EDM Power House Brooklyn Mirage Facing Uncertain Future — What We Know About the Owners

In the world of EDM, there are a few venues around the world that are known to be the venues to attend. For New Yorkers, that venue was supposed to be the Brooklyn Mirage.

The sprawling venue has everything EDM crowds need: space, height, acoustics, and reputation.

But an issue with the venue's parent company and what was supposed to be a temporary closure has turned its future uncertain, leaving EDM fans frustrated and wondering what's going to happen to one of the most coveted "places to be" in the Northeastern U.S. EDM scene.

Here's what we know about who owns the Brooklyn Mirage and whether or not the venue is closing.

The Brooklyn Mirage is owned by Avant Gardner, with the board recently tapping Gary Richards to be the company's CEO (via Stereogum). Previously, Richards served as the company's non-executive chairman. Richards, also known as DJ Destructo, was overheard discussing the company's financial woes as it wrestles with what the future of Brooklyn Mirage looks like, according to Brooklyn Magazine.

The outlet reports that an eyewitness shared, "I was literally in the restaurant and he was sitting at the table right next to me. It was pure chance. I was looking at them the whole night, talking about how they want to sell Avant Gardner because it’s bleeding money, that they’re looking to get a buyer, but it’s impossible right now.”

Avant Gardner encompasses three separate venues in the East Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, including The Great Hall, Kings Hall, and of course, the Brooklyn Mirage. At least, for now.

On Aug. 4, 2025, Avant Gardner released a statement on their website explaining that they were filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. During the process, the statement explained, "Avant Gardner’s Great Hall and Kings Hall event venues are to remain open and operating as usual," adding that the two venues will be "continuing to serve the vibrant community of artists and fans that have made Avant Gardner a world-class performance destination."

Richards added in the statement, "The Avant Gardner event complex is a truly special music venue that has provided cutting edge experiences over the years for artists and fans from all around the globe," he added, "two months ago I was brought in as CEO to rebuild the Company’s culture and turn the business around. I believe this Chapter 11 restructuring is the most viable path forward — it will allow us to stabilize Avant Gardner and focus on building for the future.”

But what does that mean for the Brooklyn Mirage? The venue has been closed for most of 2025 and was slated for a Summer 2025 reopening following massive renovations. However, the New York Post notes that reopening is now being pushed back to Summer 2026.

So while the Brooklyn Mirage is closed for 2025 and for an undetermined amount of time in 2026, the plan is to eventually re-open it, as of now.

However, the venue is fighting more than just financial woes. It faced criticism and scrutiny after two ravers were found dead near the venue in 2023, and has faced accusations of being a safe harbor for hard drug usage, per the NY Post.

It seems likely that the company's choice to elevate Richards to CEO was in the hope of re-imagining the Brooklyn Mirage's reputation and giving it a fresh start. Unfortunately, finances seem to be in the way of making that happen.

While anything can happen during Chapter 11, the plan, for now, is to open the doors again in 2026.