Now that cat cafes are so passé, animal lovers are looking for the next animal and drink combination. Trendy London citizens need look no further than Soho for their next fix—soon, a new pop-up bar featuring owls will be opening!
Annie the Owl and friends will be taking over a Soho bar from March 19 to 25, 8:30 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. Customers can enjoy two hours and two cocktails nestled amongst the nocturnal birds. There's just one catch—you have to be very lucky to get a spot. Right now, the tickets are being sold for £20, but you have to enter a lottery to earn some face-time with the owls. Winning the raffle only gives you one ticket, so you'll have to fly solo if your friends don't win as well.
Right now, owl cafes are all the rage in Japan, but (perhaps predictably) London kicked it up a notch by adding booze to the equation. On top of feathery friends and drinks, the bar also offers music, comedy, and an "electric atmosphere." The drinks will be mixed by some of London's top mixologists, and the birds will all be accompanied by professional falconers, so you know you'll be in good hands.
The website lists all the owls that will be joining the guests with full bios. Some of the personalities include: Winston (the wise one), Ruby (the exotic one), and the mysterious Hootie, whose face has not been disclosed because she's a finalist in the World Owl Beauty Pageant (fancy!).
Those concerned about the little critters' well being—don't worry! A statement has been released to ease any fears:
“The organisers of Annie the Owl would like to assure that during the operating hours of the sit-down event, all possible measures are being taken to safeguard the welfare of owls. The organisers have also made sure the noise and background music will be kept to minimal and an owl will only have around 10-12 members of public around him/her at a given time. After consulting with professional falconers, the organisers have made sure the environment at the venue is suitable for the birds, with a suitable diet/water available. The organisers have also made sure that people attending the event wouldn’t be allowed to touch the animals, if not felt appropriate by the professional falconers who accompany them.”
The organizers, Locappy, will be donating the profits to Barn Owl, an organization that protects owls in the United Kingdom.
You can enter the raffle here, or follow them on Facebook here.