The Brooklyn Mirage canceled its much-hyped reopening and a sold-out concert on Thursday night after it failed to meet city safety standards
In an Instagram post published shortly before DJ Sara Landry was set to take the stage, the Mirage said it had run into trouble with its final city inspection, and would be forced to cancel the show.
“We want to be clear: the venue is show ready and the New Mirage has been built to exacting safety, structural, mechanical and technical specifications,” the post reads. “However, we were not able to meet the final inspection deadline today. Abiding by all appropriate city, local and building authorities is paramount to our core value.”
The venue promised all ticket holders a full refund, and said the status of the May 2 concert was up in the air — but that it would give an update “as soon as information becomes available with respect to final inspection and signoffs.”
City records show that three construction permits issued by the Department of Buildings had been placed “On Hold” pending administrative action on April 30 and May 1.
Reached for comment, the DOB referred Brooklyn Paper to City Hall. A spokesperson there said officials city officials “cannot endanger New Yorkers by allowing them to enter a venue without a permit.”
“Our administration has been in ongoing communication with the owners of the Brooklyn Mirage to ensure their site meets the necessary structural and safety codes,” the spox said. “Unfortunately, the venue does not currently meet the standards required for either a permanent or temporary structure.”
The representative said all events scheduled at the Brooklyn Mirage through the weekend would be canceled, and that nothing would go forward at the venue “until we have deemed the site is safe and properly permitted.” Attempting to throw a concert without proper permits, the City Hall spox said, would result in penalties. In past years, Mayor Eric Adams has defended the Brooklyn Mirage and its parent company, Avant Gardner.
The infamous Bushwick music venue closed for renovations months ago, and promised to “re-emerge” on May 1 with “groundbreaking” new technology, a larger dance floor, and state-of-the-art sound systems. But as the reopening date drew closer, locals began to doubt the venue would be ready in time — sharing videos and photos on social media that showed cranes and construction equipment still inside what looked like an active construction site just days before the promised opening.
The new structures inside the venue were largely prefabricated — in an April 26 interview with BK Mag, Avant Gardner CEO Josh Wyatt said it was “the most sophisticated prefabricated wood structure ever built in the United States.”
In social media posts and interviews, the Mirage insisted it would be ready in time. In a TikTok video posted on Thursday morning, Wyatt said he “can’t wait for [guests] to show up on May 1 at the new Mirage.”
Ravers lambasted the venue online.
“Everyone called it. Everyone saw it coming,” one person wrote in an Instagram comment. “Yet you still assured ravers that the venue would be ready … just to cancel in the final hour.”
“Always making promises you guys cannot keep and cancel it at the same day of show,” another said.
The Brooklyn Mirage said it took “full responsibility” for the last-minute cancellation.
“This isn’t about construction, but compliance,” the venue wrote. “We’re working closely with city officials and will continue to be transparent throughout this process. Thank you for your trust, your patience, and your continued support.”
Avant Gardner and the Brooklyn Mirage have a long history of issues. The team behind the venues also runs the Electric Zoo festival, which was heavily criticized in 2023 after it apparently oversold the show by thousands of tickets and failed to finish constructing stages on time. Many people involved with the festival have sued Avant Gardner for allegedly failing to pay them for their services.
Avant Gardner had also been involved in a yearlong struggle with the State Liquor Authority, which raised concerns over multiple deaths and drug use at the facility. In 2023, a security firm appointed by the SLA to monitor Avant Gardner sued the facility for alleged breach of contract and defamation. The same year, two men were found dead in the nearby Newtown Creek after leaving Brooklyn Mirage.
Wyatt took over as CEO last fall, and in an open letter released a few months later, promised to revive the Brooklyn Mirage as a “world class music and dance experience underpinned by extraordinary design and hospitality.”
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
