Previewing Super Bowl Weekend's Biggest Bashes

Super Bowl celebrations are taking over Miami this week, with promotions for magazines and products targeted toward men putting on some of the biggest shows. This year's host city is well suited for the typical Super Bowl party themes of scantily-clad women, outdoor recreation, and all-night revelry. Here are some of the biggest events:

Thursday, limo company Bauer's Worldwide Transportation pairs with sports marketing agency Pure Rush for the duo's fourth annual Super Bowl event. After indulging in cigars and a buffet at the Havana Club, guests will head to Bricks in limos provided by Bauer's for a heaven-theme party with all-white decor.

As an alternative to all the big nighttime bashes, Sony will host the PlayStation Oasis event at the Raleigh Hotel on Friday and Saturday. "Game butlers" will provide invite-only guests with the latest PlayStation games; upstairs, in the hotel's penthouse, an even smaller roster of guests will get gifts like customized PlayStation3 consoles and the latest products from Nike.

On Friday, three blocks in the Design District become the setting for a block party hosted by ESPN the Magazine, which is open to the public and expected to attract some 10,000 attendees. Adjacent to the festivities will be a V.I.P. party for 1,500 in the Moore Building. Benihana is catering, LL Cool J will perform, and DJ AM will spin.

Also that night, Maxim will host "Hotel de Maxim" at the Sagamore Hotel, taking a cue from the glamour of St. Tropez in the 1960's. The party will include a plexiglass dance floor over the pool and DJ sets from local talent and Grandmaster Flash. Absolut will provide an oversized fountain where attendees can mix their own flavored cocktails. Parting gifts will include Sirius radios, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa packages, and a Blu-ray DVD player.

On Saturday afternoon, the Cadillac Celebrity Go-Kart Race pulls up to the American Airlines Arena. Celebrity racers compete against one another in souped-up go-karts, spurred on by celebrity flag girls.

Saturday night, Playboy hosts one of the Bowl's biggest bashes, with 2,000 guests expected at the American Airlines Arena. Among the expected highlights are bars offering voyeuristic views of models, round beds with pillow fights, and lounge spaces (with more beds)equipped with Sony PlayStations and large screens overhead.

Competing men's mag Penthouse also hosts a party on the eve of the Bowl—at Miami hotspot Mansion. To go along with the (ahem) "Goin' Deep" theme, South Florida-based event production company Designs by Sean will decorate the club as an underwater cavern.

Lifestyle mag Ocean Drive teams up with Market America to produce a trilogy of events in South Beach, crowned by Saturday night's gala with a performance by Marc Anthony with special guest Jennifer Lopez, and food from chef Todd English.

Sunday, for the big game, Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment and Donn Mischer of Donn Mischer Productions have teamed up for the first time to produce the Super Bowl's preshow and halftime shows. Working out of a tent city they built near the stadium weeks ago, the producers have hired roughly 300 volunteers to participate in Cirque du Soleil's nine-minute preshow and an estimated 1,000 performers for Prince's 11-minute halftime show. Weiss and Kirshner will also direct 400 volunteers in pushing Prince's performance stage (a puzzle of 20 prelit and wired pieces) together in just six minutes.

For our post-party coverage, check back next week.

Posted 01.31.07
Page 1 of 271
Next Page