Glu Hospitality invites you to get frozen in Northern Liberties with the debut of the city's newest and most lavish Igloo experience, plus the return of Princess Brunches at the Igloos, and a brand-new heated cocktail garden. Starting this week, partners Derek Gibbons and Tim Lu bring a new holiday and winter experience to Northern Liberties Restaurant Row with the debut of enchanting and weather-proof sparkling Igloos at Figo Ristorante (1033 N. 2nd Street). The Igloos at Figo are neary 12 feet wide, seat up to eight people, and feature over a hundred clear sustainable panels, a table-top fire pit, festive decor, and a view of the night stars and the new Northern Liberties Christmas Tree. Along with the Igloos, Glu brings back Enchanted in Northern Liberties: Princess Brunches at the Igloos at Figo in partnership and a pivot with A Dash of Magic Events, running every Saturday and Sunday through New Year's Eve. Families can "Igloo-distance" themselves from other families and the Princess, as she goes Igloo to Igloo, and table to table, and interacts and delights young children. Appearances confirmed so far include Cinderella, Beauty Queen (inspired by Belle), Snow Queen (inspired by Frozen/ Elsa) and more! Figo and Glu also announce a brand-new outdoor winterized Holiday Cocktail Garden with heated, covered indoor-outdoor seating for up to 50 guests, which is great for private parties as well as nightly dining. The Igloos and new Holiday Cocktail Garden are in full view of the Northern Liberties Christmas Tree, presented and donated by Glu as their gift to the Northern Liberties neighborhood. For more information and reservations for the Igloos and the Cocktail Garden, visit www.figoitalian.com. For tickets to the Princess Brunch at the Igloos at Figo, visit www.figoitalian.com/events-1

"Glu Hospitality is proud to bring back a brand-new Igloo outdoor dining experience just in time for the holidays," said Glu Co-Owner Derek Gibbons. "Based on our success and pivot in 2021 with the Igloos at Germantown Garden Grille and Vesper Day Club, we are back with an elevated experience that will provide the best heated, winterized and most festive outdoor views in the city - with decor, protective covering, fire pits and a 16 foot Christmas Tree as the back-drop. We are also so proud to bring back and support our partnership and major princess pivot - and cater to the exploding number of young families in Northern Liberties."

He added, "Glu is proud to continue a four month sold out tradition from last winter with the return of the Princess Brunches at the Igloos at Figo - with A Dash of Magic Events and Aisha Maria Loeks. We are thrilled to continue to support our neighbors and other businesses, while we expand our reach beyond nightlife, beyond dining and cocktails, and continually expand with unique experiences for all ages."

The Igloos are available now, with four set-up this week, and more on the way for the second week of December. They can be booked through the website and open table. Each Igloo can seat eight people, and comes with a fire pit, carpet, lite decor, protective barrier from the cold and winter wind, and enchanting views of the stars, night skies and the Northern Liberties Christmas Tree. Each Igloo is around 12 foot in diameter, and took over 10 hours to make and assemble. These are unique and are an elevated Igloo experience new to the city and region.

With the Igloos returns the princess pivot and partnership with A Dash of Magic Events. Figo Italian and Glu Hospitality are proud to welcome back A Dash of Magic Events for Enchanted in Northern Liberties: Princess Lunch at the newly added Igloos. The show will last 90 minutes in length. Families are invited to get frozen at the Igloos at Northern Liberties largest outdoor restaurants, Figo! This special open-air dining experience is perfect for kids of all ages that love Elsa and Disney. Get ready to enjoy a safe and socially-distanced photo opportunity, songs from the princess' story and grand entrance. Each table will also receive a private visit from their favorite princess, a souvenir, and a princess themed activity sheet. The igloos are heated just for you and your immediate family members. The outdoor seating is completely covered with additional heaters. Please dress warm though! Don’t forget to come hungry for lunch and lite brunch offerings, plus hot beverages for both kids and adults. Food and drink are available and pay as you go, separate from the princess experience.

Tickets are $10.00 per person (under 2 years old is complimentary) for Igloo seating and $5.00 per person for outdoor seating without the Igloo. A portion of each ticket will go to one of our princess' favorite charities, and provide a free princess appearance for children in need through the Salvation Army.

This event is open to a very limited number of tickets to make this dining experience safe and intimate. All children and adults above the age of two must wear a mask to and from their dining table. The Snow Queen already has her special princess themed matching mask. She can’t wait to see your costumes and masks too! Costumes for the little ones are encouraged but not required. All families attending must follow the local and health guidelines at the time of the event. If the event is postponed due to weather, all parties will be able to transfer their ticket to a new date and time.

The schedule to date, with more to be added are as follows:

* Snow Queen on Saturday, December 4th and 12th

* Snow Princess on Sunday, December 11th

* Cinderella on Sunday, December 5th

* Beauty Queen Dinner with Belle on Tuesday, December 21st

* All day seatings for Countdown to New Year's with Cinderella on December 31st

Look for more princesses, dates and times to be added. The updating line-up and tickets are available at https://www.figoitalian.com/events-1

Along with the Igloos and Princess Brunches, Glu and Figo will also present Brunch with Santa on December 18 and 19, from 10:00am to 2:30pm. with Santa photos, cookie decorating, hot cocoa station, brunch specials and holiday beverages.

In addition to the festive fun above, Figo also debuts this week its new Holiday Cocktail Garden, a new covered, heated dining experience that has transformed the massive outdoor bar and patio into a covered, heated and beautifully lit outdoor dining room perfect for family dinners, date night or special events - as well as Christmas parties.

For more about Glu and Figo, follow @figoitalian and @gluhospitality on social media. For more about A Dash of Magic Events, follow adashofmagicevents. For more about Northern Liberties Improvement District, follow @northliberties on social.

PRINCESS PIVOT CONTINUES

The partnership with Glu Hospitality and A Dash of Magic Events - and pivots by both companies have won awards and accolades locally as well as nationally. During the height of the pandemic, the two Northern Liberties based small businesses worked together to support each other with sold out princess brunches that allowed families to leave their homes and enjoy food, drink and entertainment while maintaining their safety and social distance away from other outside parties not in their household. The program has won Glu and A Dash of Magic Events accolades and praise from Metro Newspaper, Philly Family Magazine, Main Line Parent, FSR Magazine, Nation's Restaurant News and more.

PRINCESS PIVOT BACKGROUND

For A Dash of Magic Events owner Aisha Maria Loeks this represents a major two years of princess pivots. For Loeks, 2020 was set to be a banner year for the record books. Her Adorned by Aisha business was set to sparkle at Philadelphia’s major festivals like Philadelphia Flower Show and Christmas Village. Her second business, A Dash of Magic Events, was her back-up sideline business that brought joy to kids at birthday parties and special events across the region. Then, the pandemic hit, and shut-down orders came and cancelled major events and parties, as well as in-person jewelry retail opportunities. Loeks quickly waved her magic wand and shifted gears to survive the new normal. From the sparkle of her main occupation as a jewelry maker, to a major pivot to launch virtual princess meet and greets to socially-distanced princess sidewalk serenades, Loeks is making all that glitters into gold for the final weeks of the year. The Northern Liberties resident will pop-up on Saturdays and Sundays during the Northern Liberties Holiday Pop-up Shops. The program started in November of 2020, and sold out every single day and weekend it operated from November to late winter in 2021. The program now returns with a new home at Figo.

For one of Philadelphia’s biggest Disney and princess fans, this major pivot might sound like a fairy tale out of a cartoon movie. But it's a story that saw a turbulent few months and a tremendous loss of income where her livelihood was in jeopardy, and health and safety is now a constant concern. She also faces the same challenges other businesses face, as she has to constantly adapt her work to the current government guidelines and shut-down orders. But for this local survivor, it's not a question of survival but more a question of when will all this be over, and when will the fairy-tale ending come.

ABOUT A DASH OF MAGIC EVENTS:

Aisha Maria Loeks, 32, was born in Sante Fe, NM. She currently resides and operates her businesses out of Northern Liberties. Loeks comes from a long line of handicraft makers.. Her grandma quilted and made dolls, her great grandma was a tailor and dressmaker, and her mom was a knitter. She started sewing at a very young age. Halloween was always her favorite holiday because she could be anything she wanted. She said, “If I had my way, there would be Halloween all year round.”

Loeks did musical theater all through Jr High and High School and then went on to study theater and costume design. She received her BFA in technical theater from Santa Fe University of Art and Design. It was there she learned to act, sing, make props, design costumes, and so much more.

In 2017, A Dash of Magic Events was born. She said, “I always had a love of princesses and fictional books about fairytale worlds, and I loved to dress up in costumes and put on little plays. And I love mermaids especially!” She started to use her education and skills, and her love of costumes and performing to create beautiful princess experiences. She brought these to life by volunteering as a princess for CHOP, Ronald McDonald House, The Salvation Army and other non-profits. After she kept getting requests from parents and the community, she started her own company.

Today, A Dash of Magic Events is a high-end themed party and events company that went from her secondary business to her primary source of income during the pandemic. The company specializes in bringing the highest quality story-book and fantasy characters to parties and events. Loeks focuses on quality in everything she does, including the best, most realistic made gowns and wigs, professional character make-up, and professionally trained actors. She personally hand-makes most of her costumes.

“Imagine the look on your little one's face when they see their favorite character step into their own space and their own home,” said Loeks. “When they look up at their birthday party and flash their big eyes and smile, that is what does it for me each and every time. I am so honored to be able to help make their dreams come true - and it's all about bringing joy and light into their lives. During the COVID crisis, I wasn’t going to let that joy be taken away. It wasn’t a question of would I keep doing this, but instead was a question about how could I pivot and do it an entirely new way.”

For more about A Dash of Magic Events, visit www.adashofmagicevents.com.

ABOUT GLU HOSPITALITY

Glu Hospitality currently owns, operates and/or partners on newly opened Bagels and Co., Leda and The Swan, Leda and The Swan Popup Cocktail Garden, Vesper Dayclub, Vesper Center City, Germantown Garden, Germantown Garden Grill, The Igloos at Germantown Garden Grill, Hunnies Crispy Chicken, Tiny's Burger Joint, and soon to open Figo Ristorante and Figo Pizzeria. Glu also are partners in Anejo Philadelphia and SET NoLibs. Glu currently owns and operates more than 25% of restaurants along and around the Northern Liberties restaurant row on N. 2nd Street.

Glu is actively working on opening future locations for Bagels and Co. Back in Center City, Glu will launch a brand-new dining experience at Vesper Center City. Stay tuned as Glu continues to evolve and pivot out the pandemic as a more food-focused hospitality group with over a dozen concepts open or on the way.

For additional info on the opening of the Igloos at Germantown Garden Grill and associated family programming for the holidays, please stay tuned for more info after Labor Day.

For more about Glu Hospitality, visit www.gluhospitality.com.