London’s first pop-up owl bar attracts 25,000 people
Move over cat cafe, there’s a new creature-based drinking concept in town.
Nearly 25,000 people have applied for tickets to London’s first pop-up owl cafe, where a combination of real-life owls and cocktails are expected to be a hoot.
The latest of London’s pop-ups will bring Annie the owl (also the name of the bar) and five feathered friends to a Soho hangout, where visitors can relax in the owl-themed surrounds and sip a cocktail or two.
The week-long concept bar is in such high demand that organisers have had to create a ballot system for tickets which has already attracted 24,520 owl-loving Londoners.
Winners of the in-demand tickets will pay £20 to spend two hours with the owls – all properly handled by trained falconers and used to being around the public – while sipping a couple of cocktails.
It’s a change of scenery for Annie and friends Darwin, Ruby, Cinders, Winston and Hootie, who are usually taking in the fresh air at an owl sanctuary. The bar, which runs from 19-25 March, will raise money for The Barn Owl Centre in Gloucestershire.
The inspiration comes from Japan, where owl cafes are apparently the hottest thing since, well, cat cafes – and where Tokyo goes, London follows.