For one night every year, the month-long bacchanal that is parade season in New Orleans transforms into the largest gathering of drunken nerds this side of a Comic-Con cosplay ball. The party is sponsored by Intergalactic Krewe Of Chewbacchus, the sci-fi-themed spin-off of the city’s famous parade krewes that “unites Star Wars Freaks, Trekkies, Whovians, Mega-Geeks, Gamers, Cosplayers, Circuit Benders, Cryptozoologists, UFO Conspiracy Theorists, Mad Scientists, and the rest of Super Nerdom.” Sounds fun, right? Well, it is. If you don’t believe us, ask Google Image Search.
But what about the other 364 days in the year? Who will carry on the noble cause of getting shit-faced and letting out a Wookiee roar massive enough to rattle the heavens once Mardi Gras has come and gone? The patrons of the Frenchmen Street location of NOLA-based hot dog chain Dat Dog, that’s who. The restaurant is opening a special dining room dedicated to the boozy weirdos of the IKOC, anchored by a shrine to Kashyyyk’s most famous son, Chewbacca, over the bar. (You can see it in the image above.) As well as serving as a home base for the IKOC’s revelry every February, the room will host fundraisers and events for the STOMP Troopers, a program that makes marching in parades accessible to kids with autism.
The Wookiee shrine (seriously, that’s what the press release calls it) will open after a special toast during the Intergalactic Krewe Of Chewbacchus parade—this year’s theme: “The Revel Alliance”—on February 18. You can visit it during regular business hours after that.