Live Music Venues in Brooklyn, NY

Brooklyn's largest queer-owned venue in a 10,000 sq ft Bushwick brewery. Three spaces, an outdoor stage, drag stars from RuPaul's Drag Race, and 650-person capacity. Essential for artists who value a safe, celebratory, and fully inclusive crowd.

A Bushwick bar, restaurant, and venue booking live music and events Tuesday through Sunday, with Monday reserved for karaoke. A neighborhood room with a rotating cast of regulars who know the bartenders by name and come out for the music because the music is worth coming out for.

Brooklyn Academy of Music, a 150-year-old Fort Greene institution with multiple venues including the 2,100-cap Howard Gilman Opera House and intimate BAM Fisher. Philip Glass, Pina Bausch, and Peter Brook have all performed here. A presenting partnership signals serious artistic standing.

A 280-cap Williamsburg venue in a former hot dog factory since 2013. Billie Eilish, SZA, Lorde, and David Byrne all played early sets here. NYT called it a 'Wes Anderson mother ship.' Latin food, a motorized wall, and 7-night programming make this an essential indie stop.

Natural wine, live jazz, films, coffee, bites, and a backyard in Bushwick. Bad Therapy books live music any night of the week in a room that feels genuinely personal, with a crowd that drinks well and listens carefully.

A 60-cap bar and performance space in Park Slope's South Slope, Barbès has been one of NYC's most beloved world and jazz rooms since 2002. Back room shows run nightly, covering everything from Balkan brass and Afrobeat to klezmer and experimental jazz, with no attitude and great drinks.

A 120-cap Prospect Heights western bar that brings cowboy culture to Brooklyn with live country, Americana, and roots music, full cocktails, and an aesthetic commitment to the genre that the crowd absolutely shares. If you play country, this is one of NYC's most authentic rooms for it.

A 600-cap Williamsburg institution: 16 bowling lanes, live music, Blue Ribbon food, and LEED Gold certification under one roof. Brooklyn Bowl has hosted Grammy winners and breakthrough artists alike, booking shows 7 nights a week in one of Brooklyn's most recognizable mid-large rooms.

A CUNY campus in Flatbush with an active Student Government and Campus Activities Board booking concerts, comedy, and cultural events for a diverse student body of 16,000. College shows here reach a community audience well beyond the typical indie music circle. Events hosted by Brooklyn College are often held throughout Brooklyn at local venues

An annual three-day roots gathering at St. Ann's Church (800 cap) in Downtown Brooklyn, curated by the Jalopy Theatre community. Pokey LaFarge, Bonnie Prince Billy, and R. Crumb's East River String Band have all appeared. Workshops, jams, and square dances round out the calendar.

A 74-cap indie recording studio, venue, and livestream space giving local and global acts a platform to perform and get heard. Recording, streaming, and live shows all happen under one roof, making BMK a strong choice for artists who want their Brooklyn performance documented and shared.

A 125-cap Bed-Stuy bar, lounge, gallery, and live arts space with a 1970s New York soul. C'mon books jazz, hip-hop, punk, and world music with serious intention, nearly every night of the week, for a crowd that follows the booking rather than the genre.

A Cosmic Americana bar in Bushwick bringing the rustic allure of Pioneer Town to Brooklyn with a Mojave Desert aesthetic, country and Americana programming, and a room that's been called one of NYC's most distinctive new music venues since it opened.

Opened Halloween 2017 by the Glasslands team, Elsewhere is a 24,000 sq ft Bushwick warehouse with five rooms: The Hall (675 cap), Zone One (200 cap), rooftop (460 cap), plus gallery and loft cafe. SOPHIE, Kim Petras, and Papi Juice have all made history here.

A 45-cap Prospect Heights neighborhood bar with an eclectic weekly calendar: Comedy open mics Monday and Wednesday, Burlesque Thursday, and live bands Friday through Sunday. Cheap drinks, no pretension, and a crowd that comes out for almost anything. The beloved anti-venue venue.

A bar and music space in Crown Heights built by and for people who actually like music, with shows any night of the week. The name tells you everything about the crowd. Friends and Lovers books local favorites and touring acts in a room where the vibe is always warm.

A Bushwick bar with live music up to 7 nights a week and flexible 18+ and all-ages booking depending on the show. A 250-cap room with no attitude, Gold Sounds has been one of the borough's most reliably active independent venues for emerging acts and local heroes.

Bay Ridge's neighborhood anchor, the Greenhouse has a full bar, three dining rooms, and a stage that hosts live entertainment across all styles. A 200-cap room with a loyal neighborhood crowd that turns up for both dinner and the music.

Founded in 2005 by artist and musician Shawn James, this Greenpoint gallery-venue exists to facilitate creativity at the intersection of music, visual art, and community. Artists perform in a space where the art on the walls is as important as the sound from the stage.

A Gowanus craft beer bar and neighborhood oasis since 2011, with rotating local and national taps, seasonal food, and an amazing backyard. Live music on Monday and Tuesday nights keeps the week going for the growing Gowanus crowd who have made this their local.

A Crown Heights bar with an open booking calendar welcoming shows any night of the week. A neighborhood room with a tight-knit local crowd for artists who want to play Bed-Stuy/Crown Heights without the overhead of a full production venue.

A 550-cap Bushwick nightclub built for drag, circus, burlesque, and live music. House of Yes programs full experiences, not just shows. Artists who want to perform where the crowd comes to be transformed will find their people and their production support here.

A professional performance, rehearsal, and teaching space in Gowanus for improvisers and experimental musicians. IBeam runs community-focused concerts with a 21+ audience built from Brooklyn's working musician network. A serious room for serious players, not a tourist stop.

Founded in Red Hook in 2006, Jalopy is a 100-cap roots venue, music school, vintage instrument shop, and bar in one room. Alice Gerrard, Robert Crumb, and Jerron Paxton have played here. Jalopy also organizes the Brooklyn Folk Festival. Six nights a week, no pretension.

A CUNY campus on Sheepshead Bay with a student activities board booking concerts and events for a 16,000+ student community on a waterfront campus. A solid college booking for artists who want a built-in audience in a part of Brooklyn that doesn't get much touring traffic.

An eco-friendly 350-cap performance and arts space in Gowanus that hosts live music, dance parties, comedy, immersive events, and art installations. One of Brooklyn's most versatile mid-size rooms, with a crowd open to almost anything and a team that books with genuine taste.

A Brooklyn live music room with a flexible booking calendar welcoming acts any night of the week. No-frills and community-focused, it suits emerging artists looking for stage time in a relaxed, neighborhood-bar setting.

Twelve cheap taps and an amazing backyard in Gowanus, with live music on Monday and Tuesday nights. Lowlands is the kind of bar artists play because they love it, not because it pays. A genuine neighborhood room for sets that feel more like house parties than gigs.

Where metal lives. Open since 2003 and now at 644 Sackett St off 4th Ave, Lucky 13 is a 170-cap biker bar that runs metal, punk, and hard rock shows in a room full of leather, motorcycles, and people who are absolutely there for the music.

A Williamsburg dive bar running shows every Sunday from 4-7 PM and regular Tuesday night performers. Unpretentious and totally neighborhood, Lucky Dog is a low-pressure room for artists who want a warm crowd without the production overhead.

Live music, wine, tequila, tapas, and liquid love in Bed-Stuy. LunÀtico books live music Monday through Saturday nights with a recurring Gospel Brunch on Sundays in a 70-cap room that feels like someone's very well-curated living room.

An independent instrument shop, repair space, and 200-cap event venue in Williamsburg that doubles as a creative community hub. Main Drag hosts live events in a room where musicians come to hang as much as to play. Great acoustics, great crowd, zero attitude.

A legendary Bushwick DIY room above a deli, Market Hotel has been booking punk, indie, and experimental acts since 2008 with shows Wednesday through Sunday. The room is raw, the crowd is devoted, and playing here still means something in New York's underground music world.

Bowery Presents' 650-cap Williamsburg landmark, open since 2001 and named Village Voice Best New Rock Club in 2002. Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles, Tame Impala, and Ed Sheeran have all played intimate sets here. Closing its lease end of 2026, making every remaining show historic.

Founded in 2015 in a Williamsburg sawdust factory, National Sawdust is the NYT's 'most vital new-music hall,' with a Meyer Sound Constellation system in a 350-cap Arup-designed room. Philip Glass, Yo-Yo Ma, and Caroline Polachek have performed here. Residencies, commissions, world premieres.

A bohemian Bushwick jazz room with a Bechstein grand piano, natural wine, and a booking philosophy that prizes artists over formulas. Live jazz and improvised music most nights in an intimate space where the audience genuinely came to listen.

A converted 1920s candy store in Williamsburg with live music 7 nights a week in a snug 60-cap back room. Sundays host the long-running open mic. Artists from every genre play here to a close-listening crowd who came specifically for them.

A 25,000 sq ft 1866 iron works factory in Red Hook, reimagined in 2012 as a cultural center for art, science, and music. Arca, FKA twigs, Blood Orange, and Laurie Anderson have performed here. Free public events, residencies, and a space unlike any other in NYC.

A 200-cap Gowanus bar, cafe, and live music room with shows Wednesday through Sunday in a dedicated sound room, plus Sunday outdoor sessions in The Nursery garden. A high-fidelity system and a crowd of serious music fans make this one of Brooklyn's best new rooms.

Women and queer-owned since 2019, Purgatory is a Bushwick venue built on kindness and inclusivity, featuring live music, DJ nights, and community events in a room where the people behind the bar genuinely care who plays on their stage.

Founded in a TriBeCa loft in 1978, Roulette is now a 400-seat Art Deco theater near Barclays Center. Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, and John Zorn played the opening. It presents 120+ performances of experimental music and movement per year with genuinely exceptional acoustics.

A 75-cap live music and arts event space in Gowanus with up to 7-night-a-week programming across jazz, classical, world, and experimental genres. ShapeShifter commits to serious sound and serious artists, booking both emerging acts and established names in a room built for focused listening.

A 40-cap bar, restaurant, and music venue by night, cafe by day in Bed-Stuy. Simple New American food, a close-listening crowd, and a small stage that makes every performance feel like a house show. Perfect for solo or duo artists who want to be truly heard.

New York City's premier honky tonk, open since 2013 in Williamsburg with sawdust on the floor and country on the speakers. A 75-cap room that runs live country and alt-country most nights of the week, with a crowd that boots-and-all embraces the genre.

East Williamsburg's go-to lounge for 70-cap intimate shows, Sleepwalk draws an eclectic audience and books an eclectic roster across jazz, electronic, indie, and experimental genres. The vibe is deliberately chill, which makes it a strong fit for artists who want focus over flash.

A 74-cap dedicated music, performance, and art space in Downtown Brooklyn that books shows any night of the week. Soapbox is a venue where the art matters as much as the music, making it a strong fit for artists who work at the intersection of sound and visual culture.

A hidden-door cocktail bar inside DeKalb Market Hall in Downtown Brooklyn, built by restaurant and music veterans for one purpose: raw connection. Live jazz, African drums, salsa nights, and DJ sets run Thursday through Saturday in an intimate room built for real listening.

A private liberal arts college in Clinton Hill with an active campus events program and student booking board. College concerts draw 400+ students per show and offer touring and local artists a captive audience in one of Brooklyn's quieter, more residential neighborhoods.

A 200-cap Bushwick bar and event space built around social justice, community, and culture, with live music, DJs, dance parties, and activism nights. Starr Bar is where Brooklyn's creative and progressive communities overlap. If your music means something, this crowd will feel it.

A 104-cap Red Hook institution with live music Tuesday through Sunday, including long-running Wednesday and Sunday residencies. Sunny's is one of the few truly neighborhood bars in NYC that hasn't been gentrified into irrelevance. Artists play here because it's real, not because it's trendy.

DUMBO's oldest farm-to-table restaurant and bar, serving the neighborhood since the 1990s. Weekend brunches and intimate live performances draw a loyal local crowd steps from the Brooklyn Bridge. A warm, art-filled room where good food and low-key live music coexist without one drowning the other.

The foxy sister of Frog Wine Bar and Frog Wine Shop in Prospect Heights, Tadpole books live music Thursday and Sunday nights and DJs Friday and Saturday. A wine-forward crowd in a room that supports original music and doesn't ask you to be famous to get on stage.

A hidden speakeasy in Bushwick with a pool table, full bar, and a flexible 60-cap room for comedy, DJs, live music, and private events. A true underground room for artists who want a crowd that feels like they've stumbled onto something secret.

A 550-cap Gowanus venue in a 1920s warehouse with soaring ceilings, a gorgeous stage, and seven-night-a-week programming. From comedy to burlesque to rock to soul, the Bell House books acts that can fill a room and hold it. One of Brooklyn's most trusted mid-size independent venues.

A 150-cap bar, noodle shop, and music venue in Bushwick with shows Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and DJs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. One of Bushwick's most reliable neighborhood rooms for artists who want a crowd that's already in a good mood.

A 124-cap pizzeria, bar, jazz-blues-soul venue, and art space in Bay Ridge that books shows on Friday and Saturday nights and hosts open mics on Tuesdays. Great food, art-covered walls, and a room that takes its music as seriously as its pies.

A 1,000-cap Bushwick venue with three distinct rooms, an outdoor garden, and the flexibility to host anything from intimate acoustic nights to full-production club nights. Strong sound, multiple stages, and a booking calendar that spans hip-hop, electronic, indie, and everything between.

A 300-cap independently owned music venue in the heart of Williamsburg, the Meadows programs Wednesday through Sunday with an emphasis on emerging acts and Brooklyn-rooted sounds. Tight production, friendly staff, and a crowd that actually pays attention.

Steps from the Morgan Ave L stop, Pine Box is a beloved dive bar and live room hosting bands Thursday through Monday. The crowd skews young, loud, and enthusiastic about local rock, punk, and indie acts in an unpretentious space built on community loyalty.

A Red Hook coffee shop and event space running a wide variety of programming Monday through Saturday. A flexible room for artists comfortable in a listening-room setting where coffee and community take center stage alongside the performance.

Brooklyn's most unique underground neo-noir nightclub and 200-cap music venue: neon-lit, smoky-feeling, and programmed with a cinematic sensibility. The Red Pavilion books live acts and DJ nights in a room that has a genuine aesthetic point of view and a crowd that dresses for the occasion.

A cocktail lounge and live room in Bushwick with a massive outdoor patio that becomes one of Brooklyn's best warm-weather hang spots. Shows run Thursday through Sunday, with the patio extending capacity and atmosphere well beyond the 70-cap indoor room.

A 225-cap Bushwick live room atop The Turk's Inn with live music up to 7 nights a week and a strong calendar of indie, alternative, and experimental acts. One of Bushwick's most consistently programmed rooms, with a loyal audience that genuinely shows up on weeknights.

A Gowanus brewery, bar, and event space open 7 days a week with a food program, rotating taps, and a 60-cap room for live music. The crowd is casual, craft-curious, and neighborhood-loyal. A solid low-pressure room for acoustic or small ensemble sets midweek.

A 60-cap Bushwick music, bar, and restaurant space hosting Comedy on Wednesdays, live music Thursday through Saturday, and an open jam on Sundays. An intimate, multi-genre room run by people who love both food and live sound.

A Williamsburg institution with a 150-cap live room, a photobooth, a taco truck outside, and a loyal crowd that's been showing up for local and touring acts 7 nights a week for over two decades. Mondays are reserved for a regular performer, making every other night available for booking.

Where pierogies meet punk. A 1,000-cap Polish National Home in Greenpoint with a massive concert hall, full bar, lounge, and bistro. Warsaw has hosted rock, punk, indie, and metal acts in one of Brooklyn's most storied rooms since the neighborhood was still largely industrial. The hall is legendary.

Bay Ridge's top live entertainment spot, with a 300-cap room, live music Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons, and a loyal neighborhood crowd that shows up ready to have a good time. The Monk books cover and tribute acts but welcomes original artists who can hold a room.

Brooklyn's only Black-owned, musician-run nonprofit jazz club, supporting the arts since 1981 in a 130-cap room. The WMC hosts an open jazz jam most weeks alongside ticketed concerts, making it a community anchor for Brooklyn's jazz world and a strong stop for jazz artists at every career stage.

A Bed-Stuy jazz recording studio, rehearsal space, event venue, and community hub that books shows any night of the week. For jazz and improvised music artists, Wilson Live offers a space where performance and documentation go hand in hand.

An indie arcade bar and event space in Bushwick that books live music and events most nights except Wednesday. The blend of games, drinks, and live performance creates a crowd that's uniquely attentive and genuinely curious about who's playing.

The wildest roller rink in the universe. A 1,200-cap Bushwick arts space that opened June 2024, Xanadu combines roller skating, live music, and immersive entertainment in one of the borough's most ambitious new venues. Early bookings have leaned toward dance, pop, and high-energy live performance.

A 60-cap Gowanus bar with music and comedy nearly every night, including family-friendly Saturday and Sunday afternoon shows. Artists play in front of a crowd that actually shows up sober enough to listen, which in New York is rarer than it sounds.