Piers 92/94

I came here a while back to see Major Lazer, DJ Snake, GTA, and Boys Noize and was not impressed. It is really spacious, but like any concert if you want to get close to the stage you’re going to be elbowing people out of the way and fighting for standing room. The light show here is dope and the lasers are pretty nuts, but what really killed it for me was the sound system. It absolutely sucks and has zero bass. I kept thinking they were going to turn it up, but it never got loud and was pretty sad in terms of output. If you can go to a show at Pier 36 you’re far better off spending your money there. It’s cleaner, has a better sound system, and is just nicer in general.
If I remember correctly too they made you walk a really roundabout way to exit and it was freezing outside. Not sure why you couldn’t exit the way you entered, but whatever. I probably wouldn’t come back here.

Pier 94 is the worst concert venue I’ve ever been to, and I’ve been to many. Let’s start with the obvious. The sound system at Pier 94 is HORRIBLE. I could sit in my car and play the volume halfway and have a better listening experience. You seriously cannot hear anything unless you’re 5 feet away. Everything is muffled and mixed horribly. It’s atrocious. Why don’t they do something about it since so many people complain? Oh, that’s right. Because the people at Pier 94 literally give a shit about nothing but money. It’s Pacha 2.0. The music means nothing to them. They know people will continue to come to their venue either way, so they refuse to improve it. It’s a venue only passable for drunk/​rolling teenagers who come to see mainstream EDM bullshit like Hardwell and «enjoy it» because they’re too fucked up to notice that the experience is horrible.
Rude and overly strict security, a terrible crowd filled with the types of people who go to concerts because it’s cool or something to do and not because they like the music, expensive drinks, a terrible layout, and oh, did I mention the worst sound system I’ve ever heard at a concert?
Everything I dislike about New York and New York clubs rolled up into one package. If Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd were playing together at Pier 94, I still wouldn’t come. My first 1 star Unilocal review, and I don’t even feel bad, because the folks that run Pier 94 could give a shit about the quality of their venue. They just get big names and prey on unthinking teenage roll-​tards who have never been to a legitimate venue like the Beacon Theatre (or, really, ANYWHERE else but here).

Sigh. What can you expect from a venue owned by Pacha?
My girlfriend and I came here to see Nicky Romero and The Chainsmokers on New Year’s Eve. One of my clients had bought us the open bar package to go along with our tickets — which granted us quick VIP entry, complimentary coat check, and free drinks for most of the night. But that’s where the perks end.
Pier 94 is HUGE. Think giant warehouse transformed into a night club. You’d think they’d have a better sound system to be on par with all the big DJs they book. But the music is very muffled, no matter where you stand. All you can hear is the bass, you won’t even recognize your favorite song immediately. Even when we pushed our way to the very front, it didn’t make a difference.
Disgusting crowd. Too many people were falling over themselves from either too much alcohol or drugs. I have also never been groped by that many strangers in one night. Because they oversold the show, we were packed like sardines and there was no room to dance. Discarded beer cans and empty plastic cups litter the floor everywhere, which explains all the wet spots you’re bound to accidentally step in. There are also no restrooms, but a whole outdoor section of porta-​potties.
TL;DR — DON’T GO.

Review of Kaskade show 10÷24÷15.
Very mediocre concert venue. Basically a warehouse that gets kitted out with portapotties and makeshift bars. Sightlines are poor unless you are in the front ¹⁄₃ of the venue.
As has been repeatedly commented by others, the sound system is all screwed up and half of them (left side) dropped off a few times over the course of the show.
Probably more a function of RPM Presents/​Flavorus, but they really don’t have properly trained ticket-​takers and constantly have issues with their scanners not working or not able to figure out where you are supposed to go, sending hundreds of people to the will call desk where they have only one working computer (!) to check tickets. So disorganized it puts a damper on the start of the evening.

This is a review for the NYE event.
I guess I get spoiled by the Echostage venue in DC. This venue at Pier 94 was a joke. We arrived around 1030pm and then waited in lines for the coat check. There were multiple lines for the coat check but none of them were moving. Either they did not hire enough staff or they didnt have enough room for all the coats. We gave up after waiting in lines for an hour because we did not wanna count down in a coat check line (pathetic). Finally we got to the bar, which was in the middle of the venue, and we couldn’t get drinks at all. First they did not have enough bartenders for this crowded NYE event. Second we didnt have the 21+ wrist bands so we couldn’t get drinks. At most other venues, they give you the wristband right after they check your IDs. But here, there was another LINE for getting the wristband. People at the event were aggressive and pushing people around (I guess its normal being in NYC). Also, you can’t see artists on the stage well at all from most of the directions. I would not come back for any dance/​club event.

Before I start — BRING CASH! ATM FEE will cost you an arm and a leg.
New York City has very limited (good) venues for electronic music minus the whole dressed up club scene. Most events for the week of NYE were held at either Pier 36 or Pier 94. Pier 36 wins hands down as the better venue with more space and better sound system.
I unfortunately chose Pier 94 as my go
to for NYE yesterday because of the artists playing at 94 rather than at 36. Line up consisted of _​_​_​_​iforgot*, Ansolo, Travis Scott, The Chainsmokers, and Nicky Romero. Let’s break it down to my overall not so great experience .
My group of 9 arrived at the venue a few minutes before 10pm and we already thought we were too early. In fact, we were close to being too late. Coat check took well over an hour and the lines weren’t taking so long because of the amount of people on them. The lines were simply not moving. Between coat check and grabbing our 21+ wristbands on yet another line. Everything took us an hour and 20 minutes. From let’s say 9:50PM to 11:10PM — that’s how long things took for us to basically settle in.
PORTA POTTIES — The crowd at pier 94 is forever irresponsible and rude. And they’re much worse by the bathroom area. Either because they’re already f*ked up or because they really need to release themselves, or because they need to hide inside the porta potty to take their drugs. You have to, have to, have to know how to take control and just shove your way through people and get closer to the back potties for less people and cleaner potties. Luckily, I’m already so use to these events that at only 5ft tall, I can manage to get in and out in less than 5 minutes. Don’t be timid — it’s a battlefield just to take a wiz.
CROWD — 18 plus like most electronic events. And that means kids on kids on kids. A messed up white chick fell on my friends ankle and bruised the crap out of her. People falling all over the place, getting pulled out on stretchers. Many people just bump into you and cut in between you and your friends without a sorry or excuse me. My friends tend to take the high road and just let things go unless someone is trying to start a fight. I on the other hand yelled at a lot of people last night.
VENUE OVERALL — Cash only. Drinks are still going to rape your wallet. Water is $ 6, but they have free water refills which is great. Buy one bottle and just go refill that same one all night. Music improved a little since 2013. It’s still very low volume in the back and the back is the only area with any breathing room. Either you suffocate for high sounding music and still no bass (unlike pier 36 — bass in your face everywhere) or you stay in the back for comfort and more dancing room but lower sounding music. Our group tried to go to the middle but couldn’t take the constant pushing of people going in and out and just ended up towards the back like we usually do. The far right side of the venue has a lot more room than the left. But the crowd situation really comes down to one thing. That one thing is event holders at Pier 94 LOVE to oversell their tickets and the venue always looks and feels as if its way over capacity. NYE was definitely an oversold show.
Overall not worth it to come here to party unless you really like the artists playing.
And lastly, just a complaint for myself about how disappointed I was with the artists. I thought I loved Nicky Romero two years ago. I now dislike the guy and his sets so much. Nicky, you sucked last night. Your set sounded like a podcast bro. And Chainsmokers, I know your song Roses is #1 and I love the song myself, but did you guys really play that song twice in half an hour??? Travis Scott, you were supposed to play from 11 – 11:50PM in time for The Chainsmokers to come on at 11:50 to ring in the New Year with us. You ended playing past 12, and though you’re on the lineup, the events still geared towards electronic fans and I (and I’m sure a bunch of others) did NOT want to ring in 2016 with your hip hop ass. Your set sucked and you should’ve been off that stage before midnight hit. Now for Travis Scott ringing in the New Year when he shouldn’t have been as people already saw the set times with Chainsmokers up before midnight … I don’t know if the fault should go to the event holders or Travis himself. Either way, friends and I were hella annoyed.
Sigh. Happy New Year everyone.

I was going to give this place a 2 but considering the fact that I’ve been here more than once I had to give it a 3. They get good EDM DJS… so I had to come back.
The sound system BLOWS… you cannot hear anything that clearly unless you are in the front. So the first time I came here was for Kaskade’s automatic tour… I was stuck in the back and it was terrible!!! I couldn’t hear anything. I tried to move closer and there people just shoving me back… aggressive pushing. The 2^nd time I came here was for Skrillex… I came prepared.
Tips
–Pregame heavily– cash bar only and I do not recommend holding drinks as someone will end up pushing you and it will spill on yourself or someone else
–Get to the front as soon as you get in and don’t expect to move once you’re there or else you’ll lose your spot or get into a few fights trying to move
–Wear shorts– Hot AF with all the body heat up in this tent/​warehouse
There’s plenty of porta potties but I can’t guarantee that there will be water to wash your hands with… so bring baby wipes or yolo.
Virtually no line to get in (the 2x I went) so don’t worry about that… well the only thing you don’t have to worry about.
I think if you follow my tips it can be ok in here. It’s a clusterf**k so brace yourself.

I’ve been here every single year for 3 years now for EDM concerts/​rave… And I only go if it’s someone’s birthday or I get free VIP & drink hook-​ups… Other than that I really try to stray away from this venue and prefer Pier 36 or any other plans unless all my friends end up here. They always have great big-​name DJ’s here during the fall-​winter time here but this venue overall is really shitty with shitty service. Even if you pay for bottles, sure you’re in an upper deck with more room and a better bathroom, don’t expect that if you encounter any problems with people that didn’t even pay the amount you did that the bouncers will do their job and take care of it for you. They’ll just treat you like shit.
PROS:
++excellent lighting system
CONS:
–Shitty speaker system
–Too narrow and tight, making it a sardine fest
–Poor service

My friend and I decided to come here for Halloween with Skrillex playing. Not going to lie, Skrillex was CRACKING. However, this venue is NOT the place to be.
We decided to get VIP tickets to avoid the crowds, but even the VIP experience was crappy as hell. It was very restricted and the people handling the VIP area was SO rude! Getting into the venue was not that easy breezy. Seriously, people just sucked here. I don’t know if it’s just people from New York, or if that’s how all VIP section are, but I was definitely not amazed. Separate bathrooms were better than some nasty unlit port-​a-​potties, but they were still a port-​a-​potties with mirrors and lighting. They were pretty damn gross too! Cash only bars made it worse cause I only carried my CC. Pretty expensive drinks too. (Just pregame!)
Anyway, I wouldn’t come back here if you paid me to. It’s not really the people you’re with either, it’s just the venue space, and horribly rude workers!

1 year later I’m here again for Pier of Fear, and once AGAIN, this place lived up to the hype of being oversold and having shitty speakers.
Lights were on point, but it was a MAJOR CLUSTER FUCK. Def not coming back.

I came here with a few friends on the day before Halloween to see Armin Van Buuren perform for the first time here. Overall, I like this place better than Pacha and Webster Hall mainly because of its spacious layout and its not as suffocating as the venues mentioned above.
Security was fast to check our stuff and we were in within a minute. As I already mentioned, the layout was pretty big and I had no problem finding the main stage on my way in. The «restrooms» consisted of 50 or so Portable-​Potties towards the outskirts of the main venue. Generally, this is the ideal venue for a big event like this as the river breeze provided a relief for the aromas of weed, sweat and cigarettes. The light shows here were also memorizing and it was the best I’ve seen so far (Yes, better than Ezoo).
Overall, I enjoyed my experience here and I would definitely be back for future events. One complaint I do have however is for the price-​gauged drinks. One Cranberry Vodka was $ 14 and I got into an awkward encounter with the bartender because of that.

Do you like attending popular EDM shows of really huge DJs? Now how about during Halloween? Do you like suffocating? Where the air is thick like butter and you could slice it with someone’s costume sword? Do you enjoy sliding up against countless, super sweaty bodies? Inhaling concentrated body odor? Getting stepped on? Shoved? Elbowed in the face (if you’re around 5’0″)? Do you love not having any space at all? Have you happily dreamt about being packed like sardines?
Wait, I’m not done asking. Do you like spending ridiculous amounts of money on alcohol? How about having the task of getting water become an arduous quest of risking losing your friends? Does the idea of spending $ 90 (or more) to experience all of the above sound appealing?
Perhaps I am spoiled. In all honesty, everyone should go through this at least once in their life, not more. But if you answered yes to every single question, then you my friend, have hit the jackpot of EDM venues.
I think I would have hated it less if I enjoyed the sets. But alas, I did not. (Not into mainstream EDM anymore, and wasn’t expecting Skrillex to play any of that as I’ve seen him twice before recently.) Actually got bored and started loosely constructing this Unilocal review.
This is based on Pier of Fear — Skrillex, and now that I think about it, also Alesso on NYE in 2014.
P. S. But don’t worry guys, I enjoyed myself by laughing at the situation and being an idiot with the S. O while we were there. If you have similar preferences to mine and catch yourself in this predicament; laugh it off.

Pretty terrible venue — experience is based off of Kaskade’s Automatic tour on ¹⁰⁄₂₄.
The venue is too narrow for concert events in my opinion, and the space is broken up even more with the bar set up in the middle. Also, while we were there, the speakers broke at least twice in our section… from friends that have been here before, they actually told me that the same thing happened before too.
There were a lot of port a potty’s, but there was no running water (I got there about an hour after the doors opened, so I find this pretty ridiculous), only hand sanitizer.

Saw Kaskade on his Automatic tour with Louis the Child and CID opening. Doors opened at 9PM and Kaskade played from 12AM-​2AM. We got there around 1030PM and there was not much on a line. They made me throw out my empty water bottle but I saw someone with a camelbak later! Once inside, you have to buy a bottle of water from the bar that you can then refill at the water refill station. It looked like a temporary station so not sure if it’s at all shows. The bathrooms were a bunch of portapotties with a lot of purell and no running water.
The audience is split into two sections, which get very crowded as the night went on. It’s pretty difficult to get back in there if you leave for water or the bathroom. The acoustics weren’t great but decent once you get into the crowd. The light and special effects were really cool! Since it was the week before Halloween, several people had costumes. We had a lot of fun and wish Kaskade played longer but he was booked to play a redux set at Pacha afterwards til 6AM.

Pier 92 is a great place for events in the summer. By the water, overseeing the Manhattan skyline, and cruise ships parked next to the pier, it is a very pleasant view.
I was there there for 2 days for the NYC Food and Wine Festival in October. The events were amazing, the roof top could hold 1000 people easily. However, it might not be a great place in the fall, especially when it was cold. Being next to the water made it even colder and windier. But it was very fun inside the tents.
Overall, idk how much the rent is. But this is a great event place for big functions for thousands of people!

Review is for Pier 92 — It’s really more so the group/​company/​organization throwing the event that’s going to determine your experience more so than the actual pier.
It’s pretty much a blank slate for whatever you want to do as an organization.
I was here recently with a $ 150 ticket and everything was open bar and free food. So, I can’t speak to any of the drink or food prices, as I imagine they’d differ considerably depending on what’s going on.
The lower level looks like an airport terminal in a third world country, so I wouldn’t recommend ever spending time anywhere that’s not the rooftop.
Rooftop was huge — but they do pack you in there. Not so much as to be uncomfortable, but definitely enough that there were lines at many of the booths, and enough people that it’ll wear on you after awhile.
There were porta potties on the roof, but standard indoor facilities a level down.
The biggest con is that it’s probably at 15ish minute walk from the 50^th Street C/​E train stop. Right off the West Side Highway, though, so plenty of options to arrive via car or bus.
If you’re an organization running an event here, I’d also recommend having a staffer or two right at the entrance at street level. It can get chaotic down there and the first impression was got was «GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THE CARS…» Obviously, we understood, but a positive presence may help calm the nerves of some of your guests.

Came here last week for NY Tech Day and wish I had come back for the NY Art Expo. It’s a really open space and perfect for hosting large-​scale events or conventions of any kind.
The view from inside the 2^nd floor of their space is beautiful and looks out into the water, plus it’s pretty easy to navigate and get around.
It’s a nice alternative to the Jacob Javitz Center. Despite it being tough to travel to, I would totally return here for another event.

DO NOT EVER get general admission to pier 94 or pier 92. People are packed in there like sardines!!! I got VIP which is much more comfortable. You have an elevated area on both sides of the stage that is reserved for VIP. It was $ 150 each for a VIP ticket to see Armin. The only downside of the VIP is that the section starts from the middle of the place, and goes backwards. If you get table/​bottle service, your section starts from the front by the stage, and goes halfway in. And then VIP starts. It’s hard to explain, but if you don’t care about being too close, I would go for the VIP. (Unless U can gather some people and get a table).
They have porta potty bathrooms, and a water station. They also have coat check.
DRINKS ARE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. $ 28 for 2 not that great vodka pineapple. (And I actually think she used orange juice instead of pineapple).
Overall good experience but kind of pricey. I would choose a different venue next time.
Also– it is impossible to sneak into the VIP or bottle service section from the general admission section. The security inside checks wristbands hardcore. Make sure u get the correct ticket for the section U want to be in. They did have the option of upgrading your ticket when you got there though!
Enjoy!

Beautiful venue!
I attended the season 9 America’s Got Talent (judgment week) taping here. I was asked to arrive by 12:30pm and told the taping would last about 4 hours. I stood in line for awhile and wasn’t allowed inside until 1:30pm. There were two charging stations so lots of people were charging their phones. When I actually sat down, it was about 2pm. I sat down and waited for more people to trickle in. The actual taping didn’t start (aka judges didn’t come to stage) until about 3:15pm. They wanted audiences to bring their phones and vote as 5^th judge. That took awhile to get everyone oriented on how to use the app. Later the directors decided they didn’t like the way people using the app because we couldn’t really clap our hands for TV audio effects. So we were told to shut our phone off.
I got to watch about 4 or 5 acts. Judges left at around 4pm. We were told they would return. The audience warm-​up guy told us the show would continue. However, suddenly at around 4:20pm, the warm-​up guy said «I apologize guys, our show has to end early today.» So everyone got confused but left anyway.
They don’t let you take videos or pictures once inside the venue. The space is intimate so all seats are great. I enjoyed the taping even though the show had to end early abruptly.
Women’s bathroom… pretty clean when I first used it before the show. When I left after the taping, none of the stalls would flush so yeah…

Pier 92 is host to a great number of venues through the year. I’ve been here twice and the most recent of which is NY TechDay 2014. I didn’t even know such an event was going on until I checked the Unilocal calendar. (How about that?)
The facilities are alright. They are the same as they were when I visited here last years ago. If they made some improvements, it might actually be more accommodating. The concessions are the same. Nothing special. For some, that may do the job in keeping costs down. Why not invite something more acceptable to vend food? It’s a Tech Expo! People might actually have money to buy decent food?
Anyway, the venue space isn’t just vast, it’s deep. More aptly put, it’s really long… enough to accommodate the length of a cruise ship, which is the intent. The layout is open until organizers figure out what to do with it. In this case, it was moderately well planned. I’ll be sure to come again, but sadly, I don’t expect much to change.