Plaza District Hosts ‘Christmas Vacation’-Themed Pop-Up Event

There's a new pop-up event space in The Plaza District, inspired by a classic 1989 Christmas comedy.

The two co-owners came back all the way from the West Coast to start “The Airdream” in the Plaza District.

The first pop-up theme revolves around the Christmas classic “National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.”

"It's just funny. Cousin Eddie is funny," The Airdream co-owner Abbi Rinderknecht said.

"We like to pretend Eddie invited Clark for Christmas this year, and he said, ‘I'm going to host. Why don't you come on out?’" Abbi's partner Hillary Self said.

The pair have recreated Clark Griswold's living room complete with an oversized tree, squirrel and a cat burned into the carpet.

It may be all Jell-O, cocktails and Christmas fun now, but the past year was far from easy.

"I feel like everything we've done has led us to this point," said Rinderknecht.

Prior to the pandemic, Rinderknecht and Self were helping plan large scale events for major companies in Los Angeles.  

Events came to a halt when the pandemic arrived in 2020.

"Once the pandemic hit, we didn't know what we were going to do," Rinderknecht said. "So, I packed up, and I moved back to Oklahoma."

The pair always wanted to produce their own events, but things took a turn when Self saw an Airstream trailer for sale.

"I texted her and said, ‘(I) got an idea. Let’s buy an Airstream and make it our own event space,’" Self said. "Her immediate reaction was, ‘I have so many ideas. I can't type fast enough.’"

Rinderknecht and Self, as they put it, bet on themselves.

In just a few months, the pair renovated the trailer and created a new business just in time to welcome in the Griswolds and open “Cousin Eddie’s.”

"What we are wanting to do here is curate memorable, ‘Wow’ moments,” Self said. “The kind of stories you tell your family 20 years from now.”   

One family who dropped by the “Christmas Vacation”-themed event at The Plaza District turned a regular Christmas card into a special surprise.

The Oslicas took a picture at the pop-up with a hidden pregnancy announcement.

"We haven't announced our pregnancy yet, so we wanted to do that in a Christmas card," Nicole Oslica said, "We were like, ‘Let's do it. (It) will be awesome. It will be funny.’"

Others even brought their own National Lampoon-themed props from home to take a special family picture.

When Clark's family packs up and heads home, The Airdream will still be in OKC.

"So The Airdream will remain in The Plaza District and the experience will change seasonally," Rinderknecht said.

Their next experience in 2022 will focus on Valentine’s Day. 

If you haven't had a chance to stop by “Cousin Eddie’s,” you can enjoy the pop-up next week as well as Christmas week.

For specific times and dates, you can click here.