Nightmare Before Tinsel, Philadelphia’s favorite Halloween pop-up bar located in the heart of Midtown Village, is prepared to make its annual debut on none other than Friday the 13th, this Friday, September 13 running through Thursday, October 31, located at 116 S. 12th Street.
The highly-anticipated revival of this popular pop-up bar brings a new theme dubbed “Haunted Mansion” and coincides with the launch of an expansive second-floor allowing guests twice the space to enjoy all of the ghoulishly-good cocktails and brews, over-the-top décor, and nightmarish surprises.
Open daily through Halloween, Nightmare Before Tinsel is the antecedent of the fan-favorite Tinsel, a Christmas pop-up held in the same venue, and is a part of Craft Concepts Group helmed by Teddy Sourias.
“After the initial love and success we saw from our first Christmas pop-up, Tinsel, seven years ago, we realized there was a severe lack of general themed pop-up bars in the Philadelphia area – which is where the idea of “Nightmare Before Tinsel” was born,” said Sourias. “Each year we get bigger and better, and are thrilled to introduce an entirely new second floor to the space this year. Our designers craft year-round to make these pop-ups an over-the-top success, and it is always exciting to see their imaginations and talents come to life. With the Haunted Mansion theme and the added second floor, this Nightmare Before Tinsel is going to be the best one yet.”
Co-designed by artists Scott Johnson and Alex Bokulich, Nightmare Before Tinsel’s fifth year of operations promises a reimagined venue with new and returning life-size as well as intricate Halloween décor and figures, now overflowing onto an all-new second-floor space that of which is dedicated chiefly to “Kaiju”, or, giant monsters. These monsters span the time from iconic animator Ray Harryhausen, to more contemporary, yet obscure horror. Drenched in black lights, the second-floor bar gathers the 12 most notable giant monsters throughout horror history. Both the ground floor and second-floor bars are wholly original for this year including design elements from the Belasco Collection of the United Kingdom, that of which are providing artifacts that are both occult and horrific.
In addition to an impressive design transformation, the eerie-sistible beverage menu features craft cocktails including Blood Bag (Kiki Vodka, peach, cranberry); Drunkula (Maker’s Mark Whiskey, hot cider, whipped cream, cinnamon); Morgue-a-rita (Corralejo Tequila, blood orange, lime, honey); Goblin! At The Disco (Tito’s Vodka, Blue Curacao, cranberry, grenadine); spirited shots such as Green Witch Horror (Hornito’s Tequila, sour, melon); and OMG: Oh My Gourd (White Claw Vodka, spiced pumpkin, caramel), and a bevy of seasonal brews.
Upon its opening on Friday, September 13 through Thursday, October 31, Nightmare Before Tinsel will operate on a walk-in basis only Monday through Friday beginning at 4pm, and Saturday and Sunday beginning at 2pm. For the month of October, Nightmare Before Tinsel will open at 2pm on Fridays.
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