The Aurora Gallery

This is false advertising. This place is terrible. It’s dirty, dusty, and old. The few sofas he had there were stained and ancient. The bathrooms are small, disgusting and claustrophobic. I couldn’t believe it was the same place shown in the pictures. The owner is simply taking pics of other people’s set up how ever many years ago and advertising it as his venue. He is also very uninformed about what the «packages» are and extremely condescending. Every question that I asked his responses were «didn’t she already answer that? Or «Whatever she told you that’s the price».
Although I was given a quote for seating, etc. It’s simply the space that’s being rented out. He doesn’t own any furniture. You pay him to pay someone else to rent it. It’s a mess. Bottom line, it’s false advertising and needs to be taken down from all these sites.
Maybe they should consider cleaning a bit before showing to potential consumers. Sweep, dust, mop, maybe even polish the floors a little bit.

Me and my now wife used Aurora for our wedding reception in Oct, and could not be any happier with our decision. If you are looking for an open space for a do it yourself event whether it be a wedding, birthday, or a party of any type then you should definitely check out Aurora. From our first meeting to our final walk through to the big day they always made things as easy as possible for us.
We dealt with John for the entire process and he is just a cool person to deal with, he is laid back and not trying to make things more stressful then they need to be, he will go out of his way to help out if it calls for it, he came in early from home the day of our wedding just to let me upstairs to bring in the alcohol and decorations, it’s little things like that that make a big difference.
As for any wedding vendors you might need I would strongly suggest going on their website and checking out all of their preferred vendors, they are preferred for a reason! We used just about all of them and they all were amazing! And best part none of them will break you in your budget. Aurora will from time to time have an event to showcase their space and all of those preferred vendors will be there, we went to one of those events and spoke to all of the vendors face to face all in one location, doesn’t get any better than that!
They even provide a bartender for your event which is included in the package price. They also have their own DJ booth and all equipment for the DJ ready to go. They also provide tables for your event and will have it all set it up the way you want it for your event.
We had an extreme amount of compliments for our reception location, absolutely everyone loved the vibe at Aurora and we are extremely happy we chose them.
Bottom line is if you are willing to put a little extra work into your event and want to save a lot of money by not choosing a traditional party hall then I strongly recommend Aurora gallery. Some people don’t want the extra work and stress of an open space to plan it all yourself but it definitely worked for us.

Everything was a dream! Everything was perfect! Everything went beyond any expectations we had envisioned. We are more then happy with everything and how our wedding turned out. Thank you to Jon for his attention to everything, his kindness and thoughtfulness when he thought we didn’t have champagne and offered to go buy some! We told him it was ok… we had Moscato as the wine for the toast. Thank you to to Vivian’s attention to detail and diligence with everything. Words cannot begin to describe how happy we are and everyone else still is with the attention we received. Thank you again for all the attention and helping us have the wedding of our dreams.

I recently came here for the Love Sprung event. I’m not getting married but 2 of my best friends are so since I’m a good bridesmaid, I decided to tag along. The Aurora Gallery is inside a warehouse-​type building in Astoria. You go up a couple of flights of stairs and are led into a medium-​size space.
The gallery can be used for nearly any kind of event. My friends are not using this as their venue but one of the managers gave us some information on how many people can be seated (120). I found the space to be a bit cramped with just the vendors along the perimeter so I’m unsure how a seated dinner would be comfortable. I did like the exposed brick, though. The bar area is small but for an event like this, it works.
Overall, it’s a nice space if you want to do something on the smaller side. I cannot see a large wedding reception taking place here. Plus it’s a unisex bathroom which I know some people are uncomfortable with.

We had our wedding reception at the Aurora Gallery and it was great. Naeema was very helpful in helping us plan and provided useful insight. We met with her a couple of times before the event and she professionally answered all our questions. She offered us recommendations of vendors we could use; we went with some, but not others, which was fine. This way, you can personalize your event, the way you want it. For example, we had our event catered by Wild Ginger, who provides delicious vegan food, and by a seafood restaurant we also love.
On the day of the event, the place looked great and and our guests were very pleased. (We will post pictures soon) We were also very happy the way everything turned out, and have Naeeema and the Aurora Gallery to thank for that.
We highly recommend this venue!

Over the summer my fiancé and I had our engagement party here. It was the best decision we made and everyone is still talking about how unique our venue really was!
Naeema and her team were absolutely wonderful. I could not have planned the day the way I did without all of her input, it was wonderful to have someone so experienced and willing to help guide us.
This is truly a hidden treasure! That is what makes it so special.
Thank you for making out party everything we dreamed of!!!

My now wife and I held our wedding ceremony and reception here: it was the best choice we made when it came to the planning process. Naeema and the staff of the Aurora Gallery were personable, more than helpful and knowledgeable, and displayed what seemed unending patience as we went about choosing the details for the wedding.
We planned the whole day ourselves and it simply wouldn’t have been possible without Naeema’s input, who helpfully shared with us her experience, specially at the moments when our inexperience with party planning was obvious (how much ice to get, etc.). We also received the help of two staff members and a bartender procured by Naeema, who made the entire thing run smoothly and paid attention to all details.
The space itself is beautiful, with hardwood floors, high ceilings, exposed brick walls. The gallery provided us with a basic decoration package which meant we only had to add some touches. They provided us with tables and chairs, and had a wonderful sound system. We had 70 guests, and the space did not feel cramped/​crowded, nor did it feel too big.
Overall I can’t imagine finding a better, more flexible event space for their prices and value.

I helped to coordinate a family wedding at this venue. Naeema and her team were great to work with — very accommodating! Of course there were last minute snags, but Naeema handled it all with poise and grace. The space itself has such a great vibe — exactly what the bride and groom wanted!

Very classy joint! My brother and his now wife had their cocktail reception here. They are super classy, very clean and very professional. The staff was very friendly. The place was decorated exquisitely. I would highly recommend this space for anyone looking to have an upscale and classy time.

My husband and I had our wedding reception here in June and it was absolutely wonderful!
The space is great and can be customized to any event and they even provide you with tables and chairs as well as some decoration and the artwork of your choice. At the affordable price, so close to Manhattan, it’s unbeatable. Perfect for a tight budget wedding or other event as you can bring in your own alcohol and are free to pick vendors of your choice.
The owner Naeema and the staff took very good care of you during planning, as well as the event. Everything ran smoothly and our guests had a great time.
Highly recommended!

I went to this gallery for a break dancing event called «Unlucky Breaks» hosted by the NYC dance crew Floor Obsession. Immediately I was impressed by the clean and polished wooden floor, their set up of chairs for spectators. They also put up more colorful and abstract art that really set the vibe of the space for a fun and silly break dance event! This is definitely great space for all kinds of events!

I had my wedding reception here on September 15, 2012 and felt compelled to put in a good word about the place. The space is located in an easily accessible area of Queens that is also really nice (has a movie theater, Starbucks and various restaurants). I loved that it is a big open space that you can set up anyway you like. It comes equipped with a bar and fridges as well as furniture you can use such as tables, chairs, and actual couches and such. My husband and I chose to decorate very sparingly letting the space speak for itself but you are given free reign to design as much or as little as you like. The woman who is in charge (not sure I can use names here so I will leave it out) is great. Very straightforward and easy to get in touch with about anything. The price was great for the amount of time we used it for. If this same space was in Manhattan it would cost twice as much to use. I highly recommend it for people looking for a low key, artsy wedding location.

I went to the Aurora Gallery in May for the Art House Astoria Second Annual Gala. I had won a couple of tickets as a courtesy of Unilocal Queens so thank you very much for letting me go! My friend and I had a great time talking to people, learning about the organization and enjoying some vino. The Gala was so cute with all the little kids running around lisetning to the beautiful, live music being played in the front of the room.
I can see why so many people say this is a great space for art openings and other various functions. The appeal is certainly in its wood floors and very high ceilings.

I went here last night with my kid to her art school’s gala. Don’t let the exterior building fool you — it is a beautiful amazing space! and my neighbor «Nicer» is the owner (did not know that til last evening!!) ! One sweet guy and a sweet beautiful place. Clean and well appointed, the sparseness makes it luxurious at the same time!

Went last night for an art opening, beautiful space. Same as everyone before me has said, high celings, open, wood floors and a built in bar. I would consider using this space for one of my future events. :)

My wife and I hosted a wedding reception here and for flexibility of both space and staff, you can’t get any better. Beautiful hardwood floors and high ceilings make for easy decoration. A few lights and other touches can transform it into whatever you’re going for.
The staff (I say staff, but to be honest it’s one woman doing pretty much everything from bookings to arranging the furniture) was incredibly flexible and helpful, even letting us come in the day before to set up our decorations.
Overall I can’t picture finding a better, more flexible event space in the city for their prices.

Stunning photographic work! A Master Artist in all regards.

We had our wedding party here, and it was a really great experience. The space is fabulous, and very versatile, and the staff is amazingly patient and accessible. You know how you think you planned really well, and then you realize you only brought one corkscrew and no scissors and forgot to do about 17 other things? No problem, they will have you covered! The hardest part was getting people to leave at the end of the night. ;-)
It’s close to a couple of different subway lines which is key when you get outside Manhattan. There is also an awesome party store within walking distance if you need things like extra tablecloths, and grocery stores etc nearby for other supplies. Good service all the way across the board.

The Diana Sisters of 3D Beauty Consulting used the Aurora Gallery Space for our première Goddess 101 Event on April 9^th, 2011. It is a beautiful space. Naema is the space coordinator and is knowledgeable, helpful and was overall terrific for our needs and wants before and on our workshop day. We are excited to continue our partnership with the Aurora Gallery and would reccomend it to other people, businesses, events, that are looking to take place there. It’s artistic, eccletic and interesting all in one.