Brooklyn Promoters Reapply For Liquor License

Party promoters in Brooklyn reapplied for the liquor license to their proposed 6,000-capacity venue in the East Williamsburg neighborhood following multiple run-ins with local authorities.

Billy Bildstein and other promoters who put on CityFox EDM events in the city are trying to open a new venue at 111 Gardner Ave. Bildstein spoke before Brooklyn’s Community Board 1 Feb. 15, saying, “I want to apologize to you, the community, about many things we could have done,” according to DNAInfo.com.

The list of things the promoter is referencing with that statement runs long. CityFox first ran afoul of regulators when it attempted to host a Halloween party in a former plastic factory housing toxic materials in 2015.

That event was reportedly shut down the day of the event before the party got under way. The developer that owned that site was fined $150,000. Despite apologizing on Facebook and claiming it was unaware of the hazardous materials housed in the venue, CityFox apparently ran afoul of local government, as it was hosting parties at 99 Scott St. with only a catering permit. When Bildstein and co. opened the building on Gardner Ave. as Brooklyn Mirage last year, they did so without a liquor license and local officials seized all of their alcohol.

After a period of hosting dry shows, the Department of Buildings ordered owners to vacate the building for what were deemed unsafe conditions related to lighting and exit signs.

After the initial issues were addressed, DNAInfo.com reported the building was shut down a second time for what appeared to be structurally unsound platforms and decks, gas piping installed without a permit, the use of extension cords rather than permanent wiring, and other safety-related concerns. An official decision on whether Brooklyn Mirage can have its liquor license will be taken at a board meeting March 14.