Post #605897 by Mai Tai on Thu, Sep 8, 2011 12:33 AM

Okay, Tiki Peeps, after much thought, consideration, and deliberation, I am thinking about reviving the Tiki Central San Francisco Bay Area Tiki Crawl. That is, if there is enough interest from you guys, because - frankly - it's a lot of work to plan out, and this year I'll pretty much be doing it all on my own.

If this happens, it will be sometime in October or November, before Thanksgiving Weekend. And if all goes well, then I will pick a permanent date for the Tiki Crawl, most likely in early to mid October, for consistency's sake. Plus, we usually have great weather in the San Francisco Bay Area during that time of year, our "Indian Summer".

I'm fairly certain that there will be lots of questions and comments, and I want to hear them. I'm sure the first question everyone has is "Will there be a bus?" If there is enough interest in the Tiki Crawl, and if there is enough interest in having a bus for one or more days, then yes, there will be a bus.

I'm also fairly certain that the next question will be "Will there be bands at the various Tiki Bars?" Well, the answer to that as of right now is probably not. Due to the economy, I've been feeling the economic squeeze, just like many of you out there have as well. And those of you that have ever put an event together already know that others want to (and some or most of them) actually profit off of your event at your expense and effort - it seems like the event organizer is the one that bears all the financial burden and responsibility while getting very little reward, or even going into the hole. I have no financial backing to put on the Tiki Crawl, and have little funds of my own as of now to invest in an event that will most likely not break even. So unless some bands want to generously play for free, or unless some generous benefactor wants to cover the cost of those bands, then there will most likely be no bands on this year's Tiki Crawl.

Speaking of generous benefactors, I would entertain the idea of having an investor or sponsor(s) that would help cover various costs of the Tiki Crawl. And they would have to be a SILENT investor. :D That means that they pretty much have no say in the planning and layout of the Tiki Crawl. That means that even if they or their best friend are a bartender at Elixer, Alembic, Gitane, Rickhouse, Rye, Bourbon and Branch, Flora, Mua, etc., or is the owner of the Hotsy Totsy Club, or works at a cool lowbrow art gallery, or has a really cool home bar, they will be able to accept the fact without question or debate that those places will not be on the Tiki Crawl. I don't want to speak for others, but I feel comfortable enough in saying that Hanford and I, along with others that have been seriously involved in the Tiki Crawl in the past - such as Mig and Martin - have a vision of what the Tiki Crawl should be, which is an event that benefits all of these cool tiki bars in the San Francisco Bay Area. And while those other bars are great bars, they simply aren't tiki bars - it's strange that I'd have to say that, but I have to say it again and again in virtually every conversation I have about the Tiki Crawl, so here it is in writing. :) Also, a potential silent investor would also have to accept the fact that the Tiki Crawl is a break even deal at best, so they won't be getting a return on their investment, let alone their investment. They will get glorious praise and accolades from me, and the unending gratitude from all of the Tiki Crawl attendees, too. Anyone interested in helping to silently finance the Tiki Crawl should contact me through PM or e-mail.

That being said, I do have an itinerary all mapped out, for the Tiki Crawl that was supposed to happen in 2010, until Trader Vic's Emeryville temporarily closed for remodeling. To be honest, that kind of threw the entire Tiki Crawl into a tail spin. And even though that location reopened a few months later, there was so much speculation about when they would actually make their target reopening date, and whether or not inspectors would green light or delay them, and if their liquor license would be up and running, etc., that it was too risky and then there wasn't enough time to plan an event like the Tiki Crawl based on uncertain contingencies. But I do have an itinerary, and it WAS a doozy - a Tiki Crawl Extravaganza to celebrate the 10th year of Tiki Central and the Tiki Crawl. Obviously I'm going to have to scale things back, and fine tuning and tweak the schedule a little because, well, a couple places have closed or burned down in the past year or so. But the basics are already pretty much all mapped out.

So, who's interested in the San Francisco Bay Area Tiki Crawl? Please post your comments here, both good and bad, both pros and cons, because I'd definitely like some feedback and input. Cheers,
-Mai Tai