Goth and Alt Scene in New York City: Nights, Shows and Hangouts

Goth NYC is less about one big club and more about a busy calendar. On any given month you can catch a deathrock DJ night on the Lower East Side, a darkwave band in Queens, a doom show in Brooklyn and a Victorian cemetery walk on Sunday morning. The city has been a home for dark music since the post-punk days, and the scene today is friendly, well dressed and always out late.

Club nights move venues and change dates a lot, so check socials before you go.

Club nights

The Red Party

The best-known regular goth night in the city. The Red Party is a monthly party with DJs spinning goth, post-punk, deathrock and coldwave, run by the crew behind The Nite Church. It has been going for close to two decades and its recent home is Mercury Lounge on East Houston Street. Expect a dance floor full of people who know every Siouxsie and Christian Death deep cut. It also throws themed costume balls now and then, which are some of the best-dressed nights in town.

Smaller nights all over the city

Beyond The Red Party, NYC has a rotating mix of goth, darkwave, EBM and post-punk parties in Brooklyn and Queens bars and clubs. Many pop up for a few months, move rooms, then come back. The easiest way to keep up is to follow local DJs and venues on Instagram and see who's playing where.

Live music

TV Eye (Ridgewood, Queens)

A Ridgewood bar and venue that's become a big part of the dark-music scene, hosting goth, post-punk and darkwave shows and DJ parties. It's also where A Murder of Crows festival usually kicks off.

Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge

These two Lower East Side rooms are where a lot of touring goth and post-punk bands play when they come through NYC. Bowery Ballroom holds a few hundred people, so you're never far from the stage.

Saint Vitus

For metal, doom and heavier punk, Saint Vitus has been Brooklyn's black-walled church of loud since 2011. The original Greenpoint location was shut down by the city in 2024, but in July 2026 the owners announced a comeback in a bigger space on Troutman Street in Bushwick, aiming to open in fall 2026. Follow them for the opening date. It will be a big night.

A Murder of Crows festival

Every September, usually around Labor Day weekend, NYC throws its own goth and post-punk festival. A Murder of Crows started in 2015 at Mercury Lounge and has grown into a multi-night weekend, hosted by The Red Party and The Nite Church. It usually opens with a party at TV Eye and then moves to Bowery Ballroom for two nights of bands from the US and Europe, with plenty of legends and new acts on the same bill.

It's the best weekend of the year to meet the NYC scene, because everyone shows up. If you're traveling in, book a place early.

Halloween in NYC

The Village Halloween Parade marches up Sixth Avenue every October 31. It's free to watch, and anyone in costume can march in it. It's huge, a little chaotic and a lot of fun, so plan to get there early if you want a good spot. Goths have a natural advantage here: you're already dressed.

Shopping

• Trash and Vaudeville (East Village). The legendary punk and goth clothing shop, open since 1975. It moved from St. Mark's Place to East 7th Street in 2016 and still carries boots, leather, band-inspired looks and lots of black. It goes all out on its storefront for Halloween.
• East Village vintage. The streets around St. Mark's Place and Avenue A still have plenty of thrift and vintage shops for leather jackets and black basics.
• Brooklyn thrift. Williamsburg, Bushwick and Greenpoint have big thrift and vintage stores where you can put together a full look on a small budget.

Our guide to goth on a budget has more tips.

Daytime hangs

• Green-Wood Cemetery (Brooklyn). A huge Victorian cemetery with rolling hills, mausoleums, gothic gates and amazing views of Manhattan. It's a perfect daytime walk or first date. Be respectful, since it's still a working cemetery.
• Record shopping. The East Village, Williamsburg and Greenpoint all have independent record stores with good post-punk sections. Check out our list of post-punk bands before you go digging.

Who you'll meet

The NYC scene is a real cross-section of the city: deathrock lifers who've been going out since the 80s, fashion students, musicians, nurses getting off night shift, metalheads, drag performers and people who just moved here last month. Everyone is busy, so nights out matter, and people show up dressed to the nines.

New Yorkers have a reputation for being cold. At goth nights it's the opposite. Compliment someone's boots and you'll probably end up in a long talk about where they found them.

Meeting alt people in NYC

With so many small parties spread across five boroughs, it helps to know someone going. A lot of people find their crew online first. On Alt Chat you can find goth and alt people nearby in Meet, or chat in live rooms like "Can't sleep" when the city's still up at 3 a.m. If you're new to New York, see our guide on finding the alt scene in a new city.

Planning a road trip? The goth scene in Philadelphia is under two hours away, and Salem is a classic October trip.

FAQ

Where do goths go out in NYC?

The Red Party, a long-running monthly goth, post-punk and deathrock night at Mercury Lounge, is the best-known regular party. Ridgewood's TV Eye and Brooklyn venues host dark shows and DJ nights, and A Murder of Crows festival brings the whole scene together every September.

Is Saint Vitus Bar still open?

The original Greenpoint location was shut down by the city in 2024. In July 2026 the owners announced it's reopening in a bigger space on Troutman Street in Bushwick, aiming for fall 2026, so check their socials for the opening date.

What is A Murder of Crows?

It's New York's annual gothic and post-punk festival, started in 2015 by people from the scene and hosted by The Red Party and The Nite Church. It usually takes place over a long weekend in early September, with live bands and DJ parties.

Where can I buy goth clothes in New York?

Trash and Vaudeville on East 7th Street in the East Village is the classic spot for punk and goth clothing and boots. Thrift and vintage shops in the East Village and Brooklyn are great for black basics.