Pink Pony Christmas pop-up at Vignettes is less holiday and more pop glitz

Pink Pony Christmas at Vignettes // Photo by Sarah Sipple

Vignettes, North KC’s rotating-theme bar, has donned all the gay apparel for a Chappell Roan-inspired pop-up. Pink Pony Christmas is open now and runs through January 11. 

Though “Christmas” is in the pop-up’s title, this theme is 98% Chappell Roan and 2% Christmas. The only holiday elements I observed were a present-themed photo-op structure in the entryway and holiday balloons and garland used as decor, but in a way that was more glitzy than jolly. 

As with most themes at Vignettes, they live up to thier name and create, well, vignettes, in areas of the bar to represent the theme. This one featured “her roommate’s” twin-sized bed below a detailed magic display, a shimmery red valentine-meets-Vegas wall, a jumbo mural of Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess cover art, and more. 

The spotlight drink here is the pink pony club: a frozen strawberry margarita in a plastic boot cup. It is exactly as one should expect–sweet, slightly tart, fruity, and cute as hell. 

Drinks at Vignettes // Photo by Sarah Sipple

Other Chappell Roan-inspired drinks that stand out are the red wine supernova with pinot noir, vanilla vodka, and orange juice, and the after midnight as a delicate vodka and creme de violet concoction, and the hot to go as a spicy paloma. All standard-size cocktails are $14. Three cocktails can be made non-alcoholic.

Vignettes’ shot menu is usually a fun and silly aspect of the pop-ups. Three themed shots each run $7, but this time the guilty pleasure, sugar high, and good luck babe shots are pretty basic. By basic, I mean they sound tasty–leaning very sweet–but are missing the risky, experimental edge that this section has demonstrated in the past.

ReRoll Tavern next door provides a food menu, but I would only suggest it if you’re really hungry. It’s not bad; it’s just nothing special. My table ordered the grilled quesadilla ($8) and soft pretzel bites ($8) as shareable bites to prevent anyone from feeling too tipsy. 

Food at Vignettes // Photo by Sarah Sipple

Each themed pop-up at Vignettes is made specifically for existing fans of the theme at hand. It’s not a place to visit for the city’s best food or drink, but instead, for a silly, creative, and fun sense of community. Exploring the displays that Creative Director Maggie Boone puts together, finding easter eggs to test your fandom, seeing the clever costumes that some attendees choose to wear, or just escaping the same old same old bar scene is why people return to Vignettes.

Vignettes is open to all ages during the week, including events like music bingo and trivia. On weekends, only those 21 and older are allowed. Reservations are encouraged. 

Vignettes is located at 2376 Armour Rd, North Kansas City, MO 64116.