
A friend of mine threw a "dress the age you were born" New Year's party a couple of years ago. I went as Madonna, in ripped up leggings and silver chains, while everyone else went for a Jimmy Page or Freddie Mercury look. Hoping to overcome the age difference, I kept sampling liquors until I convinced myself I actually
Madonna, started talking to a guy (doing his best to pull off an early-Smiths Morrissey) and, as the clock struck 12, found myself caught up in a very public makeout session. My friends eventually tore me away and made me bid farewell, and the next day I learned that, after I had left, my fella ditched his pants and answered nature's call—in the middle of the dance floor. To this day people like to remind me of it. Turns out that midnight kiss can have unexpected consequences.
Mark Zusman, WW editor-in-chief:
Many, many years ago, my wife and a friend and I drove to Eastern Oregon. Our plan was to spend New Year's with friends camping at the hot springs at the base of the Steens Mountains, one of the more spectacular settings in the state. Within an hour's drive of our destination, a huge snowstorm set in, preventing us from reaching the remote spot. Instead we drove instead to the Malheur Field Station in Harney County, and were kindly given food and drink by its director—Denzel Ferguson, a legendary character who ran for Congress and wrote the seminal work on Cowboy Welfare,
—while the blizzard raged outside.
Casey Jarman, WW assistant music editor:
I don't remember why I was on top of a parking garage in Eugene for New Year's Eve. But I do remember singing "Auld Lang Syne" and various friends kissing me. Then, I remember seeing an ex-girlfriend fling her bottle feebly into the night, attempting to propel it onto a nearby rooftop. It fell short, crashing on the pavement below near some children and a pair of cops. The cops yelled up at us and scrambled towards the stairs. The old girlfriend bolted and I escaped with a female friend down the opposite stairwell where I had a genius idea that had worked in plenty of films. "If we make out, they'll never suspect us!" Amazingly, my female companion bought this logic, and intense making out near a urine puddle ensued. After a few minutes of this, we giggled it off awkwardly. Later, we found the ex, who was crying because she thought I had been arrested for her drunken crime. I consoled her, which just made her angry. The friend and I laughed about it, and it has never been spoken of since.
WWeek 2015