The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy is scheduled to take over the Knight Center on the Washington University campus October 1 through 3, 2026.
According to STLtoday.com, the event is scheduled for the Knight Center on the Washington University campus October 1 through 3, 2026. A separate account from secretmedianetwork.com lays out which tales make the cut: “The chilling tales feature The Cask of Amontillado, Annabel Lee, The Pit and the Pendulum, and The Fall of the House of Usher.”
A 90-Minute Descent Into Gothic Theater
Per the same account, the show runs roughly 90 minutes and is described as interactive rather than a passive sit-and-watch experience. The account describes guests sipping four complimentary cocktails during the show, along with “Gothic decor and specialty cocktails.”
Tickets for the experience start at $55, and the event is restricted to guests 21 and older, the same report states. That combination of theater, themed cocktails, and an age restriction points to an evening pitched squarely at adults looking for something spookier than a typical bar crawl but less committal than a full stage production.
Conflicting Listings Raise Questions About Timing and Location
Not every account of the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy lines up neatly. A listing published in 2024 states that the speakeasy was scheduled to run at Lemp's Grand Hall in St. Louis from July 24 through July 26, describing an earlier engagement rather than a competing schedule for the 2026 Knight Center event.
The show's general format features Poe tales alongside four themed cocktails.
A Format Built Around Poe and Cocktails
The format pairs Poe's stories with cocktails in an interactive theatrical experience.
For St. Louis audiences, the near-term entry point remains the Knight Center dates at Washington University, running Oct. 1-3, 2026. Anyone curious about Poe's tales — The Cask of Amontillado, Annabel Lee, The Pit and the Pendulum, and The Fall of the House of Usher — will have a chance to experience them with a cocktail in hand rather than just a book in their lap.
