By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com San Diego Blogger
Don’t stop the carnival!
The name of that play by Herman Wouk kept coming to mind as I experienced the awesome authentic Carnival pop-up party at Pacific Beach’s Duck Dive bar. This was its second-annual pop-up that turned the bar into a true carnival atmosphere. Held on a Tuesday night in October, it was over the top, with booths of games lined up against the walls, staff dressed in barbershop quartet outfits, bartenders in costumes of circus performers, cotton candy and a video of an actual carnival playing on the TVs.
There were prizes for playing the games. I won a thick plastic baseball bat (passing on the larger inflatable dolphin) after getting three balls into the fish bowl toss and a free drink – a vodka cocktail served in a plastic bag that some people thought contained a goldfish – for going five-for-five in knocking down dolls with beanbags. I did not fare quite so well in the ring toss and shooting ducks. There was one other game that slips my mind at the moment.
In addition to the plastic bag drink that did not contain a goldfish, there were specialty cocktails for sale. I had the World Class Act with Diplomatico Planis rum mixed with pineapple, Mario’s Espresso, lime, coconut and cinnamon ($14, which I thought was a really good price until it came in a 10-ounce cup with lots of ice. Needless to say they went down quickly on this night).
At the same time all this was happening, a bartender contest was taking place, tho it was on the far side of the bar away from all carnival activity and I can’t tell you who won.
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Now all this sounds wonderful, right, but what about the crowd? That’s really what makes these pop-up events and bars in general fun. Or not. Well, no need to worry about that because it was lively. It also brought in several bartenders and staff from other bars around San Diego – including PubClub.com September Bartender of the Month Cute Kate of Miss B’s Coconut Club and future Co-Bartenders of the Month Natalie and Rachel of Rabbit Hole – kind of making it like an unofficial industry night.
For me, the event got off to a great start when I was greeted by an adorably smiling made-me-weak-in-the-knees hostess, dressed in a carnival hat and circus ringmaster jacket who handed me free tickets from a makeshift ticket booth to play the games. “Come back again and I’ll give you more tickets!,” Brooke enthusiastically said, her face lighting up like a ferris wheel at night. I did go back, tho not necessarily for more tickets.
Don’t stop the carnival, indeed.
This story was written by a human from first-hand experience. No AI or ChatGTP was used in it.
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