Can't wait for Star Wars: The Force Awakens to be released? The staff at the Whistler can't either, so they'll be celebrating the arrival of the sci-fi saga's latest installment with a themed event from a galaxy far, far away. For one day only on December 16, the Logan Square cocktail bar will be transformed into the Mos Eisley Cantina, the alien-filled Tatooine watering hole where Luke and Obi-Wan met Han Solo and Chewbacca in Star Wars: A New Hope.
With the help of event organizers Silent Reading, the Whistler will be decorated to match the ambience of a bar where severed appendages and blaster shoot-outs are the norm. Local musicians will play the role of the cantina's house band Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes, performing renditions of original Star Wars trilogy tunes (including the ubiquitous "Cantina Band" song) and assorted sci-fi songs. Of course, the cocktail menu will also be overhauled to fit the galactic theme, which co-owner Billy Helmkamp tells us will include "bright blue, green, and red drinks; lots of dry ice, oddball garnishes and so on."
Costumes are encouraged and—luckily for anyone with a C-3PO getup—there is one major difference between the Whistler's cantina and its cinematic counterpart: droids are allowed, as long as they're 21+.