My friends and I cant stop talking about how much we miss this place! Emo nite happened here on a monthly basis pre-covid, as does candi pop and a few other really cool events. I just miss holocene so much and cant wait to go back.

Great atmosphere here and a great venue for live music.I watched some amazing bands playing. The Wild War rocked it while opening for Shannon Entropys album (Out There Ideas) release performance. They teamed up with NW Noggin to do something rad during their show. With the use of an EEG (and willing participants) and projection software they projected live brain scans of fans while listening to their performance. What? Awesome! Their vibe is Out There and the whole experience was spectacular.

Decent venue, but has some issues. Process to get folks in the venue needs some work!! It was pouring outside this evening and the line just crawled along as they checked people in, all through one person at will call. If you have tickets, let them in and dont force them to make the line bigger than it needs to be!! Theres gotta be a better way. Like I said the venue was fine, sound was good, but they gotta work on their ticket and entry systems!! It wouldnt take much to make it LOTS better!!

The lights guy, Spencer, is an ANGEL. I told him I have strobe light sensitivity and he cooled it down with them so much for the rest of the time I was there. As a disabled person, things like that really make me feel human again. Ily Spencer thanks for being you

Great music and dancing!

Pretty good overall. Saw Roosevelt and Loyal here yesterday and it was a good experience. The interior is pretty industrial and low frills, thus the 4 stars. But, overall, its a cool intimate venue to see shows. Id go back.

A nice little venue, I went here for the Yung Bae concert last night.

Website says it’s open but it’s not

Attended to see the band Phonecall~~~ it was a lot of fun. Plenty of space to dance around.

Beautiful lighting, which creates a nice atmosphere. I couldnt pay the admission fee for the concert by card, but they have an ATM (near the restrooms) which only charged me 2,50 $ for a withdrawal (I have a European Visa card; all the other ATMs in the U.S. would charge me 3-5 $).

Went to see The Midnight and the concert was great. The acoustic equipment is done well and makes it all the more enjoyable! The place was clean and not sketchy feeling. Definitely recommend.

My guy friend could not hear out of one ear, 1/2 out of the other. He was denied service right after 4 of us payed $10 to get it. We all got a drink, but because he had a hard time hearing, and I had to talk for him he was not served. I was upset, let the bartender know, and I was picked up by my arms and escorted outside. It was a celebration of life that day, this was not ok.

Got kicked out by Jamison the security guard, who acted completely inappropriate. I walked past him, and got kicked out. Careful what you do, a lot of fun, but your night can be completely ruined if you walk past a bouncer who’s homophobic. Having good fun one moment, then kicked out crying the next.

Its an interesting place. Not so thrilled with the setup, having half the space dedicated to the live show and the other sunken half unable to be utilized for viewing said show. But it did allow plenty of seating and the room was wired with sound. Main concert area is small with a platform in the back where you can get a view if youre short. The edge of the platform was intermittently illuminated making it hazardous. Mixed drinks were weak but served in glass barware. Best bet is the bottled beverages. Staff was friendly.

Super cool venue with funky jams.

Sounds like people have had bad experiences here - but it likely depends on the night and who is working. The venue is decent but oddly set up in the sense that the little stage area definitely cannot fit 300 and some odd people. Needless to say, staff were incredibly friendly, provided water for both inside and outside use, and I even had a little conversation with the bouncer up front. They do a great job managing the place. Do note, however, my experience is based off the Against The Current concert that took place here. This was an all ages show which meant that the venue folks did have to take more care and not treat it like a regular night. Needless to say, I would come back for another show, its a very intimate venue, which i love, and the sound was excellent for all three artists that night (ATC, Chapel, Guccihighwaters) and blended well with all the genres of music shown off that night.

Wonderful people and even better drinks, the tacos were wonderful too

Sweet vibe and nice layout

I love this place. Very specious. Multiple dance rooms. Tasty drinks. Fun music and dancing atmosphere. They also hold a lot of events that support diversity in our community.

We got kicked out for no reason. Jamison the security guard made the decision to kick us out based on a friend that drank to much. He had two drinks, he then proceeded to kick all three of us out. Ive gone the last 2 years, and definitely had more to drink on seperate occasions. He had an attitude with us when I tried to speak with him about the situation.

Stinky and overcrowded. Way overpriced! $10 for a well vodka and sprite. Typical Portland venue: pay a lot, get jack. Jamison the security guard is laughably rude and seems to only love his job because he gets to kick paying customers out for unfounded reasons...I didnt personally get kicked out, but saw plenty of very sober folks getting kicked out for no reason at all (saw someone use the atm and Jamison kicked them out for taking too long and causing a line). Thinking now that they must do this on purpose so they can continue to oversell the venue space for more $$$. Very POOR-tland. Did I mention the stench of body odor? Very real.

Really cozy concert venue. All around great its clean and its got good acoustics.

I saw a great local band here once. The Erotic City Tribute Band. Please bring them back. :) If you want to get to talking with someone I suggest sitting at one of the bar stools. I had a brief chat with someone while I was there. I dont know why that person asked me about wine though. I was drinking water. And the dance floor gets packed pretty early. They have a few booth seats for those that want to listen and dont want to stand or dance. Watch out for the people who are drinking too much though. They might have been drinking a long time before they arrived. I would avoid staying late, unless you can call a cab or taxi. Rose City is a good one. As well as the Tesla cab. They cost about the same. Although, the Tesla is really quiet. Nearly drives itself, too.

At this point, Holocene is a Portland institution. Hundreds of amazing live shows, and dance parties have been held under their roof. The place has been through many reformations, and the ambiance, sound system and bar just get better. Central SE location, not much parking so keep that in mind. You will love this place for drinks and dancing.

Emo nite was so much fun!!!! I can’t wait to go back.

Its a fun place to go dancing and hang out with your friends. They have good drinks but it can take a while to get one. The vibe is a good one. The atmosphere is OK but nothing spectacular. A fun club

Wow very impressed with the front door and security staff. Polite and really there, yet not intrusive. Havent been in there for a couple of yrs. Im glad more bars and dancefloors are stepping up their safety game to keep up with PDX trying to become a city. Was at the prosciutto EDM dance.

Very cool place!

Cool club with live misic and dancing

Bar tenders were stellar. Wish I could have sat at the bar and just stayed right there. Who wouldnt? Beautiful people.I readily admit that your experience will be highly dependent on the music but treat the staff right and youll have a good time regardless.Sound is good, Ive generally had a great experience with crowds there. I only just experienced my first live music in the area behind the dance floor and it was cozy and nice.Cheers.

They had a great dance party called Dance Yourself Clean. Nice layout with multiple bars and dance floors. Place felt pretty clean even though it was at capacity for several hours. Drinks are op.

Usually have a great time. Tonight I got accused of harassing people and kicked out. Absolutely ludicrous with no grounds towards the accusation. Will never go back after being treated the way I was. Just trying to dance and have a good time with my friends. Hopefully other patrons have better luck and more fun here than I did.

Ive seen a couple of shows here! fun little place! I like how there are 2 levels and the artists are at a very personal level with the crowd! Lots of room to dance but can become very crowded! They have an extra room to expand for bigger shows! lights are always great!

Great venue. I would come here for any show. Service great and reasonable prices. The place is spacious and well thought-out with great lighting, decorations and air quality.

Small little bar/lounge. Spacious yet cozy.

If you like a big dance party with a slightly older crowd (older meaning over 25) this is the place. Good music. Cool spot.

Super cool interior and great drinks. This is a great place to go see a show or dance your booty off. Great booking agents since this place seems to have so many great shows regularly.

Great dance club, ever changing music themes is great! Good cocktails, it would be great if they added more exotic cocktails and higher end seating.

Great dance club. Good mix of spaces- crowded central dance floor but also a nearby floor with enough space to bring out the bigger moves and feel less claustrophobic. People (including guests) were nice and chill.

Great venue for anything EDM. Saw Kasbo here and the vibe was great. Not too big of a venue, full bar (and water on tap which is huge), and the sound system is phenomenal. Would return in a second.

Cuzco I am older but it has a collective responsibility poeple policy and thats strange for Portly Portland and Ive been alarmed with the strange things that happened to me when I was cloacked in darkness

Gone here to dance quite a few times. Love the vibes and people that use the space for music. Bartenders are pretty nice. Food is good too!

Probably the most interesting club in Portland. Technically kinda a gay/lesbian club but really just an all around great club and great club experience. Very popular with people of all sorts of sexual orientations. Always great music, good decor and ambiance, interesting people.

Its a pretty cool club! Different events/covers per night, loud music, lots of people, and lots of drinks. Ive had a pretty solid experience each night that Ive been.

The door security is unbelievably rude and irrational. Kicked out someone who was using the atm inside to get cash for the $5 cover and told them they were trying to get in without paying and made them leave

This place would be in waaaay better shape without the door guy named J. He wears a hat and glasses. This dude has so many bad stories behind him. Please beware if you go to this club. Hes very likely to get overly active on checking girls and has the tendency to pretend to be the owner. Its amazing he still works here.

Everytime iv been here its been for some crazy dance party and I always have a good time. Big large space with lots of room for people watching and dancing. They throw good parties.

Good venue for 21 and up shows! Not so good for all age shows. Venue has some good artists come thru. The bartenders were awesome and holocene attracts a good-looking crowd. Sexy people everywhere.

I’m trying to understand how you have a bartender that thinks it’s acceptable in anyway to complain about a tip a friend gave him then later come to him outside to proceed to throw a temper tantrum about it?

Fun. Used to be very fun. Became quite a popular club but still a great time

Well run night club. Reasonable cover charge, music is usually pretty good (lots of electronic DJs), and prices on drinks are fair. Nice that you dont have to pay for parking in the SE (if you happen to drive :)

This place is garbage. Literally go anywhere else.

Fun venue that hosts a lot of local events. Ive never been disappointed- just wish they had AC in the summer.

The atmosphere is fun and I find a lot of my friends here so thats nice. Some cool bands come through here too. BUT!!! As far as the drinks:The bar is too packed, no discernible line at all. I was standing at the bar and they actually helped people who arrived after me. So incredibly rude. And a double costs $10? Are you kidding me? This is Portland, and not downtown. I shouldnt have to pay more than $8 on a double well drink. Theres no reason to charge so much. If you do come and dont want to spend a fortune on getting tipsy, just be sure to get your drinks before you come here, bad service, high prices.

Pretty much guaranteed a good time at Holocene. They host great events here- Ive been to SLAY, Emo Nite, Dance Yourself Clean, 90s nights, and multiple concerts at Holocene, and they do a great job. Cover can get steep (by Portland standards) later at night, and they do sell out events, so plan to arrive by ten pm if you dont already have tickets for a well-hyped event. Many of their larger weekend shows have a free photo booth, as well as the private photo booth thats permanently near the main bar, which prints your photo strips on the spot. Another pro-- Sassys (the dive bar version of a strip club, in the best way) is right across the street, and is a great way to end a night of dancing.

I regularly attend events at Holocene, good atmosphere and good bartenders, you can actually get a Moscow mule here! good place for dancing

Fun times and good music.

Books a lot of great music, but doesnt sound so great - is very cramped... and the idea of playing 2 sets of PAs opposing from one another is a terrible one.

Cozy spot for small music events and other hipster gatherings

Slicked back hair bartender wouldnt serve me, Called my friend the N word and a f*****t. Couldnt believe the attitude of bartender. There is a white supremacists protest tonight, might play a factor.embarassed....

Why can’t I rate it 0 stars? Stayed 5 mins and got kicked out because of their slick haired bartender who is racist.

They were super rude and pretentious

Young. That is what I felt there. I thought that I was in a different place. I hipster place with a lot of hip young gay people! The DJ was horrible. Every song only lasted 45 seconds. Cut off in the middle of a line. It was odd.

The bar service, drink quality and price are not good so perhaps prefunk and just buy one or two srinks to support the place.... The only dance club you dont have to drive downtown for. Great atmosphere for *DANCING*. People go there to DANCE. Relaxed atmosphere. Though I cant figure out why they dont use the other better, bigger side with the small stage.

Bands look cool at Holoscene, but they only sound meh. They seem to get bands with great video shows though, so maybe you dont need good sound? Right?

Only been there a few times. It has a great musical atmosphere for trendy Portland artists. Also, Gaycation is a very fun time -- a change from the generic, over-enjoyed gay scene in Portland.

Been there for Moth a couple of times... Good drink choices and decent eats

This is a pretty great venue because of its location and its variety of events. It can get fairly busy on some of the more popular dance nights but it also hosts live performances by a variety of local and touring bands.

I cant give this place 5 stars because every night that is themed is always way more lackluster than advertised. For a Daft Punk tribute night, they may have played 3 DF songs the whole time? I was hoping maybe the DJs would have the helmets? Something in addition!While I like the music choice more than most places, Holocene always just slightly misses the mark.

Great place to dance, great venue with drinks A and great sheDjs.

This place is usually pretty packed. They have a variety of different dance nights during the month. Its loaded with a lot of young people, so if youre on the prowl, make sure he/she is legal.

Great night with 40 year celebration of Fleetwood Macs rumours album .. all great apart from over an hour q to get in...

Fun and hip place to go out and have a nice night with friends.

The music is not great in my experience. Drinks vary in quality based on the bartender. Clientele can be kind of rude. Main dance floor is kind of small.

Good club with different types of music being spun on different nights.

Great place to dance during the slay events. Really wished there was AC though.

Holocene is a great venue, but the performances can be hit or miss. The crowds can also be hit or miss. I have been to shows where the crowd and musician/s have been in sink and the place is hoping. On the other hand, there are nights were the crowd or the musician has sucked and it can throw off an otherwise good night.

Great Club but there are some pretty creepy guys there sometimes.

Holocene is where you go to dance. And for that it is good. Check their website or the Mercury, and make sure youre not so fashionably late that youre waiting forever in line to get in.Theres plenty of space to see or be seen, plenty of space to dance, and the crowd is far less douchy than the spots in Old Town.Drinks are crazy expensive for SE Portland/Buckman, and nothing special, so tie one on before or after.Parking is also weird in the area, but the #15 runs late into the night.

The lighting is really nice and downtempo here. it can get very crowded for some shows, making it hard to dance or carry your drink leaving only standing room. he downstairs area has plenty of room and couches to chill out on so you may want to plan on drinking outside the crowd. some of the more popular music comes to this location so show up early to ensure you get in.

Went for an art show and seemed to be a pretty cool venue. Never seems to be a popular or requested spot though.

Fun club with creative theme nights. Awesome happy hours.

Portland seems to love their large, open lounge type music venues. Nice bar staff, a coat rack for when you need it, and two different stages provide all the entertainment you could want.

Fun vanue. The DJs are always playing something worth dancing to.Friendly bartenders. Stiff drinks. Prices are reasonable.Keep an eye out for the DJs playing 90s music.

Great place for shows. Great bar staff and good beer selection.

Nice venue with horrible sound most shows. The sound girl desperately needs to outed be. Everytime I see shows here they sound sub-par and whats worse is that the musicians are constantly having to request sound changes, I went to a show tonight and two of the three bands made multiple requests to boost vocals on various members. A month ago I was at a show where the same sound girl was yelled at by the musician because she was so incompetent. REPLACE HER!

I dance here sometimes. I wish they never had 90s night. ugh.

I ordered a Gin Tonic, but got a Gin with tap water instead of tonic water. Afterwards I asked them why they gave me Gin with water and they said that this is their home brew tonic water but it was just normal tap water. Bad customer service of a bartender to lie and sell crappy drinks to your guests who are willing to spend money at your place.

Djs watching djs

Ive been to this place as a bar and as a wedding venuw.As a bar/club I think this place is awesome. They dont take themselves too seriously and the music is always good. They have a lot of different themed nights and different DJs come through so its always a different mix of people and music. The drinks are usually strong and they make specials that always seem to be sold out by the time I get in.As a wedding venue this place shocked me. During the place this place is super nice. Youd think that it was in bad shape after all the stuff that happens during the night but it cleans up super nice. There are little nuances in the decor that you dont notice during the night with all the lights off. Ive actually suggested to a cuple of my friends this place as a possible venue.

Cool dark broody spot in South East Portland but great shows and cool people most of the time.

Good local dance club. Very popular.

Bartenders make good drinks but service is slow. Nice place for watching a dance band.

Great place when theres good music, but tragically hipster the rest of the time.

Great venue with plenty of sound throughout the upper and lower stages. The only concern I have is the lack of trashcans.

Very good music venue, with good service.

Nice cider selections here. The music is usually too loud, but Im old, so what so I know.

Thats not the place that you want to have fun with friends. Im regret to come from Vancouver to this place.

Been fun every time. Then again I love to dance.Update: Wow my review has been three 3 years old now? I have to add more, since then Ive come back again and again, nearly every friday, because I love it. What has me coming back for more than just dancing with or without friends is the staff. They recognize you and treat you very well compared to other places in PDX. I feel communal there now. Im sad Im moving to Austin, will miss the place.Also I should mention, I see the other recent reviews about security, and I have to push back on that hard, in fact, that they have been extremely measured and fair me on more than several occasions. This is an actual issue with me, being a bigger guy who sweats and so while dancing at other places, Ive been kicked out accusing me of being too drunk because Im all sweaty. I read these other reviews and I laugh because no, Ive only seen them remove people who are in soar need of it. Im sad to see any bad reviews. They talk to you, they let you know, they dont just kick you out for no reason. They are also big with having LGBTQ events there. I honestly havent remembered everyones name, but everyones been there for a long time and have had no issues. I will miss you guys!

Cool and hipster with good bartenders, a photo booth, queer nights, and a great venue for live music.