3 Scholarships Available for "Rapunzel's Circle: Finding Enchantment Under Quarantine"!

Rapunzel by Wenjia Tang

A special note from Dr. Brittany Warman (also charmingly known as "Briarspell" on her social media accounts), Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic's co-founder, folklorist, teacher, writer and a slew of other giftedness - regarding the new course we just posted on, "Rapunzel's Circle: Finding Enchantment Under Quarantine": 

We should also mention that we're offering THREE full scholarships for this course,

so please e-mail us at

carterhaughschool@gmail.com

or watch our Facebook group for more information on that :).

How awesome is this? More than a few are having serious financial issues with the important and life-saving, but also challenging order to #stayathome, so now more folks can be involved, by-passing this difficulty altogether. (Our Fairy Tale Professors ROCK!)

Hope to see some familiar faces and/or names in the course next week!

"Rapunzel's Circle: Finding Enchantment Under Quarantine" - A New Fairy Tale & Folklore Course, Designed Specifically To Help Us Weather This Pandemic Storm

by Antonio Mora

Feeling overwhelmed, tired, frustrated, trapped and worried about so very many things?

Us too.


Having trouble finding magic in your days?

Us too.


Wishing fairy tales had answers or at least some refuge and hope?

We have something to offer!


Carterhaugh's School of Folklore and the Fantastic have gently been offering light and hope via social media, especially through their community on Facebook, on Instagram and sharing inspiring posts on their blog - which we recommend subscribing to.

As mentioned in a previous post, they've even offered a huge list of free resources aka "Rapunzel's Toolkit".

But now they're offering even more, specifically to help folks of the fairy tale and folkloric persuasion, in finding rest, solace, hope and community during this time of upheaval.

Fairy tale professors Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman have created a special course, designed to help RIGHT NOW:

RAPUNZEL'S CIRCLE: FINDING ENCHANTMENT UNDER QUARANTINE

"This course draws deeply on folklore and fairy tales to help you weather the storm. Our mission is to re-story you, to connect you to the community and combat loneliness, to inspire you creatively, and to help calm your restless mind.

The course opens on April 27th, 2020!

(That is this-coming MONDAY folks!)

The course will include live lectures, an invitation to our private Facebook group, access to all the fairy tales we discuss, weekly fairy-tale incantations, and so much more. This course is, above all, about community. It is about coming together during a time of crisis and loneliness to meet with other, like-minded folk and form a space where compassion is alive and magic is still afoot. Your spark hasn’t gone out - we will find it together."

And if you want to take part but the last thing you feel you can manage is something else on your plate, you should know this course is designed, not as an intensive study, with tons of reading, huge projects or assignments but as something you can flit in and out of, whenever you find a few minutes of downtime. You can dip your toe in and get wonderfully refreshed in just for 10 minutes, or soak for a few hours and deep dive to your heart's content - it's up to you and the course allows for both approaches.

Here's an overview of what will be focused on in the weeks to come:

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS AND TO SIGN UP

This 4 week course is being offered at a lower than usual price to be more accessible to folks, and Carterhaugh offers different payment plans to make it easier too.

It should also be noted that these courses are a GREAT way to find other fairy tale folk and become part of a community. You are not alone at home, or in your quirky folkloric and enchanted interests! There are many folks out there like you (like us!) and these courses are a great way to discover thoughtful and kind people from all over the world - and, importantly right now, in a very safe way. Connecting while social distancing is made possible through communities like this one and creates a great introduction for when we can wander the world safely again, perhaps this time to share coffee, tea and conversation with new friends.

Note: Rapunzel's Circle logo for Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic by Cheryl Honeycutt

Homemade Fairy Tales in Quarantine

Little Red Riding Hood by Gustav Dore (color), recreated by Katrin La aka @0815utzi

Folks are getting very creative while in quarantine and finding wonderful ways of keeping their lives magical, and the creativity isn't restricted to artists. One trend that keeps appearing is people recreating famous paintings with whatever they have around the house. This has made for some hilarious pictures (especially those reflecting the pandemic symbols of toilet paper, hand sanitizer and more).

We were more than a little thrilled to find a handful of fairy tale pieces (along with more "fairy tale adjacent" pieces, especially those of the pre-raphaelite sensibility) and thought our readers might enjoy taking a peek - and perhaps get inspired to create your own homemade fairy tale.

Midsummer Eve by Edward Robert Hughes recreated by Mona Longueville aka @lechasfaitronron

The Instagram account, @tussenkunstenquarantaine (not a typo) has been collecting submissions to help spread joy through the web, and is encouraging folks to get involved.

Here are the guidelines:

Tussen Kunst & Quarantaine

For everyone at home who needs some relief. Some homemade art 👩🏼‍🎨
1. Pic your artwork
2. Use 3 items in your home
3. Share @tussenkunstenquarantaine

Although people seem to stretch beyond the "3 items" guidelines, from time to time, it's a pretty fun challenge that good for stretching your brain and engaging your sense of humor, and of course, we'd love to see some more classic fairy tale paintings and illustrations recreated!

Ophelia by John Everett Millais recreated by Astrid Hulsmann aka @astrid_hulsmann

If you post on Instagram please feel free to tag @tussenkunstenquarantaine, our Editor's account @inkgypsy and also the online fairy tale profs of The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic @carterhaugh.school. Everyone is friendly, supportive and we are all delighting in each mote of magic that comes our way right now. And there's a good chance we'll share it in our feeds.

Enjoy the art and #staysafeathome! (It is still SO weird to type those words and realize they remain relevant the globe over.. hang in there folks!)

The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse - "trash version" by @brettmanningart (her words!)
Note: Brett has recently recreated a number of Pre-raphaelite scenes -they're all wonderful and worth checking out HERE

Beauty and the Beast-The Corona Version, Rapunzel in the Kingdom of Corona & Other Fairy Tale Commentary On Surviving This Pandemic

So how are you all?

We will catch you up on our new year, new surgery, and new challenges (typing = headaches!!) another time but for now our focus, is just like yours: surviving this pandemic, and that's a complex thing.

There were pleas from authorities to not joke about Covid-19 on April Fool's Day two days ago, because there are too many people afraid, or sick, or fighting for their lives while others are risking their own lives (and their families) daily by being on the front lines to help combat this pandemic, and we agree.

We do think, however, that humor can help alleviate stress and this video walks the line between funny parody and sobering truth - hopefully it's a good combo for you. Just going to leave this here for you all to... enjoy? Cringe at? Sober-up over? Heh.. oh boy.

"I've yet to see a reckless fool quite like her,"

"Without a mask or gloves she goes?..." 

Why is this so difficult for folks to adjust to??

For the first time everyone around the world - all at once -  is having to think about everything they do, in every aspect of their lives (from the most basic "how do I get food?" to the more complex "how do I educate my kids?") and that's an overwhelming adjustment to make, especially as it's not something someone else can do for us. We're each having to do it, individually, for the most part, but that doesn't mean we're as alone as we may feel.

The Fairy Tale Profs at The Carterhaugh School of Folkore and the Fantastic, have - inspired by the iconic "maiden in a tower fairy tale" story - put together a list of resources, or, as they delightfully title it "Rapunzel's Toolkit, or How To Nuture Magic and Sanity in Your Own Tower".

It's varied, extensive and wonderfully tailored for fairy tale and folklore folks to be inspired by during our confinement. You can find that awesome list HERE or by clicking on the image below.

While we have you here - and thinking of people locked in places they don't want to be - we wanted to remind folks that we could all use a little more kindness and gentleness in dealing with our current "cellmates". Everyone is having some sort of issue with the restrictions. Perhaps most obviously, extroverts quickly got cabin fever in a just a couple of days and are finding each additional 24 hours more difficult (and depressing), but introverts too are struggling with having no place to escape their co-confined families for some sanity-reviving alone-time and are feeling suffocated. More importantly than either of these groups, though, are two others that desperately need our awareness, support and care:

1) those quarantined with people they don't get on with (relationship fallout is already happening across the globe)
2) women & children in abusive and violent homes (domestic violence is on the rise the world over)

We thought this might be a good image for a sober reminder:

And there are other "at risk for additional violence" groups too: the homeless, the elderly in nursing homes, displaced youth, those in "halfway houses", the incarcerated...

Compassion and kindness isn't just about all the various "Rapunzels" that we are, getting through this more humanely, and creatively, but it may, in fact, save lives in a different - but very important way - too.

Yeah - this subject gets heavy REAL fast!

By the way, anyone else begin picturing a whole lot of Rapunzel-type towers sprouting up through a kingdom, trying to figure out how to keep daily life and functions running while we're talking about this? Just us? :D That would make for an interesting and twisty, fairy tale challenge...

(Feel free to write that fairy tale and we'll publish it here!)

Let's finish with a little extra giggle bonus, because we can't help but feel that despite the incredible gravity of this situation, a roll of toilet paper will be the ultimate symbol for this era in world history...

PS: A PSA (because we cannot get complacent about this!)

  --WASH YOUR HANDS -- (at least 20 seconds - you should know how by now!)                           -- STAY AT HOME --  (ie. in a single place - no visiting people who don't sleep in the same place you do! Shop once a week OR LESS for necessities only.)

-- KEEP AT LEAST 6ft BETWEEN YOU AND OTHERS WHEN OUT --

(the length of a turkey vulture's wingspan!) 

A Personal Note from the OUABlog Fairy Tale News Room

Question: Is Once Upon A Blog still open for business then?

Answer: Yeeesss. Sort of. It's a qualified yes. We wish to be but computer work has become a very real physical challenge and posts are likely to be random, short and erratic. We wish we could do more right now but healing has to be our priority. We hope you understand and forgive the inconsistency. We were working with doctors on this before the world-wide emergency hit, so progress in this department is taking a backseat until our docs are available again. Keep up your "habit of Wonder", practice creative living, focus on healing (like Mother Nature is doing, despite all this!) and you'll see us in your orbit again very soon.

Gypsy & the Fairy Tale News Team

Give A Truly Folkloric Gift This Season: A *New* Winter Folklore Mini-Course Or A Self-Guided Long Course In Fairy Tale Classics! (Psst! BlackFriday Deal Alert!)

The award-winning Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic have TWO new courses enrolling, a winter folklore mini-course and a self-guided master course on fairy tales... AND they're both 15% off right now with code WINTERMAGIC! (Sale through Monday 12/2/19.)

Here are some more details to entice to you join - or gift! - the growing community of folks avidly learning about folklore and fairy tales under the guidance of folklorists Professor Brittany Warman and Professor Sara Cleto. We got the chance of a fly-by catch-up with our fairy tale professors to ask them a couple of fun questions for you about the courses as well... (see the text in blue below each of the course descriptions):

The first course is perfect for the Winter Season and has been created by popular demand after the rousing success and high attendance in Carterhaugh's Halloween mini-course. The new interactive Winter course begins on January 8, 2020:

Enrollment is OPEN for our new mini-course “Kindling a Light in the Darkness: Winter Folklore and Fairy Tales”!

Let’s face it: the long dark of January and February is BLEAK. Once the December lights come down, the turkey (or, if you’re like us, Tofurkey and every last potato in town) has been gobbled up, and the fizzy champagne countdown to New Years is over, facing the cold winter months can feel seriously depressing, And so, we want you to join us in kindling a light and sharing a story or two when the year seems darkest.

By popular demand, we’ve conjured up another interactive Carterhaugh mini-course for you, poised right in the coldest and loneliest time of year. We invite you to take shelter from the wind and snow, pull up a chair by our fire, and gather round for stories, fellowship, and rituals to warm you down to your toes. Through a combination of video lectures, written tales, extra resources, and group discussion, we will lead you through some of our favorite winter folklore and fairy tales!

For more info and to enroll, visit HERE.

Speaking of favorite Winter folklore, we couldn't resist a pop-quiz question on the topic for the Carterhaugh School Fairy Tale Professors:

OUAB: You are having a decadent Winter Feast and need to invite: one folkloric character, one fairy tale person, one ghost and one animal. (Don't worry. They have promised to keep their hooves/paws/trotters off the table). Whom would you invite to your festive evening?

Sara: Persephone (because, between bouncing back and forth between the underworld and the surface, she's learned to be a good conversationalist with all kinds of different people), Lady Mary from the fairy tale "Mr. Fox" (because she's one of my fairy-tale heroes - girl is FIERCE), the Ghost of Christmas Present (because he'd be so happy to be there), and Tatterhood's goat (because she is a fine and noble steed)!

Brittany: The White Cat (who yes, is from a fairy tale too, but fairy tales are folklore, sooooo !), the 13th fairy from “Sleeping Beauty” (because one simply does not NOT invite her, as we all know!), the Ghost of Christmas Past (bc I’d love to have a peek back in time of a Christmas with some of those I’ve lost over the years), and one of Santa’s magical reindeer (probably Vixen, I always loved her name!)

BONUS FOR EAST COAST FOLKS: For those interested in the darker side of Christmas, Yule and Winter holiday traditions and tales, on December 17th, 2019 there is a LIVE Profs and Pints talk in Washington DC – “You Better Watch Out: A Look at Terrifying Holiday Folklore Around the World” – A little note: these live sessions have been SELLING OUT so if you're genuinely interested in going, grab your tickets ASAP HERE. Here's a taste:

Today, the December holidays are all about joyous magic, warm evenings curled by the fire, and celebrations of the good in the world. Traditionally, however, the winter season also ushers in the terrors of the dark and the cold, teaching us to bar doors, whisper warnings, and, above all, to be good for goodness sake. 

While many are now familiar with the holiday terror of the Krampus, this talk will explore a few less familiar, but no less frightening, folkloric characters of the season. 

You'll hear tales of the Icelandic Jólakötturinn, a gigantic cat that devours naughty children, and learn how to best the Welsh Mari Lwyd, a skeletal horse with a taste for song and poetry. You'll get to know the Eastern European Christmas witch Frau Perchta and trace the history of the sometimes mischievous, sometimes terrifying Yule Lads and their monstrous mother, Grýla.

The second offering is an in-depth master course in the classic fairy tales, consisting of ten comprehensive lessons:

Introduction to Fairy Tales
A self-guided course through classic tales and traditional folklore

Once upon a time...
A girl in red walked into the woods with a basket for her grandmother. There, she wandered from the path, talked to a strange wolf, was eaten, was saved.

Or, once upon a time…
The girl, who did not wear red, went into the woods. She met a werewolf, chose the Road of Needles instead of the Road of Pins. She performed a striptease for the wolf, tricked him, and ran back home, and slammed the door behind her.

Or, once upon a time…
A girl, once more in red, walked into the woods. She wandered, talked, was eaten. She was not saved, and she remained in the wolf’s belly.

A teeny preview of one of the beautiful
'grimoire' pages created for participants
to download & collect into their
own personal study volume.
To read the info-goodies you will have
to join..

In this self-guided online course, “Introduction to Fairy Tales,” we welcome you across the threshold of Carterhaugh to explore a collection of wonder tales from around the world- stories you may know, stories you may think you know, stories that are strange and unfamiliar. Through a combination of video lectures, supplemental readings, and extra resources, we will introduce you to the wide world of fairy-tale scholarship and provide the history, context, and tools to begin analyzing these stories and applying them to your own life.

For more info and to enroll, visit HERE.

Applying fairy tales to one's own life felt like it deserved a pop-quiz question too. Sara & Brittany very kindly humored us with wonderfully reflective answers...

OUAB: As you explain in this course, fairy tales are classified by their "tale-type" or "the things that happen in the fairy tale" and can sometimes reflect people's lives. While therapists can use this as a tool of exploration, just for fun, what would you each say is a "tale type" you feel reflects an aspect of your lives? (To make it harder we're nixing the reply of regularly losing shoes like Cinderella...)

Brittany: I’m going to have to go with “Sleeping Beauty” for this question. Most people know it’s my favorite fairy tale, but I also feel a deep connection to the story. All my life I’ve been shy, quiet, and typically not too willing to stick up for myself... sleeping, in some sense. But the older and more confident I get, the more I feel I am “awakening” from that, awakening to the person I’m truly meant to be. And that, to me, is kind of what “Sleeping Beauty” is all about.

Sara: The answer I give to this question will change depending on the day, but today, it's "Snow White." "Snow White" was my least favorite fairy tale growing up, because I thought Snow White was really weak and passive - and I wanted so badly to be strong and confident. As I've grown older (and given this fairy tale a lot more thought), I've realized that "Snow White" is a story about survival and success, despite incredible odds. I've grown much more compassionate towards Snow White herself (who is only seven years old in the Grimm version!) and more compassionate to myself, especially when I think about my own challenges through the lens of this particular fairy tale. 

Thanks Sara & Brittany! We love the humor, delight and insight you bring to every conversation - even pop-quizzes!

We at Once Upon A Blog have participated in a few Carterhaugh courses and highly recommend them both to people new to fairy tale studies, as well as those looking for something a little more in-depth. Both Sara and Brittany are wonderfully enthusiastic while being well-researched and clear in their unique tag-team style teaching. There's nothing quite like it anywhere else, and best of all, being based in an online format, their courses are available for ANY enthusiast, no matter their background, level of education, or location (yes - there are students joining from all over the world!) and they are committed to making this learning opportunity available at an affordable price. They are forever expanding their courses and the ways in which they are teaching and we feel lucky to have seen the formation of this wonderful school that was recently awarded the Dorothy Howard Prize, as recognition of

excellence, relevance, and innovation in folklore education, by The American Folklore Society. (In case it's not clear - this school is considered excellent by all those professional folklorists you respect!)

We hope to see some of you in the courses to come!

PUB Grimm Magically "Pops Up" Full of Fairy Tales for Halloween 2019 (& Will Soon Disappear...)

Photo by Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

NB: Dr. Brittany Warman and Dr. Sara Cleto (Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic) surprised us by not only posting about this magical, TEMPORARY space recently, they also visited (and made us thoroughly jealous!). Since we were already in the process of collecting a whole lot of images to share, we thought we'd go ahead and finish - since it is significant fairy tale news that has people talking in DC! Nothing we mention will top Brittany and Sara talking about being there, though. So you may consider this a 'companion post', of sorts. We'll be linking to the Carterhaugh post shortly... In the meantime, we've packed in a LOT of images, so be sure to click to enlarge so you can spot the many nods to lesser-known Grimm's tales too.

An Immersive Fairy Tale Halloween Experience in DC 

Once upon a time, in a pop-up bar in Shaw, Drink Company spun the haunting fairytales of the Brothers Grimm into a life-size storybook. Their third annual Halloween bar transforms the fables into PUB Grimm, opening Monday, October 17 (through November 3). 

“Halloween is not just about dress up and make believe,” says Drink Company president Derek Brown. “It’s also just about going to a different place and feeling like a different person and that’s embodied by the fairytales.” (Washingtonian)

Photo by Drink Company

As you can see by the posting date, we're running out of time to let you know about this briefly available, full-blown Fairy Tale experience for those of legal drinking age and above, in Washington DC, which has been created especially for Halloween in 2019 (and will only last till November 3rd!) so we will let the official press-release articles and interviews explain a lot. We have, however, collected as many different photos as we can from many different sources, to give you an idea of just how detailed and unique PUB Grimm is.

Photos in order:

1. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things          2. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

3. IG @stephchoiii                                                 4. IG @noblelady09

However - what's VERY important to know is that two of our fairy tale friends - the wonderful folklorists, Brittany Warman and Sara Cleto, who created the AFS Award-Winning Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, actually go to spend an evening there very recently, on their tour of places of "Urban Enchantment" and wrote about it - along with a lot of very delightful photos - on the Carterhaugh blog HERE. We can show you pictures and explain the concept. They can give you an idea of just how wonderful and magical the experience actually is so we recommend popping over there to enjoy their post (and more - there are lots of fairy tale goodies there for our readers!).

To transport patrons, special projects manager Adriana Salame-Aspiazu checked out versions of the Grimm fairytales from the Library of Congress dating back to the 1850s and early 1900s. Prints from the German storybooks are hung across the pub, telling the tales of scheming witches and mystical twists of bad luck. 

The stories leap from the pages into three-dimensional installations. A canopy filled with hundreds of thorns is inspired by “Sleeping Beauty’s Briar Rose,” or a Rumplestiltskin-style wheel spinning straw into gold. In the Grimm tales, Rapunzel’s witch had a green thumb and her planter sits in front of a castle, cheekily stocked with “Rapunzel lettuce” (a variety of salad greens). Salame-Aspiazu describes the decor as “the balance of whimsical and more Halloween scary.” (Washingtonian)

Photos in order:

1. IG - @mypinterestlife                2. IG - @einfachmalte

3. IG @mjex19                                4. IG - @amberfaise

5. IG @rkduggins                           6. IG - @beingdave

Well, this is amazing, but what is a "Pop-Up Bar" (PUB) anyway? 

Here's a little info from Drink Company's website, explaining their mission:

PUB is a rotating pop-up bar that houses thematic bars created by Drink Company such as Miracle on 7th Street, Cherry Blossom PUB and Game of Thrones PUB. Our first pop-up bar was in the Winter 2015 when we partnered with Cocktail Kingdom to create the first "Miracle" franchise outside of New York City. Since then we have held multiple themes and welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors. 

PUB specializes in elaborate decorations created by our design team alongside specialty cocktails that draw from the classics with fun, irreverent names and garnishes. At PUB, guests are treated to immersive, one-of-a-kind experiences.   www.popupbardc.com

Photos in order:

1. Twitter @SeyKimESQ                  2. IG @ksaniaprophoto

3. Facebook - Drink Company       4. IG - @drinkcompany

5. IG - @drinkcompany                   6. IG - @jan_marthorn

Previous Pop-Up Bar themes have usually been tied to the season in some way (for example, the scary side of fairy tales, makes it a bar specifically for the Halloween festival) and they are, as they advertise, immersive in the experience. Not only do they look amazing (sight), they take pains to choose appropriate soundtracks and sound effects (sound), they encourage guests to dress thematically or in costume (touch), and create a specially themed drinks menu with accompanying thematic snacks (taste). They even take into account the all-important cherry in the cap of the social media generation's experience with today's tendency to "Insta" everything (ie. short for "Instagram", or take pictures of oneself to show you were there, and post them online). Each PUB takes great pains to add a lot of "Insta" options in their decoration, both in the background for atmosphere but also interactive sets and props.

Photos: Left - Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things                                         Right - IG @mypinterestlife

Other themes have been wow-worthy too. Readers will likely be very interested in taking a look at some pictures HERE from the Game of Thrones Summer Bar in DC. Last year they had Pub Dread (images in the video in the linked article), while a Stranger Things PUB appeared in Chicago in 2017, and there has been a Cherry Blossom & Southern Efficiency PUB, and a "Mario" (video game themed) PUB with the "Miracle on Seventh Street" being a very popular Winter holiday-themed PUB (incorporating Christmas, Hannukah, Winter and more), having made more than one appearance. It's well worth clicking on the link HERE to check out all the different holiday 'rooms'. (We're curious to see what they top it with for 2019!)

In the meantime, here are a LOT more photos of the interior details and many nods to fairy tales most folks wouldn't pick up on (without a guide anyway). For instance, did you notice the lion's head near the Cinderella chair? Or the illustration on the wall to the left? How many references can you find?  (Hint to get you started from The Washington Post: Throughout the five rooms, there are allusions to some of the Grimms’ gorier stories, such as “The White Bride and the Black One” and “One-Eye, Two-Eyes and Three-Eyes”... (Sources for the photos are listed in order before the next text block.) Enjoy!

Photos in order:

1. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things          2. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

3. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things          4. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

Photos in order:

5. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things        6. IG @misoandsushi

7.  IG @mjex19                                                     8. IG @nearlywitches.cos

Photos in order:

9.  Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things       10. IG @hellcatshaus

11. Twitter @dccitygirl_                                           12.  Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

Here are folklorists and fairy tale friends, Dr. Brittany Warman (left & middle) and Dr. Sara Cleto (right)using their Insta-power to lure you to PUB Grimm...

Photos in order:

13.IG - @jan_marthorn                                                  14. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

15. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things           16. Twitter @dccitygirl_

17. IG - @drinkcompany                                                18. Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic

Photos in order:

19. IG @rkduggins                                                    20. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

21. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things       22. IG - @jan_marthorn

23.Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things        24. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

From the Drink Company, Pop Up Bar (PUB) DC 'About' Page, which will change very shortly to reflect the next theme, so we are including all the information here for the fairy tale record:

Drink Company Presents PUB Grimm, Brothers Grimm Halloween Pop-up

Drink Company proudly announces PUB Grimm, a Halloween pop-up experience in Washington, D.C. that celebrates the darker side of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales, opening Friday, October 18th. In true Pop-Up Bar (PUB) fashion, the over-the-top décor will transport guests to the Black Forest with Hansel and Gretel’s house, Rapunzel’s tower, and the wicked queen's mirror.

“Revisiting Grimms’ fairy tales has been a fantastic creative journey for me,” says Special Projects Manager, Adriana Salame-Aspiazu, “I want it to be that for our guests too." At PUB Grimm, guests can traverse the thorny hedge from Briar Rose as straw is spun into gold. See Rapunzel’s golden hair under the full moon. In a royal castle, test their luck fitting into Cinderella’s shoe, but hopefully keep their toes!

The cocktails at PUB Grimm also represent a journey through the stories and season. “I love fall—apples, hoody weather, Halloween,” says drinks creator, Paul Taylor, “Creating these cocktails from classics, I wanted them to connect back to the theme, stories I grew up with, and embody my favorite season.”

Taylor created a special menu of cocktails for the PUB, including The Glass Slipper (Monkey 47 Gin, dry vermouth, orange bitters, spruce oil), The Fairest Apple of Them All (Smooth Ambler American Whiskey, maple, apple cider, vinegar, bitters), and Crumby Directions (Powers Gold Label Irish Whiskey, ginger, honey, lemon, smoked Allspice).

PUB Grimm has also partnered with chef Mike O’Brien from The Berliner who will serve classic brats, frankfurters, soft pretzels and more alongside Taylor’s creations. (A bar inspired by the Black Forest open during Oktoberfest has to serve German food!). And has partnered with the D.C. Public Library Foundation (DCPLF), which will present a Drag Queen Story Hour every Saturday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. where drag performers will read classic fairy tales in costume and a portion of the proceeds from drinks will benefit the DCPLF.

Photos in order:
(ILLUSTRATION) IG - @jan_marthorn (DRINKS) IG @east.coast.bite, IG @east.coast.bite, Photo by Drink Company, Photo by Drink Company, IG - @montyhobbs, IG - @munchtravelogue.

PUB Grimm

1843 7th St. NW

will be open

Tuesday through Saturday,

October 17 through November 3

IG @gmatuzs22

References & Sources for Photos:

• Brightest Young Things by Nicholas Karlin for Medium (from the press event evening & photos taken for BrightestYoungThings.com promotion) pre-opening photos - many more shots here
• Pop Up Bar DC - official website
• Jump Into the Brothers Grimm Fairytales at DC's Halloween Pop-Up Bar by Danielle Byck for the Washingtonian
• Twitter posts using hashtag #PUBGrimm
• Instagram posts using hashtag #PUBGrimm