It's very easy to book Bohemia for your private party, special event, or if you are a local band or promoter who needs a flexible, open minded venue that isn't too big to fill.
Here's how you book a show at Bohemia
1. Check the Event Calendar and confirm that there is a date available not already booked for your event. Please note that we are closed on Sunday and Mondays, but can be open for private functions on those days by special request.
2. Email Bohemia to let us know about the date you want and the type of event you want to put on. Include a description of the bands/djs/equipment/special needs and a link to their website/music (you can have the bands contact us directly if you want).
3. Check our About Page to make sure the list of equipment we have will fit your needs. If you are planning a musical performance it doesn't hurt to bring extra microphones and/or D.I. boxes if you have them, along with any special gear you think you may require. Bohemia does have its own sound person, but you can bring your own sound technician if necessary/available.
4. Please keep in mind that we are a small venue (capacity is currently 65 patrons) and as such, it is not necessary to bring excessive amounts of amplification with you. We are skilled at making the room sound good at a nice, loud volume, without additional excessive guitar amps or subwoofers, etc.
5. Decide on a door time, and a show time, for your event. Example: Doors at 8, Show at 9. Note: No Minors are allowed in our establishment. Also, you must decide on a ticket price, and if you require physical tickets printed or not (as we can print tickets through our partnership with YEGlive.ca for a small ticket surcharge). Regarding ticket prices: $7 to $12 is a general good range for a weekend night – $5-7 during the week works great!
6. Once you have decided these details, design a poster / Facebook event / and send us links to the event and or poster artwork. Please, ensure to put our address on the poster (10217 97 Street), the name Bohemia (here is a EPS file of our logo you can use), the text "18+" and either our logo our website address ("artmuzak.ca"). Be sure to send us a copy if you want us to confirm everything looks good. If you design the poster, we will print and post a small amount, but you are generally responsible for postering for your event, unless it is a co-promotion with us. If you create a Facebook event, please invite the Facebook user "Barri Kat (Art Bohemians)" to your event and grant us Admin access to the event, so that we may cross-post it and/or correct any errors.
7. Keep in touch with us leading up to the date of the event and keep us in the loop in case of any changes or questions you or others may have to help keep things running smoothly on event night. Join our Facebook Group (the bohemians).
8. ON EVENT NIGHT: Bring someone who can run the door for you, as you will be responsible for running your own door if there is a cover charge. We provide our own security and will check IDs for your door person, and maintain a safe environment for everyone. If you do not have someone who can run the door, we may not have anyone available either, and that would not be great for you if you are hoping to have a cover charge for your event.
General Guidelines you should keep in mind
We put on a lot of shows and we know what works and what doesn't work for our little venue, so here are some tips that will help make sure that you are going to have a successful, and/or profitable event.
Here is a list of the sound equipment we have available:
Weekend bookings (Friday/Saturday) are expected to be larger shows with a minimum expected turnout of 50 people (30 would be the absolute bottom and would better be scheduled on a thursday).
Once you have confirmation of your event, promote it as much as you can! There is a direct correlation between how much footwork you do and how many people end up attending your event. Contact various event listings sources and make sure you're listed, put posters up, bug your friends via social media, and shout it from the rooftops! Sending an invite out on Facebook and doing nothing else will likely result in a poorly attended show where we won’t cover our expenses. In this case, the door will be applied towards paying staff/materials/etc and you will find less open dates for your bookings – we cannot stress enough how important promotion is!!! If you promote your event, and people show up, you will receive 100% of the door.
We are licensed – all attendees must have valid government issued id as per AGLC guidelines and be prepared to show it to any staff member/security upon request.
Every show is as good as the crowd you invite – well attended shows are great when everyone is behaving on their own. If someone needs to be told they’re being a problem, it’s already a huge issue. Try to instill a sense of respect for the venue/building/neighbourhood in the crowd!
Notes pertaining to our monthly art+muzak shows
Please be aware that hanging is done the day of the show, between 4pm and no later than 7pm, unless you email and make other arrangements in advance! There are no hanging fees; we do however take a 20% commission on any sold art. Your art will be on display for a full month at dozens of live music events; and we would love it if the purchaser and yourself would agree to keep any SOLD pieces up until the next show with a big bright SOLD sticker! All art should be picked up the day of the next art show (the last saturday of each month) between 4pm and 7pm unless you email and make other arrangements in advance! Art left behind for more than 60 days past the hanging date will be donated to bohemians/charities/random passerby unless prior arrangements have been made.