A Fox River Christmas is moving into a downtown St. Charles taproom, with movies, cocktails and a Bears game-day party booked through New Year's Eve. The open is the part that still does not line up.
The Chicago Tribune reported that Christmas on the Fox would begin Nov. 19 at Pollyanna Brewing Company and run through Dec. 31. Patch has the same pop-up taking over Pollyanna Brewing & Distilling's downtown taproom from Nov. 20 through Dec. 31. Same last call, one day apart on the first.
A Nashville Team on the River
Patch describes the project as a collaboration among the creative team behind St. Nicky's, a popular Nashville holiday pop-up, Chicago's Present Tense Mobile Bar and Pollyanna Brewing & Distilling. The inspiration, in that account, is the Fox River and the nostalgia of a classic Midwestern Christmas.
The Tribune's report is plainer about what guests are supposed to find once they are inside: holiday decor, special cocktails, seasonal food and programming for all ages. Between the two, this reads as a taproom dressed for the season, not a separate ticketed campus with a published map.
St. Nicky's is the resume the organizers are bringing north. Present Tense is the Chicago mobile-bar partner. Pollyanna is the room, and the river is the theme. That is about as specific as the public description gets.
Movies, Santa and a Noon Kickoff
Two afternoons do have prices attached. Movies With Santa is scheduled for Dec. 5 and Dec. 13, Patch reported, with Home Alone on the Saturday and Elf on the Sunday. Tickets are $20 a person for guests ages 3 and older. That price covers admission, the screening, a visit with Santa, hot chocolate and popcorn.
The Jingle Bears Christmas Watch Party is set for Dec. 6. Doors open at 11 a.m., and kickoff is scheduled for noon. A $25 ticket includes admission, seating for the game, food and entertainment. Pollyanna's bar is expected to be pouring through the pop-up, including during the party, in the broader picture both outlets sketch of cocktails alongside the programming.
The Tribune also puts a Christmas Light Concert Series on the planned slate, next to Movies with Santa and the holiday-themed Bears party. The series is named. The movie dates and the Dec. 6 watch party are the items with times and ticket math attached.
Planning Around New Year's Eve
Whatever the first night turns out to be, both reports keep the pop-up up through Dec. 31. That is a long hold on a downtown taproom: weekday drinks and seasonal food in the general description, then three dated gatherings in the first half of December for anyone who wants a seat, a Santa photo or a noon kickoff.
The practical split is the opening. One account says Thursday, Nov. 19. The other says Friday, Nov. 20. Anyone building a night around the first look should treat those as competing published dates, not a settled door time, and check with Pollyanna before assuming which one the taproom is using.
