A Philadelphia nightlife institution arrives in Houston this weekend. Noto Houston aims to offer a state-of-the-art venue where music fans can party all night.
Courtesy of NOTO Houston
Noto Houston opens this weekend.
Located in a converted warehouse at 3215 McKinney St., Noto (styled in press materials as NOTO), stands for Not of the Ordinary, co-owner James De Berardine tells CultureMap. Initially, De Berardine says he wanted a word that sounded good in a sentence, as in “let’s go to Noto,” and chose it from over 100 potential names. Once he settled on the moniker, he learned it had some additional benefits.
“It’s also a first-person conjugation of the verb ‘to be well known’ in Italian, ‘notare.’ So it has kind of a double meaning,” he says.
Indeed, the massive, 15,000-square-foot venue has some out of the ordinary amenities. The room offers all of the following:
- More than 30 banquette seating areas
- More than 120 speciality show lights
- Over 1,000-square-feet of LED video boards
- A L-Acoustics sound system with more than 25 components
- Six ceiling-mounted CO2 jets
- Two confetti cannons
“It resembles a high end steakhouse more than a nightclub or a music venue,” De Berardine says. “It’s got an upscale ambiance that will encourage a sense of appreciation for anyone who’s a fan of interior design or interior aesthetics. I think they’ll really like it.”
Opening weekend kicks off with world renown DJ Afrojack on Thursday, June 22. Toronto-based electronic duo Loud Luxury takes the stage on Friday, and DJ Spade, who’s been part of Drake’s recent world tours, closes out the weekend on Saturday night with a hip hop set. De Berardine selected both Afrojack and Loud Luxury based on his personal relationships with the artists.
“We just had [Afrojack] in Philadelphia for our six year anniversary in February,” he says. “He’s well known and we’re confident he’ll play a great set that everyone will enjoy.”
Other scheduled performances include an afterparty for Houston-based hip hop star Don Toliver’s concert on July 8 and star fitness influencer Sommer Ray on July 15. The lineup reflects the diversity Noto aims to showcase.
“We book artists of all different backgrounds. We’re not necessarily an electronic venue or a hip hop venue or a Latin music venue,” he says. “We will present a variety of shows to see what the local population likes. That’s what we’ve found to be a good way to have a diverse and robust entertainment lineup.”
General admission tickets will typically run between $20 and $50 with select artists going for a little more (Afrojack tickets cost $60). The venue also offers free tickets to select performances. Those who want a table can expect to pay between $600 and $3,000, which includes seating for 12.
Noto’s Philadelphia location opened in 2017. De Berardine aspires to similar longevity for the Houston venue.
“We’ll never close until I retire. I’m 31,” he says. Later, he adds, “My immediate goal is to make sure this launch is successful and in some period of time looking for an opportunity to build a third Noto.”
