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It’s official: The Brooklyn Mirage is going dark for the rest of 2025—and possibly beyond.
Avant Gardner, the parent company behind the sprawling East Williamsburg nightlife complex, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, following a chaotic summer that saw the highly anticipated reopening of its flagship outdoor venue implode before the season even began.
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Originally slated to debut its revamped space with a May 1 set from techno star Sara Landry, the Mirage never got past the front gates. Hours before doors were supposed to open, the company canceled the show and issued refunds, citing a missed inspection deadline. “The venue is show ready,” they insisted on Instagram at the time, but TikTok sleuths and frustrated fans pointed out the floors weren’t even poured yet.
Now, three months later, the Mirage is shuttered, the CEO has been replaced, and Avant Gardner has filed for bankruptcy protection in Delaware court. The company owes more than $10 million to various vendors, including a whopping $1.8 million to DJ Black Coffee’s entertainment company, and holds as much as $500 million in liabilities against less than $100 million in assets.
In a public statement Monday, new CEO Gary Richards—brought in two months ago to stabilize the company—called the bankruptcy “the most viable path forward” after “catastrophic” financial fallout from the Mirage’s failure to open. “Everyone I speak to has had the best sets and very special memories at the Brooklyn Mirage,” Richards said. “I believe this Chapter 11 restructuring is the most viable path forward.”
The Mirage’s closure also comes amid ongoing scrutiny over the venue’s safety and culture. In 2023, two concertgoers died after separate events at the site, prompting widespread criticism and raising questions about drug use and emergency access at the venue’s industrial, off-the-beaten-path location.
Avant Gardner’s two indoor venues, Kings Hall and Great Hall, will remain operational during the restructuring, and some Mirage events are being relocated there. But for those hoping to party under the open-air skyline this summer, it’s not happening.
What started in 2017 as a pop-up rave paradise has now hit pause indefinitely. Whether Brooklyn Mirage can ever bounce back remains to be seen. For now, your next night out will have to be under someone else’s lasers.