For those who are too old to trick or treat but young enough to want “spook-tacular” Halloween fun — there’s Salt Lake City’s Vault of Nightmares.
This pop-up bar — which starts a 15-day run on Thursday, Oct. 17 — is a partnership between Salt Lake City’s Nightmare on 13th and Hotel Monaco, 15 W. 200 South.
Jimmy Dilley, the creative director at Nightmare on 13th, and his team have decorated the hotel’s Vault Bar with ghoulish props — cobwebs, gargoyles, Frankenstein’s monster and scarecrows with hair-raising pumpkin heads.
It’s the first time Dilley has taken his creative skills outside the popular haunted attraction at 320 W. 1300 South. “It’s not too far off what we normally do,” he said. “People come to a bar to have fun, just like they do at Nightmare on 13th.”
Dilley is celebrating his 13th anniversary with Nightmare on 13th and obviously enjoys the Oct. 31 holiday more than some. “It’s the only time you can be whatever you want to be,” he said, “and escape from reality.”
While Dilley does the decorating, the Hotel Monaco staff has created a half-dozen Halloween-themed cocktails that are available only in the pop-up bar — and not inside Bambara, the hotel’s adjoining restaurant. There’s the Basic Witch, with vodka and five spice pumpkin puree. There’s also the Medusa’s Eye, made with housemade green juice and gin and sporting an edible gummy eyeball as garnish. Cocktails cost $12-$15.
(Jeremy Harmon | The Salt Lake Tribune) A special "Medusa's Eye" cocktail is seen at the Vault Bar at Hotel Monaco on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019. The downtown Salt Lake City bar has partnered with Nightmare on 13th haunted house to create a Halloween themed experience for bar patrons and is offering cocktails like this one through October.
After the success of December’s Miracle Bar — a Christmas-themed pop-up with kitschy décor, holiday cocktails and props geared for the Instagram and selfie crowd — the hotel wanted to do another holiday-themed event, said Tommy Girrbach, general manager. “There are some really cool things to do in bar spaces.”
For the ultimate experience, guests can buy the “All Hallows Eve” package that includes a hotel room; a tarot card reading from Salt Lake City’s Crone’s Hollow; and a bus ride and front-of-the line VIP pass to Nightmare on 13th. The package is available Oct. 18 and 19 and Oct. 25 and 26. Rates start at $280.
