Techno Gods Reign Supreme at Holocene

It’s also a pretty good place to make out.

Holocene (Thomas Teal)
By Beans Flores

1001 SE Morrison St., 503-239-7639, holocene.org.

Best Way to Rave Close to Home: It’s no secret Portland has a thriving community of techno gods. Holocene isn’t known for always having the best music (in this reporter’s opinion), but its main room is equipped with a sound system that provides a killer experience for lo-fi house and weird electro music lovers who aren’t looking to stray out of the city (event series Spend the Night, in particular, constantly receives high praise).

Best Non-Ableist Attribute: A friend of mine is ADA. We wanted to catch a show, but they mentioned they didn’t have great experiences with ADA-compliant venues. We called ahead to give Holocene a heads-up before arriving—and my friend got the red-carpet treatment. Not a single fuss was made over the accommodations they needed.

Best Place to Make Out: Come with a significant other (or a friend, if you’re a make-out-with-your-friends type of person) and sneak away from the main room to make out, or head up to the bar/upper lounge area. The venue provides an abundance of dark corners to conceal lovers of the night.

Best Perk: Holocene is right across from Sassy’s, one of my favorite strip clubs in Portland. After you’ve danced the night away, you can head over for a different kind of dancing.

Best Place to Park: I’ve always had luck with parking between Belmont and Morrison, about three blocks east of the actual venue. There are street lights along that route, and it’s way less crowded than parking right on Morrison or Belmont.

Best Hidden Gem: There’s a photo booth stashed in the back of the venue. While everyone is rushing the door after events, sneak in real quick for a piece of memorabilia.

Best Place to Consume Illicit Substances: If you like to party-party, Holocene is for you. Now, I’m not condoning anything (and nor does Holocene, as they told WW in a statement), but I will say that leaving the main room for quieter, less humid areas is perfect for those of us who have found ourselves tripping a little too hard to be on the dance floor.

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