It's a Festivus Miracle!
It's a Festivus for the rest of us this holiday season, thanks to offbeat happenings at Parts and Labor, Henry's, and Renaissance Chicago Downtown. As made famous on Seinfeld, Festivus is a fictional holiday designed to appease the oddballs and misfits; those who don't celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah. It's a "Festivus for the rest of us." From fiction to reality, the sitcom holiday has come a long way, and now you can celebrate in your own way with a few offerings throughout Chicago.
In Logan Square, Parts and Labor is celebrating Festivus all month long, through December 23, which serves as the main Festivus finale event. Every day until then, the bar and restaurant is hosting a pretty impressive raffle, wherein diners have the chance to enter for a chance to win the grand prize, which is a winter getaway in the form of a $500 travel voucher. Raffle tix are $5 and proceeds go towards Logan Square area churches. On December 23 at 9:00 p.m., Festivus culminates with some atypical holiday movies and $1 off drafts.
Also on December 23, Henry's in River North gets into the Festivus spirit with a special edition of its popular '90's night. With a focus on Seinfeld for the holiday, guests will have the opportunity to mingle around the traditional Festivus pole, eat turkey meatloaf sliders, and drink the Airing of Grievances cocktail made with Rittenhouse Rye, Carpano Antica sweet vermouth, and Ancho Reyes chili liquor. Additionally, anyone who successfully completes the Feats of Strength, which entails holding two six packs suspended from each arm for one minutes, will earn a complimentary shot.
Finally, the Festivus holiday takes the spotlight at Renaissance Chicago Downtown as part of a special party on December 22. From 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., the "Festivus Eve" party includes cocktail specials, dancing, and more. Drinks to be served include the Festivus Pole made with Glenlivet Scotch, Drambuie, Luxardo, lemon, cherry, and old fashioned bitters; the Airing of Grievances made with Zaya 12 year rum, Pimento Dram, sugar, and nutmeg; the Feats of Strength with Fernet Branca and Bourbon Barrel Dragon's Milk; and the Anti-Eggnog.
- Matt Kirouac