Union Hall closed indefinitely after electrical fire

Shortly before midnight on Friday, an electrical fire broke out in a packed Union Hall. Nobody was hurt as the venue in Park Slope Brooklyn evacuated and FDNY arrived on scene.

But the popular bar and concert/comedy venue is closed indefinitely now. Shows scheduled through at least April 15 have been postponed or outright cancelled. UPDATED APRIL 3: All shows through April at the venue have been cancelled, although a few shows are being relocated to The Bell House or other venues.

A message from the venue reads: “In the short term we will be closed. We hope to reopen as quickly as possible. We appreciate all the support from the community and will keep you updated.”

The 5,000-square-foot club is one of the most popular venues for live comedy in New York City outside of the traditional comedy club scene. Eugene Mirman put his neighborhood spot on the comedy map a decade ago with his regular Sunday night shows and an annual comedy festival of his own. Over the past 10 years, Union Hall has added more and more live shows to its nightly schedule, making stand-up and variety comedy even more popular there than live music.

I have many friends who either have worked there, produced shows there or performed there, and I look forward to helping them get back up to speed soon enough.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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