Where to Party in Portland: The City’s 7 Best Queer AF Monthly Events
Portland, Oregon, has a handful of really great gay bars, like friendly neighborhood social bar Scandals, the increasingly mixed dance floor at CC Slaughter’s, cruisy weekend nights at the Eagle and regular live performances at Crush Bar. But every local knows that while the bars are great, it’s all about the monthly Portland gay events and recurring Portland gay parties. So we had some Portlanders tell us about the best ones to hit up.
Here are 7 great recurring Portland gay events and Portland gay parties:
1. Blowpony
Since 2007 Blowpony has prided itself on being an event that pulls queer artists, activists, adults and allies in for a safe, welcoming and loving party environment. These events have a mix of fluid sexuality and gender, including busted art queens, bearded trans men, busty butch women, big-bodied go-go dancers, leather vamps and more. You’re also likely to see a memorable onstage performance or art installation alongside famous drag performers and queer musical guests. It’s hella fun.
2. Bearracuda Portland
The Portland incarnation of this international gay dance party brings big and burly boys for some bass, booze, bouncing and bearhugs. This Portland gay party regularly brings in drag performers, multiple DJs and the occasional celebrity or porn star. Also, the event itself is cruisy AF, so if you’re looking to get some touch, your odds of getting lucky are pretty good.
3. Lumbertwink
Although its title is deliberately targeted at the young, slim and woodsy crowd, Lumbertwink is a friendly yet cruisy mixer for twinks, hairy men and their admirers. Even cooler, these Portland gay events usually include great DJs, drag guests, go-go dancers, LGBTQ community organizations and even food.
4. Flaggers PDX
Part erotic TED Talk, part sex party, Flaggers tries to bring BDSM newcomers and experienced members of the leather community together for instructional hands-on workshops on everything from rope bondage, fisting, polyamory, kink communication and watersports to “domination on a dime.” After the workshop, descend into the dungeon to try your new skills firsthand with some friends and helpful guides.
These events are predominantly for men (including masculine, feminine, gender non-conforming, trans or pup), but anyone who attends won’t feel unwelcome.
5. Sugar Town
At this chill, recurring soul dance party for the LGBTQ community and its allies, DJ Action Slacks and friends spin the best vintage tunes as well as R&B, pop, rockabilly and garage grooves that you’ve probably never heard. Part of the party’s aim is to “draw people out of their homes, away from their devices, and into a live social situation in which they can have a positive common experience.” DJ Action Slacks says, “Music builds community. Music makes memories.”
6. Club Kai Kai
Even though “kai kai” refers to sex between drag queens, this event isn’t a drag show. Its organizers describe it as “a get yourself wet, dance-heavy party, with impromptu drag performances” with experimentations in nightlife, performance and gender preference. Veteran Drag Race queens and fierce national performers regularly make star appearances, donning their best duds for sickening musical slays.
7. Pants Off Dance Off PDX
This clothing-optional monthly dance party is open to all genders and body types and forbids use of cell phones (to avoid nonconsensual nude pics). But while there’s always an open bar, a bangin’ DJ and it’s a sex-positive party, it’s not really a sex party (though we hear that some arousal inevitably happens on and off the dance floor).
What do you think of these Portland gay parties and Portland gay events? Did we miss any good ones? Sound off in the comments.
Featured image via Blowpony
