5 Best Places to Celebrate Thanksgiving Eve in Philadelphia 2019

1. Rec & Royal

Address:
111 South 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Get Directions

Website: rrphilly.com
Phone: 215-883-8088
Email: info@rrphilly.com
Neighborhood: Center City

Venue Description:
Philadelphia’s newest nightlife destination is hosting 3 Halloween events in Philadelphia. The space is a beautifully appointed multi-dimensional venue that offers several rooms for Halloween revelers to experience.

Inside Rec is focused on throwback music playing your favorite anthems from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. Royal is the boutique nightclub experience that showcases a 36’ high definition video wall with the city’s most thumping D&B sound system.

Thanksgiving Eve Event
“Get Basted” at Rec & Royal has a 2-hour open bar, 4 DJs, Baster Shots, and more.

2. Garage North

($)
address
100 East Girard Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Get Directions

Phone: 215-525-3167
Website: garagephilly.com
Neighborhood: Fishtown

3. Garage South

($)
address
1231 East Passyunk Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Get Directions

Phone: 215-278-2429
Website: garagephilly.com
Neighborhood: South Philly

At Garage it’s all about beer! Garage is one of the busiest bars in Philadelphia and features over 300 different types of beers. Both locations offer a no-frills environment to reunite and connect with friends. Play skeeball or shoot some pool while you reminisce about the crazy things you did in high school.

Tip: Garage is BYOF (Bring your own Food) so grab a cheesesteak at Pat’s or Geno’s before you head into the South Philly location. The cover charge is usually nominal or free.

4. Johnnie Walker Lounge

($$)
address
2nd Floor of Chinatown Square
1016 Race St F2
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Get Directions

Phone: 215-925-1111
Website: jwlphilly.com
Neighborhood: Chinatown

Johnnie Walker Lounge is a VIP table service Karaoke lounge located in the heart of Chinatown. Johnnie Walker Lounge has private Karaoke rooms that can be rented out or enjoy the DJ spinning the latest tunes in the main room. Hookahs and bottle service are available.

Tradesman’s

($$)
address
1322 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Get Directions

Phone: 267-457-3994
Website: tradesmansphl.com
Neighborhood: Midtown Village (Gayborhood)

From the mind of Craft Restaurant Group, Tradesman’s is the newest addition to the bustling bar and restaurant scene in Midtown Village where they pour 34 American Independent Craft draft beers, ciders, 60 bottles of sours, stouts, and a rotating list of IPA’s. Specializing in American Whiskeys, Tradesman’s offers over 100 different types available in a wide array of serving options.

Philadelphia Thanksgiving Eve Survival Guide

How to properly plan out the biggest drinking night of Year

The smell of autumn is in the air. The leaves have fallen off the trees and you are almost at the point of being over pumpkin-flavored everything. Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy some rest and relaxation with family and hopefully watch the Cowboys lose a game on national television.

Thanksgiving is the precursor for the Holiday season ahead. Many people tend to slow down their partying as their disposable income shifts from nights out on the town to saving up to buy that perfect present for your niece, nephew, or significant other. The typical awakening comes on New Year’s Eve when your wallet is a little more padded from Grandma’s annual cash card.

Thanksgiving Eve is the perfect storm. Many people return home for the long weekend and this has become the night where a reunion just naturally happens. Some people choose their hometown bar while others choose to reunite at bars and nightclubs throughout Philadelphia.

High School friends, summer camp friends, and college classmates all reconnect on this special night. It’s also a night for people to embellish in their successes while from being away from home. Many of the awkward, nerdy, kids in high school find themselves in college and the start of their professional careers was being the high school quarterback or prom queen now seem as trivial as who won Miss Congeniality in the high school yearbook. High School was just practicing for the real world and you don’t win Championships in practice.

Maybe you were the girls that everyone made fun of in high school for having bad acne, but now you’ve blossomed into an Instagram model or maybe you were the computer geek in high school that now developed an iPhone App that is taking off. Now it’s time to show off your growth and accomplishments since your wonder years.

Thanksgiving Eve is the perfect platform to show the world who they were missing out on. This is part of the reason why Thanksgiving Eve has become such a momentous drinking holiday for many people.
We wanted to give you our insight on some ideas of how we would plan the perfect Thanksgiving Eve night out.

Plan an Epic Thanksgiving Eve Pregame

Pregaming has become a right of passage. But the perfect pregame takes some plan, organize, and execute.

Step 1: Picking the perfect location.
The perfect location involves a little thought and planning. Here are some points to consider.

• A Host willing to offer their space for the pregame.
• Central location that is walking distance to the final destination. (Uber/Lyft can solve this dilemma but it’s always easier to be in walking distance to your final destination)
• Finding a place that is big enough to accommodate your guest list.
• If you have the options of a house over an apartment choose a house as neighbors won’t be as big of an issue.
• Find a place with an outdoor area that is accessible from the house or apartment. This will help accommodate smokers and using the space as a free cooler for beers, mixers, and ice.

Step 2: Creating the perfect Guest List.
This is probably the most crucial component to planning the perfect pregame. The guests make the party and you are inviting people into you or your friend’s house. You want to make sure that you know who’s coming into your place. Maybe you have a Rolex your grandmother or grandfather gave you or heirloom jewelry that are invaluable to you. Make sure you secure all valuables. People do stupid things when they are drunk. Those items all become at risk when you open the guest list to people that you don’t know. Say if you invite the friend that can’t hold their liquor and they start a fight with their ex. That’s no fun for anyone! Here are a few ways you can easily invite your guests.

• Private Facebook Event
• Evite
• Paperless Post
• Personal Text Messages

Step 3: Getting your shopping list together.
You can ask your guests to bring a bottle to help with the cost of the alcohol but it is important that you provide the appropriate mixers. Here is a little guide for the perfectly stocked pregame bar. Vodka and beer are the most commonly sought after beverages so adjust accordingly if you decide not to get some the alcohol listed. You can get about 18 drinks per bottle. A bottle of champagne will pour between 6-8 glasses. A bottle of wine will fill 5 glasses. Most cases of champagne and wine come in 12 bottles increments. A case of beer typically comes in counts of 12, 15, 24, and 30. For the chart below we are using cases size of 24 beers. We suggest getting cans over bottles of beer because you will save room for trash removal over glass since the cans can be crushed. Most of your guests will average about 3-4 drinks per person. Don’t forget to have a separate receptacle for recyclables! Pregaming creates a lot of trash and it’s easy to be eco-friendly with a little planning.

Step 4: Plan the Perfect Pregame Playlist
Time to get the atmosphere right and it all begins with the music. It is important to create a nice playlist in advance to keep the party vibing. You want to make sure you pick music that is multi-genre, not only what you want to hear. Afterall a good host is someone that is catering to the needs of their guests. Here are some suggestions to create a party playlist that will keep the pregame going.

• Spotify
• Soundcloud (Pick your favorite DJs mixtape)
• Pandora
• Slacker Radio

Step 5: Damage Control
Now it’s the next morning and you most likely have a massive hangover, it’s damage control time. You need to see what damaged, dirty, left behind from your friends. Most likely your apartment or house are a disaster and you are left to clean up the mess. Here are some tips to help with mess.

• If you have hardwood floors consider everyone taking off their shoes.- Why you may ask. Socks are like Swiffers and if someone spills a drink they are going to have to clean it up or people will have wet feet!
• Have large trash and recycling receptacles ready. It’s a good idea to multiple trash and recycling receptacles if you plan on having more than 25 people.
• Choose aluminum cans over glass or bottles because you can crush the cans to save space on trash.
• Have a few of your close friends stay behind and clean-up for 15 minutes before you head to the bar or nightclub. Multiple hands will always make clean-up go a little faster.
• Rubber gloves are a hand’s best friend when it comes to cleaning your bathroom. People tend to have horrible aim when they are drunk.

Hopefully, this guide assists in planning your perfect Thanksgiving Eve night out in Philadelphia!