Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg to Lose Its Lease at End of 2026

The Music Hall of Williamsburg, a cornerstone of New York's live music scene for twenty years, will be forced to vacate its longtime home at the end of 2026. According to an internal memo from promoter The Bowery Presents obtained by Variety, the lease for the venue at 66 North Sixth Street will not be renewed, leaving its future beyond that date uncertain. The 650-capacity hall, which originally opened as the smaller club Northsix, will continue to host concerts through the end of 2025.

In the memo, Bowery Presents co-partners Jim Glancy and John Moore reflected on the venue's pivotal role. They first opened the Music Hall in September 2007, a time when Williamsburg, Brooklyn was undergoing a significant cultural renaissance. The venue quickly became a foundational space for artist development, hosting early-career shows for acts like Mumford & Sons, Tame Impala, and Ed Sheeran, many of whom later graduated to arenas. It also gained notoriety for legendary "underplay" surprise shows by major stars such as Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles, and Coldplay. Industry experts note that the loss of such mid-sized, acoustically celebrated rooms creates a critical gap for artists building a fanbase. "Venues like Music Hall of Williamsburg are the proving grounds where musical identities are forged in front of a live audience," explains music historian Dr. Lena Shaw. "Their disappearance disrupts the essential pipeline of talent development."

The Bowery Presents, a dominant force in Northeast concert promotion, began in 2004 by producing shows at Manhattan staples like Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge before expanding into Brooklyn. The company expressed gratitude for its tenure at the Williamsburg location and its staff, while reaffirming its commitment to finding new spaces for live music. The memo did not specify the building owner's plans for the property, nor did it confirm if the Music Hall of Williamsburg name would relocate or cease operations entirely.

For now, the focus is on celebrating the venue's legacy. "Music Hall of Williamsburg is a special place to all of us at Bowery," Glancy and Moore wrote. "Let’s make our final year on North 6th Street one to remember." The announcement marks the potential end of an era for a neighborhood that has transformed dramatically since the venue's arrival, underscoring the ongoing pressures facing independent cultural spaces in rapidly developing cities.