The bright spotlight shined on Cincinnati as yelpers put on their best star shades, punched out a paparazzi and got the VIP treatment. California had nothing on The Queen City as Yelp’s Hollywood Affair was in full swing.
Literally walking the red carpet (with velvet ropes to match), yelpers entered Below Zero Lounge, a beautiful neon-filled bar in historic Over-the-Rhine. If the wall of alcohol didn’t impress, the mood-lighting, comfortable seats and fantastic artwork certainly did. “The fancy atmosphere at Below Zero was fantastic, from the red couches, to the gorgeous bathroom sinks, to the festive disco balls,” Cynthia A beamed. Gorgeous, just gorgeous.
The night began with a VJ rocking out behind his booth, mixing in clips of movies, music videos, comedy shorts and more across the lounge’s TVs and screens. This was all taken up a notch when the bar premiered its new green screen technology. People sat in front of a camera, recorded some lines from a famous film and then were placed into that movie! It was movie karaoke. Yelpers debuted in films like The Godfather, Animal House, Rocky, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and more … and they were all met with rave reviews from the critics.
Of course, being a big Hollywood star works up an appetite, and we made sure guests ate nothing but the best. Cincinnati Cooks whipped up tray after tray of delicious item, including stuffed mushrooms with crab, BBQ sliders, Spanakopita and southwest rolls. This was all finished with delicious vegan gelato from Phro*Zen. Yes, you heard us right, vegan ice cream. What can we say? One of the perks of being famous is getting to try the best.
This was topped off with amazing wine and a specialty cocktail from Below Zero – the Yelp on the Rocks, a mix of pomegranate juice, vodka and other delicious things. As Jessalynn S pointed out, “the space was fantastic and I *loved* the pomegranate cocktail” We did too!
As an added feature to the night, Yelpers also got to know one another with a classic mystery party game. We’ll let Donielle W explain: “They gave us a card to stick to our foreheads with the name of a famous actor on it. We had to mingle and get clues to guess who the person was. It was really fun/interesting/funny.” We thought so too.
Yelpers ended the night with photographs, smiles and yelp treats in popcorn bags. Some even walked away with fantastic raffle prizes, including movies like “Twister” and “Milo and Otis” (the most adorable film ever made.)
But don’t just take our word on the night’s awesomeness, you can read all the reviews right here. You can also check out the other awesome pics by photographer extraordinaire Anna Penny on the Official Yelp Flickr page!
See you in Hollywood
Alex S, Yelp Cincy Community Manager
