New mid-sized music venue opens at Penguin City Youngstown

Penguin City Brewing Company is expanding its footprint this spring with the debut of a new permanent stage room, transforming its facility into a dedicated live music venue designed to host between 500 and 1,000 guests.

The new space positions Penguin City as a regional destination for live entertainment, filling a long-standing gap in Youngstown’s market for a mid-sized venue capable of attracting touring acts while supporting local programming and events.

“This is something we’ve been building toward for a long time,” Aspasia Lyras-Bernacki, co-owner of Penguin City Brewing, said. “We’ve always believed Penguin City could be more than a brewery. This stage allows us to bring larger live experiences to Youngstown and continue creating a space where people come together for music, for events, and for the energy of the city.”

To celebrate the launch, Penguin City is partnering with Ellis Music Events to host a grand opening concert on May 9, featuring Space Frehley, a nationally touring tribute to KISS guitarist Ace Frehley, and Live Wire, one of the country’s premier Mötley Crüe tribute acts.

Tickets for the first show on the new stage are available to purchase online.

“This is the kind of room this market has been missing,” Jake Ellis of Ellis Music Events said. “We want to open it with a show that feels big. Something that immediately shows fans what this space is capable of.”

Through the assistance of capital funds, the brewery is also upgrading its facility equipment, ADA accessibility and overall structure to make the venue comfortable and inclusive for all guests.

Gervelis Law Firm is the exclusive grand opening show sponsor and will be selling raffle tickets during the show for a chance to win a 2025 Indian Scout Bobber motorcycle in partnership with Johnny K’s PowerSports benefiting Ashlin’s Alliance and Every Dog Matters.