New live music and arts venue coming to Sunset Park’s Bush Terminal
Photos by Max Kütz
Bush Terminal in Sunset Park is set to add a state-of-the-art live music and arts venue, the latest step in its transformation into a creative hub. The city’s Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) last week announced a partnership with the founders of Gowanus’ Public Records music venue to bring a 1,000-capacity space to MADE Bush Terminal’s Building A. Slated to open in late 2026, the venue will host live performances, large-scale art exhibitions, and a variety of public and private events, advancing the revitalization of the 20-acre waterfront campus.
Short for Manufacturers, Artisans, Designers, and Entrepreneurs (MADE), Bush Terminal has become a hub for innovation, small business, and cultural activity. The sprawling campus includes 140,000 square feet of modern manufacturing space, 30,000 square feet of cultural and public programming space, and five acres of new parkland and open space.
The new partnership supports EDC’s efforts to create inclusive community spaces across the city. Under EDC’s leadership, Public Service, the creative studio behind Public Records, will deliver the same curated programming that has made their flagship venue a success.
Public Service is spearheading the project in collaboration with MADE’s project-wide architects nArchitects, engineering firm ARUP, and lighting designer Ben Kreukniet of BK Studio.
“We’re honored to partner with NYCEDC and support their vision to bring new cultural infrastructure to South Brooklyn. Our creative practice is particularly inspired by opportunities to re-envision and re-enliven historic spaces through design, hospitality, and artistic curation,” Shane Davis, co-founder of Public Records, said.
“To do so in concert with a project dedicated to supporting the greater arts and production community in New York aligns perfectly with our organizational interests and aspirations.”
The venue also complements the city’s “Harbor of the Future” initiative, which invests in Brooklyn’s waterfront while supporting local job creation, fostering community partnerships, and reinforcing the borough’s role as a hub for innovation.
In 2017, former Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to transform Bush Terminal with a $136 million investment. The project restored several city-owned industrial buildings on the campus to serve as a manufacturing hub for the garment industry, as well as film and TV studios.
In 2020, Steiner Studios was selected to open a major film and TV production facility at the MADE campus. The 500,000-square-foot space marks the studio’s second Brooklyn location, joining its 50-acre site at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which has operated since 2004 and is one of the largest production facilities outside Hollywood.
Future plans for the campus include five additional acres of public waterfront space, new food and beverage vendors, and a ferry landing to better connect Sunset Park to the rest of the city.
NYCEDC currently has a request for proposals open for an anchor food and beverage concession in the campus’s Café Building, with submissions due by January 30, 2026, at 4 p.m.
“MADE Bush Terminal is redefining what a modern manufacturing and creative district can be while breathing new life into a historic space,” NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball said.
“With the team behind Public Records, we are building on this momentum through a new dynamic music and arts venue that truly exemplifies MADE’s role in New York City’s future cultural landscape—a place where world-class design and local entrepreneurship come together to revitalize Sunset Park’s industrial waterfront and create a thriving ecosystem for creativity, innovation, and growth.”
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