It’s almost Halloween Pop-Up time. Fall 2024 is fast approaching and the list of Kansas City Pop-Ups is growing. Not every event is created equally though. It’s hard to know what is worth your time and hard-earned money. There are places for everyone. KC has something for everyone if you want to drink and sit, be scared to death, or be entertained. Easily the most inventive experience this Fall comes, not surprisingly, from Signal Horizon Entertainment, who burst on the scene last year and quickly established themselves as the go-to creators for unique, spooky fun. Their latest event, The Harvest Society, mixes the best of all your favorites. Game lovers, scavenger hunt fans, history buffs, horror hounds, and drink aficionados will all be satisfied.
For those who had the pleasure of attending either Drinkaway Camp or Drinkaway Camp 2: Those Meddling Kids, you know the evolution of the pop-up bar was realized. We all love a good pop-up bar, especially around Halloween, where every horror concept is trotted out and decorated for the deep-pocketed masses who have money to spend and want to be immersed in a world of fun and nostalgia while they sip on crafted cocktails and mocktails designed to extend the experience beyond the decor and straight into their tastebuds.
Let’s face facts: not all pop-ups are worth it, though. Some slap chotchkies from their mother’s basement up and call it a theme; others build layers of things to look at and explore as you imbibe. The Conductor’s Club in Union Station is an example of one that does it right. The drinks and decor are designed to bring you into their world and keep you entertained while there. For those who want even more from their experience, there weren’t many options for anyone who wanted to drink and do activities themed around a central storyline.
You can go to a haunted house, but you can’t drink in the house. You can go to an escape room but can’t sip curated cocktails while solving the puzzles. Signal Horizon Entertainment changed all of that with their boozy escape room/theater experience that had even more fun and none of the pressure of a traditional escape room. Drinkaway Camp events were so popular they sold out weeks before opening.
The Harvest Society Is like nothing you have done before.
This fall, they will elevate the Halloween pop-up once more with The Harvest Society. The evolution of a pop-up bar, city-wide scavenger hunt, and spooky pub crawl is a culmination of everything crowds have been begging for. This six-week-long event begins on September 13th and concludes with the Great Bonfire on October 25th and October 26th, where the winners of the Great Harvest will be announced, and BOGO drinks will flow. Harvest Society members are encouraged to play at their own pace. Visit all nine locations in one weekend or visit a few every week. The choice is yours.
Attendees loved Drinkaway Camp’s game element, and Signal Horizon listened by implementing a real-time leaderboard, city-wide hunt, and side quests for free drinks. All of this is delivered in a slick, simple-to-use, member-only web application. It is the most economical and creative Halloween event you can do this Fall. You will find yourself in a world of monsters, demons, secret societies, and dangers lurking everywhere.
If you have ever wanted to do more than just sit and didn’t want to pay a fortune for tons of escape rooms or pop-up bars, The Harvest Society is the answer. $20 gets you the entire experience at all nine locations and surprises along the way. Get to know the city, visit places you may not have otherwise visited, and immerse yourself in the world of The Harvest Society if you dare. They have woven the real ghostly history of Kansas City with the world of The Harvest Society in the most genius way. You have a hard time recognizing where fiction and fact intersect. An in-world podcast is a window into the mystery and establishes why everyone should be scared.
Signal Horizon is creating one-of-a-kind experiences that you can’t find anywhere else. The brother/sister team of Tyler Unsell and Tracy Palmer has become a force in the themed event space with their unique spin on mobile experiences. Consumers want more than decorations and cute-sounding drinks, and they have tapped into that while capitalizing on the kind of story horror fans expect. The Harvest Society isn’t just another Halloween pop-up bar in Kansas City. It is nine different pop-up experiences told within the world of The Harvest Society, where everyone is either with or against you.
There is no better date to start the pop-up experience than Friday, September 13th, 2024.
The journey begins on Friday the 13th at the Stray Cat Film Center, where you can pick up your Copendiums, a beautiful and eerie guide to your mystery. From there, the journey depends on which faction you choose. The Reapers want to cut back the seeds of chaos that the Sowers wish to plant. The Reapers love humanity and strive to protect us at all costs. The Sowers want the doors of Hell to be opened wide and humanity to become extinct. They believe our days on Earth should be over. Choose to play with either group and watch as both sides rack up points.
The nine locations hosting the Society this year are Chartreuse Saloon, Lifted Spirits Distillery, and Afterword Tavern and Shelves in The Crossroads. Vine Street Brewing Company in the Jazz District, West Bottoms Whisky Co. in the West Bottoms, and The Big Rip Brewing Company, Callsign Brewing Company, Restless Spirits Distillery, and Rewind Video and Dive in North Kansas City. The experience is flexible enough to begin anytime before the end of October at any of the locations, so if you don’t get registered on Friday the 13th, never fear; you can still get in on all the fun.
Members of The Harvest Society will be at The Crossroads during First Fridays this September at Lifted Spirits Distilling Company, Afterword Tavern and Shelves, and Chartreuse Saloon if you want to learn more. You can also get more details and reserve your ticket here. The experience has been limited to maximize the player experience, so get your tickets before they are gone.