After struggling with failed safety inspections and financial turmoil throughout 2025, Brooklyn Mirage, the popular outdoor electronic music venue in East Williamsburg, now faces complete demolition.
The venue filed a $1.5 million demolition permit on October 10, 2025, for its 32,000-square-foot, three-story temporary structure, marking what appears to be the final chapter in its troubled recent history. Avant Gardner has maintained complete silence regarding their future operations since canceling Memorial Day Weekend programming on May 20.
The New York Department of Buildings deemed the venue structurally unsafe earlier this year, failing multiple fire safety inspections that prevented its planned May 1 reopening. Despite ambitious renovation plans featuring a 270-degree LED screen with 30,000 resolution and three levels of dance floors, the venue never managed to secure the necessary Temporary Place of Assembly certificate to welcome back its devoted electronic music fans.
These operational challenges triggered a devastating financial domino effect for parent company AGDP Holding, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware this August. The company cited a staggering $155.3 million in funded debt obligations, with the bankruptcy filing explicitly naming the venue’s extended closure as a primary cause of its liquidity crisis.
The venue’s prolonged shutdown plunged AGDP Holding into bankruptcy, drowning under $155.3 million in debt obligations.
The closure forced the cancellation of the venue’s entire 2025 season, including headliner performances by techno artist Sara Landry. Many events were quietly relocated to Avant Gardner’s smaller spaces—the Great Hall and Kings Hall—which have remained operational despite the financial turbulence. Artists scheduled to perform may still receive compensation through performance royalties collected and distributed by PROs if their music continues to be played at other venues. Performers affected by the cancellations are now exploring alternative sync deals to recover lost income by licensing their music for television and film projects.
Leadership instability compounded these troubles, with CEO Josh Wyatt departing in May amid mounting criticism over misleading reopening timelines. Gary Richards stepped in as interim CEO but faced the impossible task of righting a sinking ship. The leadership transition occurred as the venue was struggling with operational challenges that ultimately proved insurmountable.
The DOB ultimately ordered Brooklyn Mirage to either completely renovate to meet code compliance or demolish the structure. With bankruptcy protections in place but finances stretched thin, the demolition permit signals the venue chose the latter option.
The permit filing, however, provides no indication of future plans for the site, leaving the once-vibrant cornerstone of New York City’s electronic music scene facing an uncertain future.
