As 2025 comes to a close, let us reflect on what a wild year it has been. 2025 blew the doors off all of our expectations clocking in at 525,600 minutes, 365 calendar days, and 12 distinct months. Can you even believe it? It’ll be hard for 2026 to keep up, but hopes are high for the incoming onslaught.
If, like me, you don’t like committing to any one thing on NYE because there’s always so much going on and you don’t want to miss out on the best happenings, you’re in luck! Lindsay Costello of "Do This, Do That" fame and I have joined forces, scouring the internet for the cream of the absolute crop of NYE events on offer to those willing to brave the cold streets of Portland. Below is an smörgåsbord of goings on this December 31st.
And remember, it would suck to spend the start of 2026 dead or in jail. Please don’t drink or consume drugs and drive. As they always do, TriMet is offering free rides on all buses, MAX, and streetcars starting at 8 pm on NYE, as well as extending service into the wee hours. If the beauty of socialist transportation isn’t your bag, call a cab to get from point A to point B if you’ve been consuming. NOLAN PARKER
25th Anniversary NYE with DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid
For fans of global bass bangers, genre mashups, dancing past midnight
DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid aren’t exactly under-the-radar among clubgoers ‘round these parts, and there’s a good reason for that. The duo—who first formed for a New Year’s Eve party 25 years ago—rattle windows with Desi bass, reggaeton, and darkwave chillers like nooooobody else in town. While the vibe commanders man the decks, Canadian performer Rayman Bhuller will drop by to drum the dhol, a traditional Indian double-headed instrument. Ask the Bollywood starlet next to you about the after. (Show Bar, 9 pm, more info here, 21+) LINDSAY COSTELLO
Burials / Gaytheist / Drouth
For fans of Bell Witch, Yob, Ragana
Both you and I know that Portland is host to some of the heaviest bands in the world. At the top of the list are the three bands on this bill offering to usher you across the River Styx that is NYE. Reforming for the first time since 2020 are Burials, playing a Slayer set in case you have a tradition of making your ears bleed to ring in the new year. Metal homos supreme, Gaytheist turn it out in the middle slot, with the Drouth face melters opening the night. This is a fundraiser for Megan Stout and her family as Stout continues her battle with cancer. (High Water Mark, 9:30 pm, more info here, 21+) NOLAN PARKER
Cowboy Prom ft. Jenny Don’t & The Spurs, Satan’s Pilgrims, The Dalharts
For fans of The Range Rats, The Cramps, Link Wray
A New Year’s tradition several years running originating at the Landmark Saloon, Cowboy Prom with Jenny Don’t & The Spurs will ring in 2026 with a whiskey-soaked good time. You can be sure that this boot scootin’ party will be packed with Portlanders sporting bolo ties, pearl snap buttons, and 10-gallon hats. Jenny Don’t & The Spurs’ brand of garage-honky-tonk-country provides the perfect backdrop for a chandelier-swinging celebration, and local rockabilly royalty The Dalharts will kick things off. Bust out your boots and get to two-steppin’. (Polaris Hall, 9 pm, more info here, 21+) BRI BREY
Dreamstate NYE
For fans of oonce-oonce, Spend the Night, getting blissed
It's hard to imagine under what circumstances one wouldn't want to just get blissed and dance out the 2026 scaries, but Holocene's Dreamstate NYE DJ lineup pushes the event from "want to" into "sounds necessary for my mental thriving." Spend the Night stalwarts Nathan Detroit and Ben Tactic spin back to back, as will Javie and Yawning. Whether you're microdosing or teetotaler-dancing-yourself-drunk, count on Holocene to bring you the visuals to push your psyched vibe into euphoria. Suggested dress code says "mystical but modern," so that says everybody in upside down triangle dresses to me. (Holocene, 9 pm, more info here, 21+) SUZETTE SMITH
Dreckig / Blossom / Reyna Tropical (DJ Set) / DJ Espina Letal
For fans of... Hard to say, there's literally nothing like Dreckig
This show is organized by David “Papi” Fimbres (of local bands Orquestra Pacífico Tropical, Boink, Friskies, et al.), who will headline as part of his duo Dreckig with his wife Shana "Azúcar" Lindbeck, who make a trippy, groovy blend of Latin dance music informed by cumbia, electronic, and krautrock-infused music with lyrics in Spanish, German, and English. Notably, this huge New Year’s Eve bash will also see a live performance from Portland-based neo-soul R&B mainstay Blossom, so you know the integrity of the evening's posi-vibes are in good hands. Let’s hope we hear early Blossom highlights like breezy single “So Cool,” her ’90s boom-bap-driven R&B-pop single “Loves Coming,” and her infectious reggae track “Black Magic Woman.” The night includes two unmissable DJ sets from the cumbia-minded DJ Espina Letal, and Reyna Tropical, AKA guitarist and vocalist Fabi Reyna’s band that she co-founded with Afro-diasporic DJ Nectali "Sumohair" Díaz—all driven by the motto of “Queer Love & Afro-Mexico." (Showdown Saloon, 9 pm, more info here, 21+) JENNI MOORE
Dyke Night ft. DJ Aspen, Stas Thee Boss, DJ Ashe
For fans of TheeSatisfaction, Gossip remixes, Cobrah
Since the shuttering of Central Eastside institution Lollipop Shoppe, the booty poppin’, panty droppin’ event Dyke Night has had to find a new spot to insight its special flavor of debauchery. Landing at the newly re-minted Peacock PDX—FKA Crush Bar—Dyke Night has a reputation for going hard all night in that sloppy-fun way only known to dykes and their admirers. Online tickets have long been sold out, but fret not my fashion-mullet-clad friend, there will be 50 tickets at the door on NYE… Better get there early! (Peacock PDX, 8 pm, more info here, 21+) NP
A Euro Disco New Year's Eve Bash!
For fans of ABBA, faux fur, girl dinner
Kachka Fabrika morphs into a European discotheque for New Year's Eve, inviting you to rock up in your shiniest disco attire and party the night (the year, in fact) away. Your last meal of 2025 will be a memorable one here, starting with a welcome shot of vodka and a bump of caviar. There's also a raw seafood bar, passed hors d'oeuvres, a buffet of snacks (my dream), an ice luge (I'm hoping for some fab faux fur looks to match), and special holiday cocktails in store while retro European club beats permeate the space. (Kachka Fabrika, 9 pm, more info here, 21+) JANEY WONG
Forty Feet Tall / Nonbinary Girlfriend
For fans of Parquet Courts, PJ Harvey, Mannequin Pussy
After dropping their massive Clean the Cage album in August, Portland’s Forty Feet Tall have been on a tear, playing shows across Europe and the US. If you haven’t seen these boys flop around on stage yet, you can bet your ass they're gonna cause a riot this NYE. Mercury favorites Nonbinary Girlfriend open the night pummeling us with their angry indie. A couple months out from their new album IM NOT PRETTY, this’ll be just a little taste of what to expect from NBGF in 2026. Don’t you dare forget this is a fundraiser for the Gaza Skate Team and Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition! The $5-$10 sliding scale doesn’t preclude anyone from donating more $$$ to the causes. (Trouble Bar, 10 pm, more info here, 21+) NP
John Mulaney / Fred Armisen
For fans of Portlandia I guess?, “Diner Lobster” SNL sketch, Los Espookys
Just a couple of complicated comedy guys having complicated comedy thoughts on the eve of this year of our lord 2026—does the "special guest" on this show's billing mean Portlandia star Fred Armisen opens for John Mulaney or that he just sort of stalks behind his former Saturday Night Live co-writer onstage like a lion hunts its prey? Probably the former. There’s no way this show goes until midnight, so I bet you could hee-haw to Mulaney's Mister Whatever routine and Armisen's 100 Sound Effects spoofs, then speedwalk to MAX to make the Pioneer Square drone show countdown. (Moda Center, 8 pm, more info here, all ages) SS
Josh Gondelman
For fans of comedians who aren't edgelords
We are big fans of NYC-based comedian Josh Gondelman, whose credits include appearances on Conan, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and even the prestigious Portland Mercury’s I, Anonymous Show. But his wit and wisdom can also be experienced through his writing for Showtime’s Desus & Mero, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (for which he won four Emmy awards… oooOOOoooh, fancy). That’s why we can heartily recommend spending New Year’s Eve with the oh-so-funny, and sharp-witted Gondelman who will kick off 2026 in hilarious style. (Helium Comedy Club, 7 pm & 9:30 pm, more info here, 21+) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
New Year’s Eve at the Hoxton
For fans of fancy little bites, dressing up, the saxophone
If you want to set a tone of abundance for 2026, party like a high roller at the swanky Hoxton Hotel. Enjoy the funky stylings of DJ Jupiter Williams as you dance the night away on the taqueria Tope's rooftop, or take in live performances by Aléa Lorén & Co. and saxophonist Chris Harden in the Hoxton’s lobby and basement bar, respectively. Passed bites from Tope (shrimp and potato flautas, mini wagyu tacos, vegan torta sliders), 2NW5 (caprese arancini, crab cakes, shrimp salad, and caviar tartlets), and Pamana (lumpia, adobo mushroom, and tofu skewers) will be available throughout the building. Beverages are à la carte, but you can cap the evening off with a complimentary champagne toast at midnight. (The Hoxton, 8 pm, more info here, 21+) JULIANNE BELL
New Year’s Eve Sobriety Powwow
For fans of community-building, honoring Native traditions
For those who choose not to imbibe, boozy New Year's Eve festivities can be tricky to navigate. The Native American Rehabilitation Association (NARA) puts together a sober alternative every year featuring youth activities, drumming, dancing, and a sober countdown. The organizers encourage attendees to bring a drum or dancing shoes and join in. Billed as “one of the largest sober New Year’s parties in the country,” the cultural celebration brings thousands of folks in community with each other to “welcome the new year with open arms and hopeful hearts.” (Oregon Convention Center, 1 pm, FREE, more info here, all ages) SHANNON LUBETICH
NYE House Party at Dream House
For fans of popping, locking, dropping
Tryna mainline that Portland house party energy to carry into 2026, but don’t trust your drunk ass friends to play floor-fillers all night long? Stop the search, call off the wolves! Dream House has you covered with the cumbia, reggaeton, soul, and funk night of your wet dreams. DJs Flor Violenta, Anguilita, and SeBrujo take over the Dream’s upstairs so you can sweat, drop, and pop your way into January. This baddie’s free and will have a champagne toast when the clock strikes 12. If I catch you huggin’ the wall for this one, there’s gonna be hell to pay. (Dream House, 9 pm, FREE, more info here, 21+) NP
Pink Martini New Year’s Eve Celebration
For fans of old-school kewl, retro glam, early bedtime
Portland's "little orchestra" went on a two-month tour around the world earlier this year and they’ll return to cap off 2025 with two hometown shows. The band's groovy rhythms, layered live performances, and multilingual repertoire never fail to impress, with over a dozen musicians blending classical, jazz, and old-fashioned pop with precision and panache. Expect the ensemble to be joined by their usual powerhouse vocalists China Forbes, Storm Large, and Edna Vazquez, and some surprise guests if we're lucky. Make sure you stick around until the end of the night for Pink Martini's infamous show-closing conga line and Wednesday’s countdown to midnight. (Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 7:30 pm, more info here, all ages) SL
Also very worth it...
Bing in the New Year at Milwaukie Farmers Market - more info here
Darcelle XV & Co.’s New Year’s Eve Party at Darcelle XV Showplace - more info here
Do the Most: A New Year’s Extravaganza at Hey Love - more info here
Drone show and dance party at Pioneer Courthouse Square - more info here
NYE Glam Slam at The People's Courts - more info here
Sad Horse / The Something Ain't Rights / White Shark Shiver / Collate / Fruited Planes at Turn! Turn! Turn! - more info here
Looking for even more events happening this New Year's Eve? Head on over to EverOut.
