Geneva Illinois
October 4th, 2025

Where Elegance meets impact

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HOW IT WORKS…

Black Tie Bar Crawl will begin at the Geneva History Museum. You must have your ticket(s) purchased in advance! Upon arrival, you will check in with our volunteers and pick up your welcome packet. Inside your welcome packet, you will find a list of locations and one raffle ticket per participating location. Each ticket will have your unique registration number on the back – this is how we will identify our winner.

When you make a purchase at a participating location, drop your ticket into the Black Tie Bar Crawl bucket. Remember – your purchase doesn’t have to be a drink. We encourage you to grab lunch, an appetizer, or make a dinner reservation along the way. Each ticket that you drop equals one raffle entry. (Falsified or otherwise incorrect tickets will not be accepted! Please don’t be that person.) At the end of the evening, we will combine all of the tickets and draw one winner. If you are the winner, the charity you choose at the time of ticket purchase will receive the ticket proceeds on your behalf. Remember, 100% of the ticket sales will be donated to charity! Your community thanks you!

NOTE: There is no order or schedule in which you must visit each location. Black Tie Bar Crawl is, above all, an event to support the community. We encourage you to stroll downtown Geneva stopping in shops and snapping some selfies in the beautiful downtown. You can even make a dinner reservation at one of our participating locations!

BLACK TIE BEHAVIOR

This isn’t your average bar crawl….drinking is not a requirement! We hope that there will be something for everyone to enjoy, whether that is a cold beer or a warm appetizer.

If you do choose to drink alcohol, please do so responsibly. We want this to be an event we can look forward to every year, and your cooperation will make that happen.

We loved BTBC 2024!

Thank you so much to our sponsors who committed to our 2024 Black Tie Bar Crawl! We loved making an elegant impact with you. If you are a Geneva business interested in joining this incredible team, please get in touch with us at blacktiebarcrawl@geneva.com.

Bar Crawl Locations
  • Ella’s Italian Pub
  • Gia Mia
  • Livia Italian Eatery
  • The Royal Wren
  • Aurelio’s Pizza
  • Up North Wine Tasting Room
  • Preservation
  • Cravings
  • Nobel House
  • Art History Brewing
Sponsors in-kind
  • Inluro
  • Pug & Hound Pet Apothecary
  • DS Studio & Photo Lab
  • Liz & Kate Boutique
  • Cocoon

“Every day is black tie optional.” 

-Dwight Schrute

How do you black tie?

See what Vogue has to say in this link.

The Knot has some options listed for purchase at the bottom of this link.

Some guidelines: 
  • Take this opportunity to wear the nicest thing in your closet! Tuxedos and floor-length dresses are ideal.
  • Wear classy, yet sensible shoes. There will be lots of walking in downtown Geneva, and you want your toes to last the night.
  • Accessorize. It’s all in the details.
  • Go the extra mile with a haircut, up-do, and make-up. Book appointments early, as locations near Geneva will fill up quickly.
  • Opt for a rental if purchasing your attire is less ideal. Rent the Runway and Men’s Warehouse are excellent options.
Some exceptions:
  • If tying a bowtie makes your brain hurt, a sleek black tie will suffice.
  • If floor-length gowns sound like a tripping hazard, go for your classiest cocktail dress.

Participating Charities

  • Geneva History Museum: To preserve and share Geneva’s evolving story while inspiring and engaging the community via collecting, preserving, researching, and educating
  • Living Well Cancer Resource Center: To provide free programs and services to patients with cancer and their caretakers and family members
  • Northern Illinois Food Bank: Provide nutritious food and resources for our neighbors, with dignity, equity and convenience, through partnerships and innovation
  • Anderson Humane: To champion the welfare of animals and improve the lives of people through programs that create mutually beneficial human-animal connections, inspiring kindness and respect throughout our community
  • Rising Lights Project: To encourage, educate, and empower so that people from all areas of our communities – neighbors to political leaders, business owners, and more -can clearly see the ability in disability and create new opportunities to keep those with disability engaged and connected.
  • TriCity Family Services: Providing quality mental health services that are accessible and affordable. We support, encourage, validate, and respect all.

Event hosts

Ashley Perez

Outreach Coordinator

 Ashley@blacktiegeneva.com 

Molly Burns

Assistant

Molly@blacktiegeneva.com  

Emma Burns

Founder, Financial Coordinator, and Social Media Manager

Emma@blacktiegeneva.com 

Mallory Sunday

Media & Web Manager with Sunday Creative

Mallory@blacktiegeneva.com 

Thank you

We love this event because we see how our community comes together to support their own. If you’ve given us a kind word, shared constructive ideas, or helped us problem-solve, know that you are the best kind of person, and we love you for it. In particular, we’d like to shout out Brian Sunday, Kristen Holly, Lindsey White, Caitlyn Nagel, Christine Frister, and the team and volunteers at The Geneva History Museum. We wouldn’t want to do this hard work without you!