For 26 years, a lot of Burlington nights out didn't need a plan. Radio Bean at 8 N. Winooski Ave. billed itself on nightly live music, and its sister location, the Light Club Lamp Shop, sat a few doors up at 12 N. Winooski Ave. That ended on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, when the club closed. No single room has replaced it. Burlington's local music now sits on a fixed weekly schedule spread across a brewery on Lake Street, a bar on College Street and a lounge on Pine Street. Going out to hear music now means checking which night it is before you pick a door.
What closed, and what is still only a plan
Seven Days reported that a $29,000 insurance bill forced Radio Bean to close, and that most of the shows booked at the Bean and Light Club Lamp Shop moved to the Monkey House in Winooski and Dense Valley Barn. The same column noted hope that a new owner or ownership group might take on the club's debt and reopen it, and said the original era of Radio Bean has ended either way.
Radio Bean's own calendar page is still hopeful. It says a "hopeful transition is forming behind the scenes" and adds that "nothing is official just yet." Some shows still listed there are being presented by Radio Bean at other venues. For others, the booking team is still looking for a new home. If you're holding a ticket to a Bean-branded show this month, check the event listing for the venue before you head to North Winooski.
The Bean's recurring nights have gone different ways. According to Seven Days on September 23, DJ Taka's weekly dance parties moved to Standing Stone Wines in Winooski starting September 25. Honky Tonk Tuesday had no announced new home.
Main Street has its own gap. Nectar's has been closed since 2025. WCAX reported on October 15 that a zoning application proposes bringing food, live music, DJs and pool tables back to all three floors of the building. Only the application has been filed, and whether the Nectar's name stays is still undecided. Seven Days covered the same proposal on October 18. Nothing is happening in that building this November.
The rooms that picked up the slack
In its farewell column, Seven Days named the stages that matter more now that Radio Bean is gone: Foam Brewers, the Monkey House, The 126 and Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge. Three are in Burlington. Each one is a brewery, bar or lounge first and a music room second. They also schedule music differently than the Bean did.
Foam Brewers at 112 Lake Street books local DJs on Tuesdays, jazz on Thursdays and live acts Friday through Sunday. That makes the waterfront end of Lake Street a dependable stop on weekends.
The 126 at 126 College Street mixes cocktails with live music. Its weekly music schedule fills more weeknights than any other room on this list. Big Easy Tuesdays and a Wednesday jazz session both run from 9 to 11 p.m. On Thursdays, Alex Stewart plays jazz from 7 to 9 p.m., and Funk Jam follows from 9 to 11. Jazz sets carry it through Friday and Saturday.
Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge at 266 Pine Street, Suite #122, describes itself as a low-lit, speakeasy-style lounge built for live music. It has 48 seats and a bar. With that few seats, an evening at Venetian is closer to a living-room set than a club night.
Put together, the three rooms cover the week like this.
| Night | Burlington room | What's on |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | Foam Brewers, 112 Lake St. | Local DJs |
| Tuesday | The 126, 126 College St. | Big Easy Tuesdays, 9 to 11 p.m. |
| Wednesday | The 126 | Jazz session, 9 to 11 p.m. |
| Thursday | Foam Brewers | Jazz |
| Thursday | The 126 | Alex Stewart jazz, 7 to 9 p.m.; Funk Jam, 9 to 11 p.m. |
| Friday to Sunday | Foam Brewers | Live acts |
| Friday and Saturday | The 126 | Jazz sets |
| Varies | Venetian, 266 Pine St. | Dated shows on its events calendar |
Thursday is the fullest night on this chart. Between Foam and The 126, you can hear jazz from 7 p.m. and still catch a funk set that runs until 11.
Dated November nights in and around the city
The weekly nights are the base. These are the specific shows on venue calendars for the rest of November. Times and lineups can change, so check each venue's listing before you go.
- Thursday, Nov. 5: The Discussions at Foam Brewers, and Lincoln Sprague on piano at Venetian.
- Friday, Nov. 6: Forest Station at Foam, Kristin Daelyn's Unplugged Session at Venetian, and Shadow Monster with Brunch & Rangus at the Monkey House, 30 Main St. in Winooski.
- Saturday, Nov. 7: Soup for Two at Venetian, with Salmo opening.
- Friday, Nov. 13: Untapped, the November drag and burlesque edition, at the Monkey House.
- Saturday, Nov. 14: FUNGKSHUI at Foam.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Eliza Edens with Riverbed at Foam.
- Tuesday, Nov. 24: The Monkey House's monthly music open mic.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Lara Cwass Band at Foam, on Thanksgiving weekend.
For a bigger room, Higher Ground is at 1214 Williston Road in South Burlington, and its November calendar is already running. Between Higher Ground, the Monkey House and Standing Stone Wines, a good share of the region's music now happens just outside the city line.
Main Street keeps its big stage while the small ones wait
Downtown's largest stage is still running. The Flynn at 153 Main Street has Serial Killer Speakeasy Nov. 5 to 7, Elf the Musical Nov. 12 to 15, and John Scofield on Wednesday, Nov. 18.
The smaller stages on that stretch are still in progress. In August, Seven Days reported that Vermont Comedy Arts plans a 30-to-40-seat, alcohol-free basement theater at 118 Main Street. A September 16 season preview said the theater could open in October or November. Until it does, the group's weekly standup open mic stays at Vermont Comedy Club, and the group's events page lists a session there on Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Food on that block is changing too. Farmers & Foragers at 198 Main Street plans to open its dining room by the end of the year. In the same WCAX report, executive chef Avery Buck called the Nectar's plans "very exciting news." Esox, the bar at 194 Main Street, closed on August 15.
The Great Streets construction on Main Street is finished, and some downtown businesses say they can feel it. Cara Chigazola Tobin, co-owner of Honey Road at 156 Church Street, told Seven Days that business had rebounded and "after all the construction, it felt like this year was normal." The same report covered the closing of her team's daytime restaurant, the Grey Jay at 135 Pearl Street, after service on October 12. She explained that weekday downtown lunch traffic never returned to pre-pandemic levels. Grey Jay gift certificates can be redeemed at Honey Road.
So this November, downtown's big theater is busy, a new dining room and a comedy space are on the way, and the old Nectar's building is waiting on zoning. Until one of those opens, a Main Street evening can start at the Flynn or Vermont Comedy Club and ends at a schedule-driven room elsewhere. That could mean a Thursday at The 126, a weekend at Foam or a seated set on Pine Street.
At Pursuit Real Estate, we follow these changes because they shape what a weeknight in Burlington is like, from which block has live music to when the Main Street storefronts fill back in. If you're weighing a move within the city and want to talk through how different parts of town line up with the life you want, book an appointment with Marla and the team.
