Don't Miss KC's Most Inventive Pop-Up Experience, Drinkaway Camp Is Back For The Summer

The hottest event from last fall is back with a surprise experience starting May 24th, 2024, in North Kansas City, Missouri. Following the success of Season 1 of Drinkaway Camp, those crazy minds at Signal Horizon Entertainment have cooked up another caper. This time, they invite you into your favorite Saturday morning cartoon to solve the mystery of Miner the 69er and The Big Rip Mine. Meeting at that nexus of nostalgia, raunchy hilarity, and spooky fun, Drinkaway Camp 2: Those Meddling Kids mixes the best of a pop-up bar with an escape room but without the pressure and with more laughs.

I hesitate even to call Drinkaway Camp a pop-up bar. It is so much more than that. Here’s what you missed for those who didn’t have the pleasure last fall. It has all the theming you would expect from a pop-up bar on steroids with the professional staging and set pieces you find in a horror movie. The first season created the world of Camp Drinkwater, or as it was later called, Camp Blood. Once inside, guests were treated with, hands down, the best theming I have ever seen in a pop-up. Every inch was transformed into buildings, furniture, decorations, and games. You picked an archetype from horror movies and played that character’s arch throughout the evening.

Mixed seamlessly with the scary decor were thirty mini-games (think escape room-style games) that you must solve in order to survive the night. If you succeeded, you received a certificate to go along with your mini Necronomicon, which acted as your guide to the adventure.

In Drinkaway Camp 2: Those Meddling Kids, you are invited to join the Scooby gang and solve a cartoon caper. Like before, this fully immersive experience begins from the moment you check in to the moment you leave—assuming you survive. The creators of Drinkaway Camp are back with an entirely new experience. New sets, liquor-forward craft cocktails, games, and even more laughs await you inside.

Once you enter Drinkaway Camp 2: Those Meddling Kids, you are transported into a cartoon world where you and your Mystery Gang must find out who haunts the Big Rip Mine. Play as the bicurious brainiac, the scaredy-cat stoner, the fashionista with a fierce roundhouse, the ascot-wearing leader, or everyone’s favorite talking dog. Every character’s quest is different, with different games and a different answer to the mystery of who is haunting The Big Rip Mine. On hand, as usual, are your camp counselors, who add a theatrical element to the experience and are as much fun as the games.

An adorable Mystery Machine Owner, Manuel, gives you all the clues to get through the evening and follow the rules. Like last year, this booklet is a guide to the night and a cute keepsake to remember your experience. A Mystery Machine photo op allows you to join the gang and ride along with them.

I got the pleasure of getting a behind-the-scenes look at what they are cooking up for this year’s event, and it is even better than the original. The sets are wilder, the jokes bigger, the games more complex, and those drinks are to die for. Improving from last year’s experience, you aren’t just solving escape room-like games as part of your character’s journey; you are solving the case of Miner the 69er and The Big Rip Mine. Chock full of day-glow goofiness, you feel as if you are in the world of Scooby-Do. Step through the doors and become a cartoon. Come for the drinks but stay for the games. There is even a surprise midway through that will have you on your feet!

The drinks I got a sneak peek of were boozy treats that are as inventive as they are fun. The Scaredy Cat shot was especially tasty, made with local favorite Chingu KC Soju, and The Jinkies, made with Mean Mule Gold Agave Spirit. It is easily the coolest take on a margarita I have ever had. Drinkaway Camp’s special cocktail menu created by The Big Rip Brewing Company is full of local products, including Restless Spirits and Lifted Spirits. It truly is a menu that celebrates the best of Kansas City and is designed for those tired of being given a $20 glass of sugar and barely any alcohol. These drinks were created to celebrate the spirit and enhance the experience. The drinks are as much part of the event as the games and the sets.

If you are hungry, grab some award-winning barbeque at Hawg Jaw BBQ next door to satisfy your appetite before you get your spook on. As any Kansas Citian knows, we do great barbeque, and Hawg Jaw has some of the best. Don’t miss their smoked turkey or burnt ends; no meal is complete without their baked beans and cheesy, gooey corn that will have you purring; it is so good!

Drinkaway Camp 2: Those Meddling Kids runs May 24th through July 7th. Every Thursday through Sunday, the haunted gates of The Big Rip Mine open wide to guests and encourage them to join their fellow campers and explore something they have never experienced before. On Thursdays and Sundays, there is one seating at 6 PM, with seating at 6 PM and 8:30 PM on Fridays and Saturdays. While the experience is primarily designed for adults, they feature a more family-friendly experience on Thursdays, and everyone is welcome. Adults can still have an alcoholic drink, but those in the under-21 crowd can enjoy a fantastic, themed mocktail or soda.

It is a perfect addition to a Bachelorette party, group outing, or date night. The experience encourages everyone to get involved, and it fosters a sense of camaraderie. Camp is also available for private parties, and you can book it by contacting Signal Horizon directly any day of the week. Tickets are only $20 each and are well worth the money. The two-hour experience is unlike anything around and is an essential part of Kansas City. Situated on the edge of North Kansas City right by the river and the River Market in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, it is easily accessible to any area of the city and perfect for combining with a KC Current game, First Fridays at the Crossroads, or any other special city outing.

Tickets are going fast already, with less than two weeks to go before it opens. Limited tickets are available, and some dates are almost entirely sold out. If this event is anything like the one in the fall, eager guests traveled from hundreds of miles, and even more were waitlisted in the hopes of getting a last-minute ticket. Don’t miss out. Get your tickets now before it is too late.