Ahoy, Mateys! Just sit right there and hear a tale. Yelpers from all over NE Ohio flooded the Greater Cleveland Aquarium this past Thursday evening for a night of sipping, sampling and… mermaid burlesque? Take a deep breath and dive into all the fun aboard Yelp CLE's Nauti By Nature bash!
Nearly 600 Yelpers swam through the nooks and crannies of the Aquarium, including the touch exhibits, all to the tunes of DJ MisterBradleyP. "A quick touch of the tortoises, and of course, petting the stingrays to the tunes of the DJ—amazing times!" squeals Jess F.
Bubbling-up throughout the venue were food and drink venues galore! Yelpers never hungered thanks to treats courtesy of Chutney Roll, Drink. Bar & Grill, KB Confections, Kind Snacks, Lago, Market District (Solon), Mason's Creamery and Town Hall. "One huge fish was very interested in my cake—fortunately, too good to share," gushed Vic W. Thirsty guests headed over to Lexington Brewing Co. for Kentucky Bourbon Ales, while Oliver Winery served up their honey wines and DRY Soda kept our tastebuds swimming.
It wasn't all food and booze, folks! Upon entering the event, Yelpers dove into a treasure trove of beauty treatments. Love Threading Bar made sure all brows were up to par, while Botson Body Painting showed off her artistic skills on a mermaid in pasties and a bunch of lucky sea creat… err guests. And for those needing a little pampering, Brown Institute offered hand-arm massages, beautious updos and make-up re-touches.
The fin-tastic times didn't stop there! How about the caricatures by Over The Line Productions, balloon animals by Twist & Turn Balloons and the readings right in front of the shark tank, thanks to Tarot By Lisala? [Cue Jaws theme music now] And no one left feeling left out of the latest and greatest trends, thanks to our fashion "dolls" modeling the looks of Haven Style House and Re/Dress.
Let's not forget to mention the Lefemme Mystique's Burlesque Varia-Tease acts that kept us cheering for more! Drag MC Sonshine La Ray introduced us to the nauti nautical acts of Bella Sin, Ava Adore, Fantasie D'Light, belly-dancing by Eliza Sidecar, puppetry by Nate Puppets and live magic by Mirth.
And how about more free stuff?! This event was stuffed to the gills with raffles and schwag. Ambiance Store For Lovers raffled off three gift baskets, plus lots of nauti freebies for all. So much, in fact, that Yelper P.W. admitted, "I came for the fish. I stayed for the lube." Many Yelpers have a free date night coming, thanks to the complimentary movies passes from The Owens Group and let's not forget Yelpers entered to win tickets to the one of the biggest holiday events of 2013, Winter Wine & Ale Fest.
If the lapping waves of fine tunes, local food and cool, cool beverages weren't enough, Magnolia Photo Booth Co. snapped all sorts of submerged smiles while photographer Fernando Lopez roamed the party, capturing your underwater antics. Check out the Magbooth shots HERE and the party shots HERE.
Last but not least, although Nauti By Nature was overflowing with free fun, a suggested donated of $5 was suggested to benefit the local non-profit, Drink Local. Drink Tap. We raised $770 for their mission of helping keep water clean in Cleveland and providing clean drinking water to those in need around the world.
Check the awesome event reviews HERE or share your own thoughts if you haven't yet!
And thanks to the hardworking staff at The Greater Cleveland Aquarium, Windows On The River, all our awesome vendors and, of course, this insanely fantastic Yelp Cleveland Community!
See You On Yelp (and at the next one!)
Cara L (left)
Yelp CLE Community Manager
