It’s been a rough and confusing year. And while there’s no promise that 2017 is going to get a whole lot better, you deserve to hit pause for a night and celebrate. New Year’s Eve is, depending on your outlook, either a chance to reflect on what’s past and what’s to come, or a welcome excuse to get sozzled and make out with strangers. Either way, we’ve got you covered. Here’s our rundown of the best New Year’s Eve parties in town, with lots of bands, DJs, and comedy to get you grooving, smiling, and smooching your way into 2017. As the line from that weird “Auld Lang Syne” song we sing ever year goes, “We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet.” Here’s where Portland’s best cups of kindness can be found on December 31.
For even more NYE events check out our full calendar.
RIP 2016
w/DJ Cooky Parker, DJ Callie Danger, DJ Montell Spinozza, DJ Void
Little story for you: On New Year’s Eve 2013, life still held promise, and we naively made our way out to the Eagles Lodge to celebrate our “futures.” My sweet lord, was that a night. The drinks were generous. The man chastising us for dancing with those drinks was resolute. The soul music was obscure, hot, and somehow tinged with an in utero familiarity. It was a memorable enough evening that I hired the DJ, Cooky Parker, to play my wedding, which was also the best. What I’m saying: This is how you want to say goodbye to whatever the hell this was (and maybe, if speculation is true, to the Eagles Lodge as well). DIRK VANDERHART Eagles Lodge, 4904 SE Hawthorne, 8 pm, $15 (or $10 with two canned goods)
Quannum MCs Reunion
w/Gift of Gab, Chief Xcel, Lyrics Born, Lateef, Blossom, Libretto, DJ Wicked
This show marks a reunion for the legendary Bay Area hip-hop collective that you may or may not have heard of: Quannum Projects (previously Solesides Records), which brought together groups like Blackalicious (Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab) and Latyrx (Lyrics Born and Lateef). Portland rapper Libretto is a special guest performer for the evening, as well as Blossom, the neo-soul and reggae songstress behind “Black Magic Woman.” If you’d like to really do it up, you can get a VIP ticket, which includes exclusive access to the Star Theater’s balcony and bar, a champagne pour at midnight, and food provided by Southern Grill Catering. JENNI MOORE Star Theater, 13 NW 6th, 9 pm, $25-45