Photo Credit: tvg Hospitality
Opening April 2027, a new 750-capacity independent venue comes to NYC to host live performances, club nights, arts events, and community programming.
Domino, a new all-ages 750-capacity venue and creative hub, will open in April 2027 on the Williamsburg waterfront in Brooklyn, New York. For over a century, the landmarked Domino Sugar Refinery was one of Brooklyn’s biggest workplaces and an anchor of its community. Next year, Domino adds a new chapter to that story by bringing concerts, club nights, art, and community programming under one historic roof.
Founded by Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons, tvg Hospitality is an independent company that develops, designs, and operates places built around music, hospitality, and culture. Domino, which is being developed in partnership with Emerson Hospitality, will feature a cultural calendar spanning concerts, club nights, comedy, film screenings, live podcast tapings, fashion, and art events. Artist rehearsals, recording sessions, educational programs, and collaborations with local cultural organizations and nonprofits are also planned, establishing Domino as a year-round gathering place for the city’s creative community.
Fundamental to the vision for Domino is its setting. For generations, the Domino Sugar Refinery, now known as The Refinery at Domino, stood as one of New York’s great industrial landmarks and remains a defining presence on the city’s skyline. The experience of entering the room through the building’s historic industrial infrastructure, including its 240-foot-tall chimney visible from Manhattan, is intended as a reminder of what the site has always represented: people making things. Domino arrives amidst a creative resurgence across the city to give New York an artist-friendly room with the intimacy of a club, the polish of a world-class operation, and the diverse programming its audience deserves.
“Williamsburg was my introduction to New York City, as it was for so many artists and musicians 20 years ago,” says Lovett. ” The neighborhood has changed enormously since then, but for decades, people have sought and found community in places like the one we’re building. Domino is our chance to carry that on: somewhere artists can develop ideas, audiences can discover something new, and neighbors feel they belong. Neighborhoods change; the need for a place like this never does.”
Domino is built around the idea that the pursuit of craft should be relentless, and the room should serve the people inside it. Its industrial DNA is functional rather than decorative, with every aspect of the venue designed to deliver an exceptional live show. Domino pairs the raw character of the former Domino Sugar Refinery with world-class sound, carefully considered sightlines, a bespoke bar program, and instinctive hospitality.
Every show is judged on the same terms: strength and distinctiveness, no matter who promotes it. As a member of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), Domino is committed to that independence, starting with ticketing. DICE, known for fan-first policies, transparent pricing, and its support of independent venues, will be Domino’s ticketing platform. The venue will also operate with an artist-first approach to the economics of the room, including a commitment not to take a cut of artist merchandise sales.
“Independent venues built Brooklyn’s neighborhoods and NYC’s nightlife economy. Our hope is for the city and state to support us as an industry as we welcome tvg Hospitality’s new venue and the independent spirit it brings to Brooklyn,” said Jen Lyon, Owner, MeanRed Productions, President of NYIVA (New York Independent Venue Association).
Domino’s open-room philosophy extends beyond its ticketed calendar. The venue will establish a cultural board to keep its programming well-rounded and rooted in community and cultural goals. Made up of New Yorkers from diverse industries and backgrounds, the board will meet quarterly to review programming, champion emerging artists and voices, spot opportunities to broaden genre, scene, audience, and community reach, and offer impartial recommendations on behalf of the neighborhood.
That approach reflects a broader ambition for Domino: to become part of New York’s cultural life rather than simply another destination for a night out. As venues continue to shutter, but the desire for human connection continues to grow, Domino arrives at a moment when independent spaces for live music and collective experience feel more necessary than ever. In an era of screen-time fatigue, Domino bets on the enduring power of being there in person. Above all, Domino aims to be where artists and audiences can find each other: by sharing the same room, feeling the music, and experiencing something unrepeatable together.
