Harry’s Boo Bar brings spooky fun to Cape May

Those looking to spend the spooky season by the beach are in luck, Harry’s Boo Bar has taken over the popular seaside locale for the holiday.

Harry’s Bar and Grille is popular in the summer, but its also aiming to be a destination in the chillier months as well. The themed pop-up is just one of many that premiere throughout the year.

“Following the runaway success of Harry’s Jingle Bar (Christmas Pop-up) in 2023, we are back with Cape May’s first-ever Halloween-themed bar,” said Madison Resorts Owner Dan Alicea in a statement. “Our team had so much fun with Jingle Bar and the reaction from the community was so amazing, we immediately said we wanted to present a Halloween twist on the idea.”

The Boo Bar has debuted with themed decorations (with a nautical twist) with the centerpiece—a haunted pirate ship display—used from a boat from Cape May Beach Patrol.

Harry’s will also collect donations for the Patrol’s Cannone Scholarship Fund. As a release notes, when customers donate to the fund, Harry’s will say thanks with tickets to win great prizes – and Madison Resorts will match all donations made. The winning tickets will be pulled at the venue’s Halloween Party, on Oct. 26.

Food and drink-wise, the Boo Bar has debuted some new themed additions. Drinks like the Black Lagoon (Casamigos Jalapeño Tequila, agave nectar, and fresh lime juice, $15), the Davy Jones Juice (a smoky blue concoction prepared with dry ice, $14), the Captain Jack O’ Lantern (a pumpkin spice sipper with Kahlua and Pumpkin Cold Brew, $14) and more will be served up throughout the month.

From the kitchen, Philadelphians can also find the Captain’s Stew (fresh seafood simmered in saffron tomato broth with linguini, $35), Chicken Pot Pie ($21), Boneless Short Rib (with a red wine demi-glace, $32) and Butternut Ravioli (stuffed with seasonal squash and bathed in brown butter sage sauce, $19) on the menu.

Visitors can enjoy more treats on the list of offerings during Happy Hour (3 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) like $2 off all beer selections, $6 glasses of wine, $9 Cannonball Tots, $13 Mad Dog Nachos and more.

There are also a few stand-alone events to check out. This weekend (Oct. 25 – 26), the Cape May Jazz Festival will be in full swing and live performances will be taking over the bar on Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 1 to 6:45 p.m. The 25th will also feature a Costume Contest with a $500 prize, and later this month, on Oct. 29, Harry’s will feature a Stein Hoisting Event presented by Dogfish Brewery.

And as a release notes, Harry’s attached hotel, The Montreal, is also offering a special Trick or Treat Package for Boo Bar guests. Visitors can enjoy a 10% discount on their room and receive a $25 credit to Harry’s by using code TOT24 at checkout to claim their treat. This options is available to book online.

“Over the last few years we’ve seen a pretty dramatic increase in visitor traffic between Labor Day and Memorial Day. It’s a great time of year to be at the shore and I think a lot of people are starting to realize that. Hotel rates are generally a little bit lower, there’s much less traffic and crowds and the weather has still been really good for a few months into the fall,” added Alicea.

“With this new increase in traffic our properties and other hospitality businesses at the shore have been adding programming around popular holidays like Halloween in the fall, Christmas in the Winter and St. Patrick’s Day in the Spring. This has been great for not only Madison Resorts but the communities that our properties operate in as a whole.”