Holocene is a music venue and nightclub located in the Buckman neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. The venue was first opened for the public in June 2003, and it is known as a former auto-parts warehouse with an industrial, modern interior. The venue hosts several events every year in different categories. After hosting a wide variety of events, the Holocene has been named the city’s “Best Place to Dance” by William Week readers in 2017.
Holocene was dedicated to representing the avant-garde vibe of the Portland art and music scene. The venue is situated on 5,000 square-feet with two large rooms, a bar, and high ceilings. It is a sunken dance floor that has been described as a living room amid a gritty industrial loft.
There is a large number of notable musicians who have performed at the Holocene, including Snail Mail, Sasha Sloan, Shy Girls, Milk & Bone, Japanese Breakfast, Chuck Inglish, Tommy Genesis, Future Generations, Duckwrth, Matthew Dear, Crumb, Clairo, Kadhja Bonet, Ryan Beatty, Beach Fossils, Au/Ra, Lauren Aquilina, and Against the Current.
Holocene hosts some major monthly events such as “Stay” and “Double Down.” In mid – 2010, the venue hosted the “Ping Pong Pandemonium Party,” where the famous participants were Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney, Fred Armisen, and Carrie Brownstein. In 2019, the Holocene hosted Girl Fest. It is also a venue that took part in screening films as part of the Portland Oregon Women’s Film Festival.