Happiest Hour plans the biggest Texas-OU after-party to ever hit Dallas – and they’re doing it Vegas style with famed DJ Steve Aoki as the headliner
October means three things to Texas football fanatics: The annual match-up between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners, corny dogs at the State Fair of Texas, and big-deal weekend parties way better than any New Years Eve celebration in the city.
This year, Happiest Hour — Harwood Hospitaltiy’s marquee social venue and among the top bars for alcohol sales in the city — is hosting a Texas-OU viewing party and an after-party that’s as close to a Vegas as you can get without the 3-hour flight. Last October, Happiest Hour rang $1.14 million in alcohol sales, about double a normal month for them. That’s a lot of Double Zero Margaritas, ice-cold beers and boozy cocktails for a single DFW venue.
This year, they’re expecting to do even more, Harwood’s culinary director, Taylor Kearney, tells us. That means you need to act now if you want to guarantee you can be at the party.
The Happiest Hour party begins at 9 a.m., on game day, Saturday, October 7, with an indoor-outdoor set-up that includes ginormous TVs, two 40-foot LED screens and a state-of-the-art sound system, Yeah, you’re going to need a table reservation (there’s a F&B minimum of $25 per guest and a minimum of four guests per table) if you want to sit down. Or hang out on the rooftop ($50 per person) for the VIP tables and bottle service options.
After the Longhorns beat the Sooners (and even if they don’t), Happiest Hour’s flying in star Vegas DJ Steve Aoki and the Stafford Brothers for a party that begins at 6 p.m. (tickets start at $50 per guest).
If you haven’t been to Happiest Hour recently, you’re in for a treat. Kearney, operations director Joseph Cuellar and Harwood Hospitality Chief Operating Officer Matt Minichino (whose career includes running several prominent Vegas resort clubs) know how to put on a party. The food is way better than you might expect, and on a blue-sky fall day, Happiest Hour’s broad lawn is an ideal place to hang out.
These guys (and Happiest Hour GM Tammy Florian, another Vegas entertainment vet) really do know how to throw a party.
More details:
Saturday, October 7
Viewing Party doors open at 9 a.m.
Game Starts at 11 a.m.
After Party doors open at 6 p.m.
Happiest Hour
2616 Olive Street
photos: Happiest Hour