{"id":501897,"date":"2026-01-08T18:21:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T18:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/501897\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T18:21:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T18:21:20","slug":"a-popular-tempe-nightclub-and-venue-faces-an-uncertain-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/501897\/","title":{"rendered":"A popular Tempe nightclub and venue faces an uncertain future"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDarkstar Theater in Tempe.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Benjamin Leatherman<\/p>\n

A popular metro Phoenix nightclub <\/a>and electronic dance music<\/a> hotspot is going dark.<\/p>\n

Tempe\u2019s Darkstar Theater<\/a>, the two-story EDM club and music venue at Mill Avenue and Sixth Street, is reportedly closing after its owner declined to renew the lease. The three-year-old nightspot is expected to vacate the space as a potential city purchase of the historic property is in the works.<\/p>\n

The Phoenix Business Journal reported Wednesday that the City of Tempe is considering buying the Tempe National Bank Building, the 114-year-old structure that houses Darkstar. City officials are also exploring the purchase of the adjacent Tempe Hardware Building.<\/p>\n

Tempe City Council is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to authorize the purchases. Both historic buildings are owned by Calgary-based company Wexford Developments.<\/p>\n

Darkstar owner Scott Price, who opened the club in 2022, chose not to renew the venue\u2019s lease, according to PBJ.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wholly support the sale of these buildings so they can be protected and become new attractions for our downtown,\u201d Price said in a statement announcing the potential deal.<\/p>\n

Price also owns Mill Avenue nightlife staples C.A.S.A. Tempe and Sunbar. His next project, RePUBLic<\/a>, an Irish pub-style sports bar and pool hall, is set to open in August inside the former Mill Cue Club space.<\/p>\n

A closure date for Darkstar has not been announced. Phoenix New Times reached out to Price and the club\u2019s management for comment, but had not heard back as of publication.<\/p>\n

\"\"The lobby bar at Darkstar Theater in Tempe.<\/p>\n

Darkstar patrons and EDM fans react<\/p>\n

Darkstar opened <\/a>in April 2022, debuting shortly after Price\u2019s beloved Shady Park venue stopped hosting shows amid a legal battle with neighboring senior-living community Mirabella at ASU over noise complaints.<\/p>\n

Phoenix\u2019s EDM scene quickly embraced Darkstar. Over the next three years, the club hosted a steady stream of local and touring DJs, including frequent bookings from Arizona promoter Relentless Beats. The venue expanded in 2024 with the opening <\/a>of the adjacent lobby bar.<\/p>\n

News of Darkstar\u2019s impending closure sparked an outpouring of reaction online. Fans lit up social media on Wednesday, mourning what many see as another loss for Tempe nightlife, with several pointing to the one-two punch of both Shady Park<\/a> and Darkstar.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery venue I love is gone,\u201d Tempe resident Heather Oh wrote on Facebook.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the hell?! Our community really can\u2019t catch a break with our venues,\u201d EDM fan Freya Lynn commented.<\/p>\n

Another fan, Jashin Prowell, put it simply: \u201cNoooooooo dont take darkstar!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Darkstar Theater in Tempe. Benjamin Leatherman A popular metro Phoenix nightclub and electronic dance music hotspot is going…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":501898,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5131],"tags":[5229,5643,1587,21201,97044,1589,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,51561],"class_list":{"0":"post-501897","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arizona","10":"tag-az","11":"tag-edm","12":"tag-openings-closings","13":"tag-phoenix","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-united-states-of-america","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","18":"tag-us","19":"tag-usa","20":"tag-venues"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115860870699329981","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=501897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/501898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=501897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=501897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=501897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}