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The Brooklyn Mirage remains closed after building inspectors declined to grant the recently renovated facility a permit to open on Friday (May 2) for the first of two back-to-back concerts by Sara Landry.
Sources monitoring the situation say Mirage officials were given a list of fixes that needed to be completed for the club to open following an extensive renovation at the venue complex Avant Garner, which includes the 80,000-square-foot, 6,000-capacity Williamsburg nightclub. Widely recognized as one of the top stops in New York for electronic and dance acts, the Mirage had operated for years with the support of New York Mayor Eric Adams, whose office has intervened on Avant Gardner’s behalf as part of an ongoing legal fight with New York’s State Liquor Authority (SLA). An Avant Gardner representative declined to comment on the proposed fixes.

The SLA threatened to revoke the Brooklyn Mirage’s liquor license several times in the past and convened a meeting that included representatives from the governor’s office to settle the dispute. Such high-placed help has been absent during this latest debacle, which has left the Mirage unable to open and facing the possibility of further cancellations as soon as Friday (May 9), when Loud Luxury is scheduled to perform at the facility.

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“We are doing everything in our power to get back on track — safely and in full compliance — as soon as possible,” reads a statement from Avant Gardener on the Brooklyn Mirage website.

At issue are new design elements at the Mirage, which is said to be one of the largest prefabricated timber structures ever built, at 65 feet high. The venue includes a wraparound LED wall with more than 3,000 LED panels; a fully kinetic shutter system; an L-Acoustics sound system with more than 100 speakers and subwoofers; a 90-foot stage; and 20,000 tons of rigging capacity. Crews have also expanded the space by adding three VIP mezzanines and two general admission dance floors.

“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,” wrote Mirage officials in an Instagram post. “However, we were not able to meet the final inspection deadline.”

“This isn’t about construction, but compliance,” the post continued. “We’re working closely with city officials and will continue to be transparent throughout this process.”

The Mirage closed months ago with Avant Gardner’s new CEO, Josh Wyatt, promising to reopen the club on Thursday (May 1) after expanding its dance floor from a 5,500-person capacity to 6,250. As the opening date approached, videos and pictures of the renovation project started appearing online, with many fans openly questioning whether the venue would meet its deadline.

Wyatt took over as CEO last fall, and, in an open letter released a few months later, he promised to revive the Brooklyn Mirage as a “world class music and dance experience underpinned by extraordinary design and hospitality.”