When the Old Town Theatre opened in May, it quickly started to draw big crowds.
People showed up on Friday and Saturday nights to see performances from local bands such as Fake Smile and Bangor Transit Authority.
And now, people are showing up on Wednesdays and Thursdays, too, as families come into the event space for trivia and movie nights.
Daniel McCue started chasing the goal of opening Old Town Theatre last July and spent nine months redoing the inside of the building at 261 Main St. before it opened this spring. Since then, live music, trivia and movie nights have pulled in crowds.
“It’s been kind of a wild ride. I wasn’t necessarily expecting it to take off as fast as it has,” said 37-year-old McCue, who started the business with Jamie Way as a way to bring live music and an event space to Old Town.
The venue has become a bright spot in downtown Old Town as the latest space to offer entertainment. Old Town Theatre is one of a small number of music venues in Greater Bangor that showcases local acts since Queen City Cinema Club closed in 2024.
Before the venue opened, McCue and Way worked with the building’s owners Galen and Bonnie Young to get the space ready for concerts and to meet city codes.
Coupled with the help from the Youngs, McCue said his crowds have grown by word of mouth, social media and his neighbors, Main Street Grill, who tell customers about the venue’s offerings.
In addition to concerts on Friday and Saturday nights, the 225-person venue also holds indie movie viewings on Wednesdays and trivia nights on Thursdays.
The events draw in people of all ages, McCue said. Because of the initial interest, he said he wants to expand the venue’s offerings to be open during the day. The owners are debating between adding a cafe or a coworking space. McCue hopes that whichever they choose, it will be open by September.
The venue is also looking to break into stand up comedy. McCue said he wants to see local acts and different routines take the stage. Three Portland-based acts are booked for Nov. 15.
The owners are also looking to use the space for events like weddings and to rent out the stage and sound equipment for bands to rehearse and record, with the goal of utilizing the space as much as possible.
“I would really love to have this place running both day and night,” McCue said.