Avant Gardner Files for Bankruptcy After Months of Canceled Shows

Avant Gardner venues Great Hall and Kings Hall will continue to operate while the company restructures through Chapter 11 proceedings.

At the beginning of May, The Brooklyn Mirage was forced to cancel its grand opening on the day of the event. Three months later, not one of its scheduled events has taken place as planned. The financial strain of such ongoing setbacks has now prompted its parent company, Avant Gardner, to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

In a statement that reads more like legalese than Avant Gardner’s typically personable communications, the company has “voluntarily filed for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code.” In most cases, businesses file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy when they want to restructure without liquidating their assets — although liquidation is still sometimes the end result of the proceedings.

Avant Gardner venues Great Hall and Kings Hall will continue to operate through the process. “The decision to file for Chapter 11 relief follows several months of financial distress, culminating with Avant Gardner being unable to open its newly constructed Mirage event space for the 2025 season,” reads the statement. “Many of the Mirage shows are being moved to the Great Hall or otherwise relocated for the remainder of 2025.”

Newly appointed CEO Gary Richards said of the decision, “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. Everyone I speak to has had the best sets and very special memories at the Brooklyn Mirage.”

“Two months ago I was brought in as CEO to rebuild the Company’s culture and turn the business around,” Richards continued. “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.”

Among the canceled Brooklyn Mirage shows are events headlined by artists like Sara Landry, Sammy Virji, Camelphat, Rezz, Lee Burridge, The Chainsmokers, and Excision. It remains to be seen whether the venue will ever reopen in any official capacity.