Brooklyn Mirage suddenly cancels opening weekend over safety concerns: ‘cannot endanger New Yorkers'

New York Post

02-05-2025

The real mirage was the promises made.
The Brooklyn Mirage canceled its highly anticipated four-show summer opening weekend Friday because the controversial venue failed to meet city safety standards.
The open-air concert hall — which has been haunted by the deaths of two ravers — was unable to secure permits to operate, the venue's operators said, as construction crews could be seen working at the site.
The news of the weekend cancellations came after the Mirage suddenly canceled a sold-out Thursday show just before a DJ was set to hit the stage.
3 The Brooklyn Mirage suddenly canceled its four-show weekend after failing to secure proper permits.
instagram/brooklynmirage
'We know this is disappointing news. While we are working 24/7 on the solution, we want to first and foremost send a sincere apology to the fans, artists, crew members, and hundreds of employees who will bring Mirage to life each night,' Brooklyn Mirage said in a statement.
'We are actively collaborating with a wide range of city officials to meet all requirements, and we look forward to opening as soon as possible.'
The Brooklyn Mirage, in conjunction with the venue's operator Avant Gardner, announced the previous afternoon that its first show of the season had been canceled — despite sharing an Instagram post hours earlier that the DJ set by Sara Landry, a Netherlands-based techno artist, was on schedule.
The party organizers, who were also behind the disastrous 2023 Ezoo festival, claimed the cancellation had nothing to do with the dozens of construction workers who were crawling around what looked like an active site that morning, but rather with its inability to acquire the proper permits.
3 The concert venue looked to be still under active construction Thursday afternoon.
Brigitte Stelzer
According to City Hall, the Brooklyn Mirage was in no position to let ravers inside its doors this weekend.
'Our administration has been in ongoing communication with the owners of the Brooklyn Mirage to ensure their site meets the necessary structural and safety codes. Unfortunately, the venue does not currently meet the standards required for either a permanent or temporary structure,' a spokesperson told The Post.
All foreseeable events would be canceled 'until we have deemed the site is safe and properly permitted,' the representative continued, stating that the city 'cannot endanger New Yorkers by allowing them to enter a venue without a permit.'
When pressed for specifics, City Hall referred The Post to the Brooklyn Mirage, which diverted all questions to its social media statement.
The fate of the remaining 70 shows on its summer lineup, which includes shows by Tiesto and the Chainsmokers, remains unclear.
In her own social media post, Landry said the news was 'heartbreaking' — but somehow managed to move Thursday's show to the nearby Knockdown Center, though at a limited capacity, and scheduled a makeup show for Friday afternoon at the neighboring Brooklyn Storehouse.
The Brooklyn Mirage had been undergoing extensive renovations for several months, with new CEO Josh Wyatt promising to revive the storied venue as a 'world-class music and dance experience underpinned by extraordinary design and hospitality.'
The project was repeatedly delayed, with city records showing that the Department of Buildings placed three construction permits 'on hold' between April 30 and May 1 alone.
3 DJ Sara Landry was scheduled to be the first concert of the season.
instagram/saralandryd
Dozens of construction workers were still toiling away at the site on Thursday evening, reminding ravers of the disastrous 2023 Ezoo festival in which organizers — the same people behind Brooklyn Mirage — oversold tickets, but neglected to finish constructing the stage in time for the three-day concert.
Avant Gardner was later sued by crews for allegedly not paying them for their services.
That same summer, two men who went missing at the Brooklyn Mirage were found dead in a nearby creek, igniting rumours of a rave killer.
The deaths of Karl Clemente and John Castic, both 27, were ruled to be drownings, with the medical examiner saying Clemente's death was accidental but Castic's was 'undetermined.'