Would it really be summer if someone wasn't singing a few verses of The Beach Boys' classic Kokomo? And now you can with the summer reunion party you didn't know you needed.
The iconic Canberra bar Kokomo's will return to its original location on the corner of Bunda and Genge Street, inside The Pearl, every Friday and Saturday until December 30.
From 10pm, the famous golden pineapple mirror ball will once again descend from the ceiling to the tune of Kokomo, signalling the transition into late nights that celebrate all the good times had in this legendary location.
For the first night, anyone in the venue at 10pm sharp will receive a free round of party shots to mark the occasion. Bookings are encouraged to secure your spot, but are not required.
Pete Harrington, co-owner and director of HARVAC, operators of The Pearl and former operators of Kokomos, said they wanted to do something to remember the good times.
"After the huge public call out, we have decided to bring back Kokomos for a Summer Reunion Party," he said.
"The cocktails and late nights were loved by so many Canberran's so we thought whilst we've taken the venue in a different direction now, we wanted to do something.
"Almost everyone has had something special happen on a night out at Kokomos. Maybe they saw a great DJ play, celebrated a milestone with friends, kissed the love of their life for the first time and so on.
"These are the moments we want to reminisce and celebrate, while creating new memories with your original Kokomos crew."
The already extensive cocktail list will have four of Kokomos most famous - and missed - cocktails brought back for the reunion party. Most exciting is the Blu Tang Clan, nicknamed "rubber ducky" as the drink is served with a tiny rubber duck floating atop.
Other cocktails include the Coconut L.I.I.T (Long Island Iced Tea), Raspberry Frapple, and Mango Weis.
On the DJ Deck there'll be a range of local artists taking the music back in time and highlighting the best of the '80s, yacht rock, Aussie classics such as AC/DC and old school hip hop.
After trading their way through most of COVID, it was the final round of restrictions that forced Kokomo's to pivot and focus on restaurant and sit down bar offering. The venue is now known as The Pearl cocktail bar and Wilma Asian barbecue restaurant.
- The Kokomos Summer Reunion pop-up runs from 10pm every Friday and Saturday from Friday December 1 until Saturday, December 30, 2023, at The Pearl, 1 Genge Street, Canberra City.
