Cooper’s Alley is going full-on party zone with LUAU
UPDATE: LUAU has been rescheduled to the evening of July 3rd due to inclement weather.
The geniuses behind London Calling have a new idea, and it’s called LUAU. Remember Passageways 2.0? Remember the glittering triangles that canopy the Cherry Street entrance to Cooper’s Alley?
If you follow that shining passage back to the alley between Cherry and Market streets, you’ll find a former concrete wasteland that’s been renovated with a long, yellow, squarish noodle that spans the alley like a happy snake, sometimes at sit-upon level and sometimes curling up to become overhead art.
In fact, it’s a great place for a pop up, and LUAU is that pop up.
LUAU will build upon this promising start with an enormous, 13x10-ft. outdoor Tiki bar, Crayola-colored chairs and tables, fairy lights, a big open grill, and plenty to drink. While the theme is nominally Hawaiian, there’s a strong nod to the fact that rich Westerners defined what we think of as “Tiki culture”. LUAU is unapologetically a work of imagination.
‘“Luau’ is Hawaiian for an outdoor gathering or party—at LUAU you’re on holiday, beer in hand. There’s no shame in drinking early and staying up late,” says London Calling owner James Heeley. “Tiki culture arose from a wealthy generation of Americans’ desire to create nostalgia and escapism. At LUAU, we’re playing with that theme—how to escape the everyday in the brick and mortar of the city!”
You may have been inside London Calling—but that means nothing for LUAU. While the dimly lit speakeasy encourages innuendo, subtle flirtation, and gin-fueled conversations with the ghost of T.S. Eliot, LUAU will address your every sense organ in the loudest manner possible.
Eyes? You’ll be led to Cooper’s Alley by the sight of fairy lights glimmering atop the bar’s 9-ft. height.
Ears? Reggae and dub legend Milele Roots will ensure you vibrate higher. If you haven’t heard this Chattanooga grandfather of all things reggaelicious, LUAU is your chance.
Nose? That’s smoke from the grill, where skewers from a wealth of tropical cultures will have your mouth watering.
Tongue? Red Stripe beer, cold and simple. Or the sweet syrup of a slushie cocktail. Yes, slushie cocktail is a thing. Yes, you will become happily tipsy, very fast.
Body? The concrete’s hot, the shade’s cool. And Milele Roots is playing. You’ll be dancing, right?
LUAU is a pop-up event, but it’s part of Heeley’s larger vision for the neighborhood, the Innovation District, and Chattanooga as a whole.
“We want the Innovation District to be a destination like Southside or the North Shore,” Heeley says. “Hopefully the LUAU pop up will really activate the alley. It’s a trendy event—there’ll be a feel that you’re not in Chattanooga; you’re in a much larger city.”
LUAU is just one adventure percolating in Heeley’s mind. After all, that giant Tiki bar isn’t disposable. Instead, Heeley plans a long-term investment in the area.
“We do one thing and I’m already working on the next,” he says. “I get super excited to create these experiences for people.”
LUAU is a free event, so stroll down Cooper’s Alley through either the 7th Street or Cherry Street entrance at 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 20 and start to dance. If you’re thirsty, you can buy a cocktail slushie or can of Red Stripe; if you’re hungry, try one of the skewers of chicken or vegetables, flavored with Thai curry, Jamaican jerk, or Hawaiian seasoning. You don’t even have to go home from your Innovation District day job—just loosen your tie, pop open a beer, and get ready to hula the night away. Or if you’re coming from elsewhere, that’s ok, too—LUAU will be going on all night.
“It’s here today, gone tomorrow,” James says.
You’ll want to be here, at LUAU.
To learn more, visit facebook.com/londoncallingbar or Instagram @LUAUPOPUP