The Sugar Mill

Great venue smack dab in the middle of downtown New Orleans situated directly across from the Ernest Morial Convention Center...but you would never know it...the entrance feels like a latticed awning covers a garden laced stone patio...but this is just the beginning...once you're thru the open-aired area, you enter a cavernous structure complete with bathrooms, bars and waitstaff! We watched a full blown Big&Rich concert and charity event...couple of thousand people at least...this place is so well designed that, because of the industrial looking exterior, you have no idea that it's there.

Quite the outdoor/indoor space. I paid a visit to the Facebook Community Boost Block Party here at The Sugar Mill and was more than satisfied to find a nice enclosed courtyard accompanied by a huge indoor event space. The courtyard easily accommodated four delicious NOLA food trucks and two drink stations for ice cold beverages. While the sound of jazz thumped the area, I enjoyed a cold one and some food truck goodies. Rain or shine - The Sugar Mill is an awesome space to hang out.

Great venue for concerts. Saw Primus, Tony Bennett, Alabama Shakes, Journey, Rascal Flatts, tank and da Bangers, Bruno Mars and Govt Mule over the years. The bartenders rock! Also a nice venue for convention events.

Great place for events, we had a wonderful time T the AAOS 2018 Company party there.

Very cool venue. Had a company event there Cooolest A/C in all of New Orleans Clean Food was great

Really nice venue made for large events

Very cool venue for the wrestling shows, laid out well. People were friendly and it was a really cool set up as well.

Great after party for Krewe de Vieux

Excellent event at the Sugar Mill last night for the AONL annual conference. Excellent ambiance, very spacious, great with the doors open for both indoor/outdoor space! The food was awesome, service was great. Very clean and just an excellent event space for small or large events!

I just love the convenient of meters parking all around the venue. The open space that makes it so much better to have fun without sweating from dancing or the crowds. I was the for Portugal. The Man concert with Valerie Sassyfras and Chicano Batman as the opening act. There were food trucks and drinks station and TShirt station. I like how big the restroom is for the ladies and it's a nice touch to have restroom attendant on standby at all times. It was a great start for my weekend.

As many times as I've walked to FedEx or drove quite literally next to this building I had no idea this place even existed! Since I've only been here once, I'm starting with a mid range rating as the Running of the Bulls Event I attended here was a really fun party, but I didn't really have an opportunity to see and experience much of the space due to the crowds. There were several interior bars set up, and some of them appeared to be in a VIP area so I mostly got refreshment from the outdoor vendors. The space stayed pretty cool in the July heat despite the large door being open, and I would certainly attend an event here in the future. BONUS POINTS: The Women's bathroom is enormous and clean and the staff on hand did a miraculous job directing ladies to available stalls and keeping tissue, soap and paper stocked. Wasn't expecting such a pleasant experience with this crowd!

There are a few things you need to know before seeing a show at the Sugar Mill: the whole place is basically outdoors, there will be lines for everything from food and beer to bathrooms, and there is no where to sit so wear comfortable footwear. We were here seeing a few bands here on a warm but not terribly uncomfortable Friday evening. I had never been here before, so I went in totally blind. Outside of the main concert area there were different stations for beer and mixed drinks and there was also a nice selection of food trucks serving up grub. There was also a whole line of port o pottys to accommodate the crowd. The venue itself isn't terrible. The place is really big and, considering how many people were here, they did a good job at utilizing the space well. My biggest complaint was lack of seating- it's a small complaint, but I was there for hours and would have been happy with a bar stool. Lines for food and drinks were long, but moved fairly quickly. Bring cash- the drink stands don't take cards. I would attend another event here, especially now that I know what to expect but I would hesitate to come here during the summer's hottest days.

Okay, so I didn't actually go *inside* the Sugar Mill, but I did hang out in the parking lot for a while. And I saw the sign outside, which is pretty cool and made out of metal. NOLA Summer Jam this year was held at the Sugar Mill; that is, in the parking lot of the Sugar Mill. When we got there, there was a long line going into the building because there was some kind of MMA cage fight event happening that day. (Cage fighting? That kind of freaks me out. No thanks.) Someday, I'd like to actually check out the space itself. However, if you're ever looking for a parking lot to have a concert in, these people may be able to help.

This venue is perfect for Nola Bulls!! We absolutely love this place!! Great atmosphere and fun friendly people!

This is a huge indoor/outdoor warehouse space that can be used for special events. I hadn't been inside since around when it opened and had a different name... It's great to be able to have both indoor and outdoor sections. And that the entrance narrows (thanks to the triangular shape) so that access can be limited as you file people in. Biggest con? That you're standing on a concrete slab in a warehouse for hours. So if it's chilly, you feel it despite the crowds. Parking in the area is rough, especially if there are multiple events going on.

I attended a wedding here. As this place seems to be an old... well, sugar mill, and the decorators did a fabulous job of transforming the inside of the place for the wedding, my review may be influenced by my fondness for the decorators, but at the very least, this place has great potential. There's a courtyard outside that works a wonderful reception area, and the inside can serve as a dining hall that seats at least 300 people. The downside to holding events here is parking. There is limited street parking in the area, but you might have to park for away and walk over. The lots immediately by the Sugar Mill charged $30 for just parking your car (ridiculous!) Other than that, I was really impressed by the (transformed for a wedding) Sugar Mill. It was one of the most elegant weddings I've ever attended.

A really great place for shows!! Been here for a few like Primus and someone else, ...but mostly for the San Fermin Nueva Orleans events here. Perfect perfect place for it. So dam huge and open, great bathrooms and the bar set up has the wait next to nil. Perfect. Only bad thing about some of the shows here is the turn around time, meaning when your big and fat like me, standing up for 5 hours aint gonna cut it. Would be cool if there was a few seats way off to the sides, out of the way of everyone. There is like NO seating in there, unless your part of VIP seating upstairs. That would be the only thing I would change about it, I totally dig this place for a short term deal.

This is definitely a cool and unique venue. It reminds me of a warehouse they'd have an old school rave in back in the 90's. We came here for a conference after party, so I'm not sure we got the entire experience as if someone were here performing a concert. But I saw how useful the venue could be for different purposes. There's also a huge outdoor area that is really pretty at night. The sound in the venue seemed to be pretty clear and concise, but not too loud. I'd love to catch a show here sometime and see what it's like.

This is a great space to hold an event, specifically a party. Its a very open area with ample areas. Note: will need decorations and furniture to give it the right party feel. I recently went to a party at this location and the huge space was transformed into a whole new world. Check it out.

I came to the Sugar Mill for a 610 Stompers party and then again for MOMs Ball. Both times were great experiences. I really like the lay-out of the space. You first walk through the gate to an open court-yard with various areas that you can hangout with friends but also their might be some food stalls/booths with local chefs and restaurants selling their food. Then you walk into a space that really looks like a hanger for airplanes or a warehouse (maybe that is why they call it The Sugar Mill). There is a massive stage with an equally massive sound system for DJs or live music. The Sugar Mill will also have beverage stations strategically located at various points throughout the space. This place is mainly for events and is not really I place I would frequent like a bar or music venue on Frenchmen, but when I do come here for events, I'm pleased and satisfied with my experience.

A great space for a ginormous party! I've been here for various events including San Fermin, Fashion Week New Orleans, and (most recently) The 610 Stompers Debutante Ball. The Deb Ball had outgrown its first venue the UNO Human Performance Center (though I loved it too), and has been in the Sugar Mill the last couple of years. Even with an attendance of 3,000+ you don't feel like you're vieing for air or space, in my opinion. I love the dual outdoor/indoor space. The courtyard in front isn't an afterthought. It's very well maintained and it's not just for the peeps that want to smoke. There is a ton of space. This area's great for San Fermin. I've been here multiple times for Fashion Week New Orleans. They use the upstairs for makeup and hair (love the old school barber chairs up there). There is enough room to have plenty of space "backstage", set up the fashion show area, AND host a vendor area. Facilities-wise, women's bathroom is great. Tons of stall, very clean, and, in some cases, an attendant to steer you to an open stall. Like I said, the upstairs is great, also as an area to safely keep your stuff, if you're hosting the event as well as an extra bathroom. They also have another upstairs area you can host VIP OR photo shoots. Aw yeah. For a smaller event, it can seem a little cavernous, so make sure if you're throwing an event you can really utilize the space. I would love to see a concert there sometime soon. I know some people have mentioned sound as an issue, but I'm not expert. It's the tiniest bit difficult to hear the band when your in the upstairs area near the courtyard, but again there were 3,000+ people there when I was trying to listen. Will update if I see a concert there!

Great venue, I was there for a party during the NADA convention. The featured entertainment was Fitz and the Tantrums. Good food friendly service and plenty a room made this a really great night.

Went here for the Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Hot 8 show during Jazz Fest and the sound was, meh. Sound is thee thing i care about most when going to any show at any venue. Perhaps what else contributed to the three star rating is that the show itself was just, meh. On top of standing around on what seemed to be the most solid surface on the face of the Earth for five hours waiting on Mos Def to get on stage (before Badu) there was absolutely no place to sit down for a little relief and there was no re-entry so once you're in, you're in. Not a fan of that at all, especially since the tickets were $66. Gotta do better by your ticket holders.

Before the Cosmic Convergence Festival I'd never even heard of the Sugar Mill. So I was pleasantly surprised to find it to be a nice venue. Here's the layout: the main building is large and has great stage and wide, open spaces like a warehouse. Bathrooms are on both ends, one side men and the other ladies. Bathrooms are clean and nice looking and kept in good condition. Just outside the main building is a triangular-ish courtyard. The far end of the courtyard (which is the narrow end) can host a secondary stage, which is did for the CCF. I see some reviews complain about beer selection, and I completely agree. As for problems with entry/exit, that's not determined by the Sugar Mill itself but by the group that rents it. I did some volunteer work for the CCF and got peek behind the curtain. ATMs and food vendors are also the responsibility of the renters it seems. I won't fault the venue for that, screwing up those things isn't the Sugar Mill's fault. Overall it's a great venue, large enough for big events but too big for more intimate gatherings.

If you're looking for a HUGE space to throw a party or event, this is the place to have it at! I've attended the 610 Stompers Debutante Ball the past 2 years here, and there was enough space to hold the amount of people that attended (although drink lines were ridiculously long this past year). There's also an outdoor patio-like area, which adds to the space and is a great place to go if you want to get some fresh air. Whether you're looking for a place to hold an event or if you're attending an event here, you won't be disappointed in how much space you'll have and the layout of the space.

Overall, the sound is unimpressive. I've only seen electronic shows here and the sound tends to be way too loud and gets muddled inside this big warehouse space. Perks to this venue are the thick blankets of jasmine on the walls outside, the large space that can comfortably fit a crowd, and the central location--though street parking tends to be a bitch. Cons to this venue are the highly uncomfortable concrete floors that make your back ache after a couple hours and the micro-managing bathroom attendants who harass the ladies about bringing their drinks into the bathroom. There is some kind of "policy" about this, but I don't get it. ATM fee is $4.50. Bring cash. Bottled water is $4 from the venue or $2 from a food truck if they're there. It's kind of set up to rip you off and piss you off, so make sure the show you go to see is going to be worth the bullshit.

Very cool place for a concert. My wife and I saw Nathanial Rateliff and the show was great. I recommend wearing comfortable shoes and be prepared to stand the entire time if it's crowded like it was last night.

Ok nice big space here and it is a decent place in a decent location to watch live music or attend other events. Big huge minus is the fact that they seem to always be out of any decent beer (they advertise Heineken everywhere here but NEVER seem to have it) and seem to always just have PBR and Miller Lite for $5. No wonder so many people seem to indulge in getting themselves into a drug induced rave haze of one kind or another prior to arriving here in order to enjoy themselves despite the poor choices at highway robbery prices. The other great aspect is that they only take cash at the bars so you have to travel with large sums of cash to have any hope of enjoying any alcohol induced bliss here (and carrying lots of cash in NOLA is never the best idea). Anyplace that sells PBR for $5 just makes me angry (and I'm just insulted by the sheer gouging of such a cheap beer at that price) and being left with low alcohol lite beer as my only other choice makes me want to stick a vodka IV in myself so I can finally catch a buzz to enjoy the freak show bands that usually play this venue. They generally don't play the type of music I like here anyway so fortunately I rarely have to endure the hyperinflated swag beers here.

Pretty good event space for huge parties. Stage at the front and open floor plan lends well to entertainment. Large doors are good for traffic flow. And natural alcoves on either side are good to keep bathroom lines and drink/food areas out of the way.

What a great location... and the space can be arranged for specific needs and desires. Ive been to this venue for fashion shows, concerts, I was even an extra in a television show filmed in the Sugar Mill. The place has a parking lot next to it, which in that area you can save some time parking in the lot.

We got some free tickets to the CMT Crossroads show with Journey(YAY!) and Rascal Flatts(not yay at all) and this was the venue we were shuttled to. We walked in and couldn't believe how big it was. We went and claimed our standing spots in the pit and then the boyfriend went and grabbed some drinks for us while I held down the fort. He got a mixed drink and I got a glass of wine. He only ended up spending $10 which is pretty awesome for two drinks at any music venue, especially the night before the Super Bowl. Everyone was really friendly leading us to where we were supposed to be. We had a great time besides being sandwiched and pushed by the immature crowd of people who were trying to dance(or something like dancing?) at a Journey concert. It's not a mosh-ey kind of concert guys.

This is a very cool venue. It has a lot of open air space, but also caters to events in colder climate. They have lots of room for vendors and various types of VIP, and are close to some great bars and restaurants in the area.

Came down from STL to see Nathaniel Rateliff 4/28. Arrived at 8 for the 9:00 show. After entering noticed that he wasn't scheduled until 11:30. There are no seats and I would be miserable standing for that length of time. Asked if we could leave and come back. No. Why couldn't the schedule been posted outside so we could come back? HORRIBLE POLICIES! Lost our $70. Very disappointed.