If techno fans wrote science fiction, they’d probably conjure up something close to the Brooklyn Mirage. The mammoth outdoor venue, located in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is something like an underground dance music fan’s daydream.

The four-story castle-like structure, engineered by Swiss promoters Cityfox, holds up to 6,000 guests and has already attracted some of Europe’s finest talent like Tale of Us, Recondite, Anja Schneider and more. The structure serves as the outdoor component of Avant Gardner, an 80,000-square-foot events complex.

 

Walking into Cityfox’s oasis feels wonderfully anachronistic. Palm trees and large arch ways adorn the entrance, giving the venue a traditional and classic feel. Upon entering the massive dancefloor, however, the setting suddenly transforms into an intensely modern spectacle. With crisp KV2 Audio — the kind that powers Broadway plays and international festivals — and towering visualizers with high res projection mapping covering every wall, it’s the kind of immersive environment that is usually reserved for high-end festival experiences.

Yet here’s the thing: it’s not a one-off festival experience. This is a permanent venue in New York City. And perhaps that’s what makes the Brooklyn Mirage so compelling: the sheer absurdity of it all. Here is a gargantuan outdoor venue in the industrial corridor of Williamsburg operating til early in the morning (4:30am to be precise), and booking authentic house and techno acts — i.e. not compromising or watering down their brand.

 

On the night Dancing Astronaut attended, for instance, Cityfox hosted a joint party with Listed Productions, featuring a slew of PLAY veterans like Atish, Jozif, Doc Martin, and German standout Anja Schneider. While all reputable names undoubtedly, it’s not the kind of bill one might expect when trying to pack a 6,000 cap venue for a 14-hour party. Yet by 2am, the party was still packed with thousands of guests. Clearly, the Brooklyn Mirage and Cityfox crew are onto something.

Much like its namesake, the outdoor parties of the Brooklyn Mirage are ephemeral, running for only a brief summer stint. After just opening doors on July 1, the final Cityfox Experience party of the summer and the closing event for the Mirage will take place on September 30 with Ame, Mathew Jonson and more. Before that, Cityfox will host Space Knights II with Job Jobse, Ruede Hagelstein, Atish and more on September 9.

Tickets for all of the Brooklyn Mirage’s upcoming parties are available here.

Photos by Dean McColl.

Tags: brooklyn, Brooklyn Mirage, CityFox, cityfox experience, New York

Categories: Features