What to Know
- Limited-time ticketed experience to open in Hollywood
- Sith costumes are not required, though definitely wear it if you've got it
- The eerie red glow and "6 custom cocktails from different parts of the galaxy" are stand-out features
The "Star Wars" universe? It's a multi-layered, incredibly complex system, with numerous old alliances, broken alliances, future alliances, and alliances that seem alliance-y on the surface but definitely don't qualify as authentic alliances, all filling out the larger landscape.
But should the alliance-laden outlook ever begin to feel too sunshiny for audience members, as sunshiny as the two suns of Tatooine, there's... another way.
The way of Emperor Palpatine, and Jabba the Hutt, and Grand Moff Tarkin, and those always-on-the-move Stormtroopers, and Darth Vader himself, and all of the other characters that keep the "Star Wars" tractor beam focused on the dastardly and crafty and planet-seizing doings of a cadre of well-written villains.
If you've been pondering a visit to The Dark Side, but you're not sure what sort of wretchedness you'll encounter, consider first investigating The Darkside Bar, a limited-time pop-up experience headed for Hollywood.
An advance reservation ticket? It's $33, and two drinks are included in the price. And if you arrive that evening, on a whim and without a reservation, and you sweep up to the door with your cape flowing menacingly in your wake, then your ticket will be $40. (Cape or no cape, still forty bucks.)
Inside? Prepare to encounter "...6 custom cocktails from different parts of the galaxy that are sure to give you the feels," as well as a line-up of small bites hailing from faraway worlds, bites like Bantha Fodder.
The Scene
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Did you guess those are vegan sushi egg rolls? If you did, we raise our tusks high in your most high honor.
Los Angeles won't be the only port on this side the galaxy to play host to The Darkside Bar; both our nation's capital and New York City are readying a place for Sith lords to sip, chillax, and socialize.
Day #1 on the LA calendar? Friday, Nov. 24. The crews behind this "Star Wars"-tributing pop-up? It's a New Gold Empire/BNG production.
And if you're now thinking of the Scum & Villainy Cantina, the former pop-up, now permanent fan bar in Hollywood, well, that's understandable.
Surely you might call upon both The Darkside Bar and Scum & Villainy Cantina in a single night? If your trusty TIE Fighter is not giving you trouble, or, more accurately, if you're able to summon a cab or designated driver through the positive use of The Force?
Well, the two fan bars are actually only about six blocks apart, and both are on Hollywood Boulevard, so perhaps strolling along the starry thoroughfare, in your full "Star Wars" regalia, is the path to take.
The only question is how many other people wearing your exact outfit you might meet along the way. This is Hollywood Boulevard, after all, the place where, every night of the week, people dress up, quite elaborately, in the manner of the movies.