Step Inside Park Bar, Decking the Halls All Month Long

It didn’t take long for the Christmas bar pop-up trend to catch on in Detroit. With the success of last year’s packed Miracle pop-up at the Skip, their ranks have multiplied in 2018. There are now two designated Miracle pop-ups in Detroit as well as a similar holiday takeover called Jingle at Ale Mary’s in Royal Oak. Cups of Christmas cheer also overflowed into Ferndale on Thursday evening with a seasonal bar takeover.

This isn’t simply a Detroit phenomenon. The Miracle pop-up — an invention of bar owner and online barware retailer Greg Boehm — has become a national sensation with 90 bars participating in the post-Thanksgiving event this year. Bars pay a flat fee to participate, according to Eater National, and also purchase and sell Boehm’s Cocktail Kingdom brand of kitschy mugs and glassware.

This year, downtown bar titan Joe Rob has hung twinkle lights and stockings with care at two locations — a traditional Miracle pop-up at the Park Bar and a tiki spinoff called Sippin’ Santa at the Skip. Rob stepped in to work with Park Bar’s new ownership this winter (the bar changed hands late last year), bringing in a team of bartenders and lots of festive decor.

Gift wrapped boxes dangle from the ceiling around the circular bar pouring boozy nog and other holiday-inspired cocktails to a Christmas music soundtrack. Photographers Michelle and Chris Gerard visited Miracle on a recent evening to check out the scene. Get in the spirit of the season in the gallery below.

Michelle Gerard

Michelle Gerard

Miracle at Park Bar is open 4 p.m. to midnight on Sundays and Tuesday through Thursday; open 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

• Why Kitschy Christmas Bars Are Everywhere This Year [E]
• Christmas Bar Pop-Up Miracle Returns to Detroit With a Tiki Cocktail Twist [ED]
• All Pop-Ups Coverage [ED]