Celling Decor

Clear umbrellas and glittering beads hung from the ceiling in the spring area. The sound of falling rain played in the background.

On Friday night, the weekend kicked off with the 1920s-style "Wayback Ball" on the garden terrace of the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel. Thrillist put on its first costume party, encouraging guests to wear retro gear, and many did turn out in fedoras or flapper dresses. There was also an era-appropriate performance from Chicago Culture Shock, which did a flash-mob-style swing dance.

At the Wayback Ball, former Top Chef contestant Grayson Schmitz (who leads recipe development for Olivier Cheng Catering & Events) served a specialty cocktail using rum by sponsor liquor Bacardi. Her summery drink included watermelon and lemonade. The following day at the Beach Side Bash, her fellow "Cheftestant" Dale Levitski made a Bacardi cocktail with blueberries, peaches, and other seasonal ingredients.

The ball offered bites from six local restaurants, including Bar Toma, which served hand-rolled mozzarella with local summer squash and charred onion marmellata.

Axe Hair had a hairstyling station for men. Four stylists were on hand to offer impromptu services.

The Friday-night after-party, which followed the retro bash at the hotel, took over the Mid. The side of the nightclub was splashed with a giant Thrillist gobo, and guests posed for photos in the old-style costumes they still had on. Sound Investment handled audiovisual production for the weekend.

Branding at the Mid included drink menus splashed with the Hotel Thrillist logo and freebies such as Axe sunglasses and grooming products. Hoping to get guests chattering about the event on social media, organizers also set up tabletop signage that showcased event's Twitter handle and hashtag.

Mirrors at the after-party had decals with the logos of sponsors such as Doritos and Axe Hair.

On Saturday, guests hopped on trolleys and headed to the Oak Street Beach for the appropriately named "Beachside Bash." Hanging signage at the venue called out sponsors, and Axe Hair, Doritos, and Bacardi all offered products—and, in the case of Axe Hair, scalp massages—at the event.

At the beach party, Body Art by Alison provided airbrush tattoos of symbols including margarita glasses, butterflies, and Thrillist's logo.

Bacardi sponsored the bar at the beach party, doling out cocktails with fruity flavors and summery garnishes alongside more standard cocktails like rum and coke.

On the beach, Axe Hair provided scalp massages and styling near a cabana where DJ Evil One spun.

The beach party had a buffet of classic picnic snacks such as hot dogs, hamburgers, pasta salad, and fruit.

The weekend wrapped up with the "After Dark Dance Party" at Park West. In a game room, guests could try their hands at arcade basketball, foosball, and air hockey.

The dance party included performances from Meat Number 5, DJ Inetl, Pug$ Atomz, and Christoper Andrew. Other entertainment included go-go dancers who provided guests with glow sticks bearing the Doritos logo.

Polite in Public provided a social-media-embedded photo booth where guests could snap photos with the Axe Hair and Thrillist logos, then email the photos to their friends or upload them on Facebook or Twitter.