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DC’s Black Panther Pop-Up Bar Returns This Weekend

Travel to Wakanda with drink specials, DJs, and movie-themed art installations.

Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), and Okoye (Danai Gurira) return to Wakanda. Photograph via Marvel Studios.

“Welcome to Wakanda,” a Black Panther-themed pop up bar on U Street, sold out fast last weekend. But good vibes, Vibranium (the film’s fictional super-powered metal), and high demand have brought the bar back for at least one more weekend.

Hosted at Red Lounge, the pop-up will feature DJs playing Afrobeat and hip-hop on two floors, food and drink specials (like the M’Baku shot, named after one of the film’s characters), and art from local painters and stylists. Pages from the original Black Panther comic books will line the walls, while photo booth screens give fans a chance to take selfies with spears and cutouts of the film’s stars.

Guests can get their faces painted like warriors from Black Panther or take a picture with the five art installments that explore the origins of characters like Killmonger, the film’s main villain. Themed attire is encouraged. The event is organized by Greg Jackson Jr. and Jason Kelly, whose event firm, The Wave USA, hosts black bar crawls.

Tickets for Feb. 23-25 are available here for $5 to $15, depending on the time slot. (Entry starts at 4 PM Friday and noon on Saturday and Sunday.) Anyone with a ticket from last weekend can get in free on Friday night only.

There’s no word yet on whether Jackson and Kelly will continue the Wakanda bar beyond this weekend. However, the duo plans to host sip-and-paint events throughout the week featuring artists from the pop up.

Red Lounge, 2013 14th St. NW.

Assistant Editor

Elliot joined Washingtonian in January 2018. An alum of Villanova University, he grew up in the Philadelphia area before earning a master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University. His work has also appeared in the Washington Post, TheAtlantic.com, and DCist.com, among others. He lives in Bloomingdale.