Brooklyn Mirage files for demolition following permit and financial issues
Credit: Chris Lavado
East Williamsburg’s Brooklyn Mirage, the outdoor music venue that canceled its entire summer lineup amid permit issues and bankruptcy, may be closing permanently. As first reported by The Real Deal, the venue’s operator has filed full demolition permits for the roughly 32,000-square-foot venue, part of its larger Avant Gardner complex. The company filed for bankruptcy in August, citing “several months of financial distress,” exacerbated by the Mirage’s failed reopening, scheduled for May following a major renovation and called off just hours before.
In 2024, the Brooklyn Mirage closed for renovations that included upgraded sound systems, a larger dance floor, and other improvements. But just before its scheduled May 1 reopening, the venue announced that the show would be canceled. According to the Brooklyn Paper, it had missed its inspection deadline, and the Department of Buildings withheld its temporary occupancy certificate.
Although the Mirage applied for the permit annually, the DOB told the Brooklyn Paper that the venue not only failed to meet permitting guidelines but was also deemed unsafe.
A month later, Brooklyn Mirage CEO Josh Wyatt, who was brought on to help rebrand Avant Gardner, was fired less than nine months into the role. Wyatt had previously told Brooklyn Magazine that the Mirage would “100 percent” be open for its May 1 show. The company then brought on Gary Richards as its new CEO.
In August 2025, Avant Gardner filed for bankruptcy, stating that it planned to enter into a “stalking horse” purchase agreement in which the company sells its assets to an entity formed and controlled by its existing lender.
Court filings revealed that the Mirage project was “beset by delays and cost overruns,” prompting the company to spend “significant resources” and enter into high-interest financing arrangements to complete the renovations, as 6sqft previously reported. The company secured several loans and cash advances, including a $1.5 million loan for “improvements to the property.”
Avant Gardner had also faced fines connected to drug use and safety issues at the venue, including several overdose deaths, one of which involved a victim who reportedly purchased drugs from someone inside the venue, according to Gothamist. Two concertgoers were also found dead in nearby Newton Creek after attending events at the venue in 2023.
The company was also behind the failed 2023 Electric Zoo festival, which ended in a class-action lawsuit after the first day was abruptly canceled and some attendees were denied entry.
Avant Gardner owes more than $155 million in “funded secured debt obligations,” or debt tied to assets. It also owes $6.5 million in taxes and roughly $800,000 in employee wages, contractor obligations, and other labor-related expenses.
These debts include over $6 million owed to various live event companies, with about $2.1 million payable to HEINI, a construction firm known for designing and building venues such as Central Park SummerStage and the South Street Seaport’s Pier 17.
There is no timeline listed on the demolition permit, and it remains unclear whether the filing signals the permanent closure of the Brooklyn Mirage or the start of a new project on the site.
Avant Gardner previously stated on Instagram that with the hiring of Richards as CEO, the company aimed to stabilize its finances and “bring the Mirage back for 2026 and beyond.”
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