No, this isn't an ill-timed April Fools' Day joke: Reddit really is hosting an in-real-life pop-up in New York City – the first one that the platform has ever put together – and r/Funny is being featured in the build.

Here are the important parts:

It's completely free, you can get some free stuff, and you can meet a real-life cat.

You read that right: There will be a real-life, flesh-and-blood, actual example of Felis domesticus at the pop-up. It won't be a robot, a hologram, or an implanted memory; it will be a genuine cat whose name is "Meowdani". (You can also grab plushies, mugs, tote-bags, and other stuff, but come on, the chance to meet a member of a species that hasn't been heard from since before The Thing That Didn't Happen is the real draw.)

Anyway, the event is a bodega-themed pop-up in – as mentioned – New York City. Reddit will be – in the words of the copy-sample that we received – "bringing r/Funny to life on the shelves of r/Bodega", and the only thing that you need in order to attend is a Reddit account.

Here are the specific details:

Where:
213 Bowery
New York City, New York
USA
Planet Earth
Sol System
Orion Spur
Milky Way Galaxy
Andromeda Cluster
Virgo Supercluster
Laniakea
Sector Q
Bubble 42

When:
August 29th and 30th,
10am–10pm (on both days)

What to Expect:

• Everyone gets a free Snoo plushie.

• You can meet Meowdani, who was named by r/BodegaCats.

• There will be other free stuff (like the aforementioned mugs, tote-bags, and so on).

• Free drinks will be available.

• Actually, wait, hang on: When we said "everyone gets a free Snoo plushie", we meant that everyone in attendance gets a free Snoo plushie. Stuffed aliens aren't going to spontaneously manifest in random folks' bedrooms or anything.

• Something called "The Deli Counter" will be happening. (It supposedly has something to do with "subs" and "special menu items".)

• Sorry, was that explanation about the plushies unnecessary? We're second-guessing it now.

• There's apparently going to be a "blowout sale", which sounds naughty... but we've been told that for the last hour of the event, you'll be allowed to take home literally anything that's left in the building.

• Meowdani is excluded from that last point.

We're required to tell you that if you want to learn more, you can "join r/Bodega to follow along, catch sneak peeks, and get the convo started". We're going to follow up by saying that although "sneak peaks" is an accepted colloquialism, "sneak" should probably be "sneaky", as "sneak" can be either a noun or a verb, and "sneak-peeks" wouldn't work (because it would mean "peeks of or at sneaks", which – once again – sounds naughty).

Also, "convo" is a stupid contraction, so please feel free to get the conversation started.^*

Ahem.

"Come and join the fun in NYC!"

^{* As a final note, don't worry: The grammar snob who wrote this announcement will be kept hog-tied and gagged during this event.}