There are two reasons why Sugar Maple’s next pop-up earned the trophy for best ever the moment it was announced. First, it’s Nintendo-themed. Second, Sugar Maple is the one doing it.
The Bay View bar has a well-earned reputation for making the temporary re-skinnings of its home on East Lincoln Street must-see events. Put simply, when Sugar Maple picks a theme, you know they’re going to do it justice. This one — dubbed “Bartendo” and scheduled for Oct. 19-22 — will be held to the same exacting standard based on a couple updates.
When Sugar Maple announced the event, it also put out a call to artists for Nintendo-themed works that would help transform the space. While those are still under wraps, the bar did share a few designs that will appear on merch, and I’m already waving my credit card at the screen hoping a pile of shirts will respawn on my desk:
More recently, the Bartendo schedule made its way into the wild. The rundown features gaming tournaments and playable stations (all throwback, it seems), interactive engagements, TV show screenings, a costume contest, a live concert and the food you can grab across the four days.
You can see everything Sugar Maple has planned below and start practicing your Luigi side-eye.
Thursday, Oct. 19
- 4-10 p.m. — Nintendo-themed artists’ reception
- 5-9 p.m. — Food from Modern Maki
- 8-10 p.m. — Mario Kart 64 tournament (registration at 8 p.m., games at 8:30 p.m.) with a trophy and gift certificate for the winner
Friday, Oct. 20
- 5-9 p.m. — Food from Sweet Smoke BBQ
- 8-10 p.m. — Costume contest with prizes for the top three
Saturday, Oct. 21
- Noon-8 p.m. — Screenings of Nintendo shows, including the Pokemon television series, Super Mario Bros. cartoon
- 1-6 p.m. — Nintendo-themed vendor fair
- 1-6 p.m. — Gameboy photo booth by 8bitmke
- 1-6 p.m. — Food from MKE Taters
- 6-9 p.m. — Food truck TBA
- 8-10 p.m. — Mechanical Life Vein performing a live Nintendo score
- 8:20-9 p.m. — Super Mario Bros. 3
- 9:20-10 p.m. — Metroid
Sunday, Oct. 22
- 1-3 p.m. — Meet A Koopa with Tatiana’s Tiny Zoo Real Reptiles
- 1-5 p.m. — Aaron Cooks
- 2-5 p.m. — Super Smash Bros. N64 tournament (registration at 2 p.m., games at 2:30 p.m.) with a trophy and gift certificate for the winner
