The Wooly

The Wooly is such a unique venue in downtown Gainesville! It’s perfect for weddings and celebrations, but also great for a show or concert. It's a versatile space with a more moody vibe that makes it really unique. Bailey, the manager, is incredibly nice and welcoming—she goes above and beyond to make sure everything runs smoothly. If you’re looking for a venue with character, charm, and amazing staff, The Wooly is a fantastic choice!

The Wooly Event Space is an absolutely fantastic venue! It’s a beautiful, versatile space that works perfectly for all types of events, big or small. Everything was clean, well-organized, and thoughtfully set up, which made the entire experience seamless and stress-free. The staff truly makes this place stand out. Everyone was friendly, professional, and incredibly helpful, but a special shoutout goes to the manager, Bailey, who went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly. Bailey was attentive, accommodating, and genuinely cared about making the event a success. I can’t recommend The Wooly enough — an amazing space with an even more amazing team behind it!

The Wooly is a top-tier event venue of Gainesville, or any place. When a concert rolls in, people gather. If you worry about being cramped or not having a way to take a break during a concert, the Wooly will be fine for you. They always have water, an accessible bar, and bathrooms. For their other events, they also utilize all their space. It is a great place, and if you are in the area, consider going.

I recently rented The Wooly for my 40th high school class reunion and what a huge success!! The venue, Bailey (event coordinator), bartenders and staff were all amazing! We had heavy hors d'oeuvres and everything was delicious. Bailey communicated with me every step of the way. She was such a pleasure to working with on this event. If you are looking for a unique and cozy venue, look no further...The Wooly is it! ❤️

My wife and I had our wedding reception at The Wooly in March, and we still constantly talk about what an amazing job Bailey and her staff did for us on the biggest day of our lives! Bailey was incredible to work with and made whatever crazy idea (orange and blue glittery Jello shots!) we had come to life. We had our food catered through them, and they were able to make a cohesive and tasty custom food/drink menu for us. We were also offered a food tasting prior to our wedding so we could try out our food choices and make any changes we felt necessary. We still have friends and family talk to us about how good the food was at our wedding. The Wooly staff working the night of our wedding were also top notch! They even adjusted the lighting in the venue to help match the color palette that we had. They were very professional, attentive to our guests and very nice people. In my opinion, there is no better place in Gainesville to hold events at. They are in a league of their own.

Review for: The Wooly/The Top/Top Secret Events/ Bailey Bruce Where to begin? We had what is currently being called by all, “The BEST wedding and the BEST reception EVER!” First off, the team that helped us was incredible. From the moment we met Bailey at the Wooly, she helped us solidify our vision. She was extremely helpful with every question/concern we had. She really listened and understood who we were right away. Bailey introduced us to our wedding planner and her team (Calla with Mercer & Smith, who are BEYOND the best, BTW), who work with The Wooly for day of planning, so we chose to hire Calla and Mercer & Smith for the entire wedding, including the offsite portions. We chose The Wooly for the vibe, firstly. We were so taken by the venue, with its unique touches and its awesome history. We could see how the space could be either as modern as a person wanted, or as retro. We loved this place, and began to highlight our very loose vision to Bailey. We knew we wanted a full reception with a live band, so we rented the whole space (including the bonus room). They were able to make a plan to utilize the entire space to accommodate both a cocktail lounge, a dinner party and flip it for live music and dancing. We had a live big band playing on the stage. It was SO COOL! It was nice that the Wooly team were able and willing to work with our vision, the band, and the house production people and just make it happen! That to me, means this is an INCREDIBLE group of people, with a venue that offers EVERYTHING! Even a small closet for me to change into my second dress (because my wedding dress was going to be WAY too much to try to dance in)! The in-house catering from The Top was a huge success. In summation: you have a visionary in Bailey, who gets along and helps coordinate with the other vendors right away, you have this gorgeous venue, you have food that really is “The Top,” and you have all the other people involved in Bailey’s team that truly are INCREDIBLE. And they were! From thoughtful touches to fantastic planning, this team and venue is the way to go. If it weren’t for Bailey, we wouldn’t have had the absolutely perfect wedding that we were able to have. I can’t wait to do our next party with them! Just need to find a reason…… *photos are previews by ASHLEY DYE PHOTOGRAPHY*

The Wooly is a wonderful place to hold all types of events - concerts, comedy, private events - you name it, Bailey and her staff will take care of you. Clean, great decor, strong A/C. excellent sound, lights and stage. Right downtown in walking distance to all the restaurants and bars that Gainesville has to offer, including The Top, Florida Room, Arcade Bar, etc. Always look forward to my time at The Wooly

Amazing experience!!! I 100% recommend this facility for any and all events. We held my nephew's 16th birthday party here and had a blast. The staff was beyond amazing, and the building was stunning as is. As a picky individual, I rate Wooly 10 out of 10 in all categories. I will definitely be holding all future events at this facility.

This is such a great option if you're looking for a space to host an event/gathering/reception in Gainesville. We had food catered from The Top right next door, which you can never go wrong with as they have such a great selection from meatballs, the corn nuggets (the best!!!), hummus, and more! There is ample space both standing room, and seating, as well as a stage! An open bar is also available for events.

I don't know much about Gainesville and what's there other than when I visit a couple friends there I go and do whatever they suggest. I was in town recently for a friend's birthday and she rented out The Wooly for her party. The space is really neat and can be divided up easily like my friend did. The front leads into a reception area, and she used a chunk of it to get a photo booth for the night. Go a little further and there's a small bar on the left, some seating on the back wall, and on the right an entire dance floor (or space to set up seating) and slightly raised stage. She hired a DJ and had some catered hors d'oeuvres on tables between the bar and dance floor. The folks at the bar were nice and it wasn't stupidly expensive if you wanted to get a mixed drink. The venue had some really nice textures and lighting (separate from my friend's over the top decor) that made it feel more upscale in a college town. I have no idea what it cost her or how easy it was to coordinate with the venue, but as a guest I had a great time! The only downside is you'll likely have to circle around a couple times for street parking if you don't want to pay for the garages nearby.

This guy in glasses was trying me for not giving him a tip, mind you I gave him tip and he was being extremely disrespectful to me and my friends. This place is awesome just the service wasn't as great as it should be.

This is a nice wide-open venue space. It has clean bathrooms, a large bar, and water fountains with cold water. My only issue was the limited seating.

Gainesville has a lot of great places that throw events, but the multi-purpose venues are scarce. Thankfully for your next wedding, rock fest, or just one of the awesome ideas their team cooks up, The Wooly stands ready to roll out the carpet for a good time. The Venue Right at the intersection of University Ave and Main St, The Wooly entryway sits right off the street with simple signage and white/grey paint to accent the spot. Walking in you will find an abundance of space for accommodating 100+ people, a bar straight ahead, and spacious rest rooms that can handle enough traffic for larger events. The interior I would describe as indie formal: lots of patterned white textures, very clean, but fully capable of getting more eclectic with colored lighting or decoration. I have been here for a craft beer/dinner event, music concerts, and even their own indie Movie Nights so it's a pretty neapolitan-flavored place. There is a full bar available directly in line with the doorway, so whoever is showing up will instantly be encouraged to check that out. They have several taps and generally keep them stocked with solid craft beer, so for the public events this keeps the snobbier suds drinkers more than happy. The Vibe All of the events that I have been to have been solid or better when it comes to the key areas: service, professionalism, crowd management, etc. The bar servers were quick and they had the right amount of people handling tabs for the turnout, so even at high-volume music events you will not be waiting too long for a drink. Depending on what the event theme is, the owners also have the possibility of catering with light snacks so keep that in mind if you are a planner working out an all-in-one ordeal. What I will say is that, regardless of the actual occasion, the space is large enough to feel a little low on energy unless a sizable crowd comes. For some things this is perfectly fine, such as one of their regularly scheduled movie screenings, but come to a music show where ~50 people come and things are less "jumpin'". Final Thoughts Parking may be somewhat of a pain considering this is downtown Gainesville, but enough free spots are around to keep the walking minimal. If you are considering planning or attending something here you will definitely find a great, professional resource with: a solid location, an ability to accommodate plenty of people, and a flexible atmosphere for your needs!

Not sure why the low reviews. As a Jacksonville native, this place was very refreshing compared to bars that feel more like sweaty basements. This was actually a professional concert venue. Very clean, plenty of tables and comfortable seating. The bartender was friendly and overfilled my beer. Acoustics did seem a little off. The band I was seeing is usually especially loud, and they did sound a little quieter and more muted than usual. Not necessarily a bad thing. It could just be because the venue is more spacious and less cramped. It was also the first time I had seen this band without any moshing on the part of the crowd. Just felt classier and less primal, which was a pleasant surprise. The outdoor smoking area was fine too. No complaints. I'd definitely return!

The Wooly is a great even space in town. I have been to many unique and memorable events here. It is a dark venue, and can be cramped. They host some wonderful events thought! I am always checking their event listings to see what wonderful things they are hosting. I have always had good experiences with their staff, and bartenders. I saw Mary Lambert here a few years ago and it was amazing! Just a little dark and crowded. I will definitely be coming back!

We had an evening graduation reception, dinner, and ceremony at the Wooly for ~80 people in April 2015. As the coordinator of the event, I was extremely satisfied with all aspects of the evening. The food (prepared by the Top) was excellent, some of the best "event" food I've had; every one of the staff were extremely attentive and friendly; and all of our needs were met. In addition, working with Audrey prior to the event to make sure all our ducks were in a row was a great experience. Audrey was very detail oriented and always responsive to my (many and frequent) questions and requests. She made sure that everything was just as we wanted it. Also, their prices are very reasonable, both for food and beverage and for rental of the facilities. Finally, due to their location (right downtown on the NE corner of Main and University), it's a convenient location for people to explore downtown before and/or after your event. I definitely recommend the Wooly as a great event venue in Gainesville!

I went to The Wooly for an event hosted by my organization. The venue was a little expensive as there were add ons for tech and catering that jacked up the price. The venue was the perfect size but was dark and we had to ask for them to turn in lighting. The only complaint I had was with catering. We ordered two pasta dishes based on plate number and there was a lot of food. However the staff serving gave very little as if they were reserving food. I was the last in line and got the leftover of the lasagna pan that was literally meat and sauce and had to ask them to give me more from the new pan that just came out. I also asked for some of the other pasta dish and the caterer put five spaghetti noodles on my plate and I had to ask for more. They did the same for salad even though my group just called for those to go up who wanted seconds. It was a little strange how resistant they were to giving us portions that would sustain us for dinner. Overall I would go back and definitely confirm some details so I know what to expect.

What an amazing venue. The deco/retro feel is what sets this place apart. I did my first event there on Sunday and the staff was amazing. The food was catered by The Top. Let me just say, I have lived here for 16 years and have never been to The Top, now I will be a regular customer.

I wanted to like this place but the concert sound at Thee Oh Sees show was terrible, muddy and too loud for the size and shape of this venue. I have been to hundreds of shows and rank the sound here at the bottom. I don't know if it is the acoustics, if they need to to hire a new sound guy or just need a better PA. This could have been a stellar show except for lousy sound. The place overall looked nice but maybe they should stick to weddings and send the shows to The Atlantic. The bands and the customer deserve better.