The evening's theme was spelled out—quite literally—on a giant drop-down screen that appeared onstage during the program.
Photo: George Pimentel Photography
Dinner tables were topped with miniature Ferris wheels that held cupcakes topped with colorful frosting.
Photo: George Pimentel Photography
Fluffy white flowers spilled out of striped containers that were shaped like classic popcorn boxes.
Photo: George Pimentel Photography
Jugglers flanked the step-and-repeat, and guests could have their photos snapped with the circus performers.
Photo: George Pimentel Photography
The cocktail reception had the look of a carnival midway, and guests could play games to win plush prizes.
Photo: George Pimentel Photography
Guests could twirl their own sticks of pastel cotton candy.
Photo: George Pimentel Photography
Evoking a child's dress-up box, a photo booth had props including royal crowns, feathery fans, and star-topped wands.
Photo: George Pimentel Photography
At $25 a pop, Starlight Bears were available for purchase. The cuddly toys helped contribute to the evening's overall take of $450,000.
Photo: George Pimentel Photography
Moods of Norway’s Fashion’s Night Out Party
To celebrate the opening of its Stateside store, Moods of Norway hosted a "Really, Really Blond Party" for Fashion's Night Out 2012 in New York, at which all attendees were given blond wigs in order to achieve the classic Norwegian look.
Photo: Melissa Schorsch/BizBash
Electric Run
In November, the first Electric Run was held in Costa Mesa, California. The trippy nighttime 5K saw more than 10,000 participants dressed in glow-in-dark costumes. The entrance fee included a custom-designed T-shirt, an LED bracelet, a glow necklace, and glowing sunglasses. Racers were also encouraged to adorn themselves with glow sticks, LED-lit clothes, and neon colors.
Photo: Courtesy of Electric Run
The Museum of Contemporary Art's ArtEdge Gala
This year's ArtEdge gala in Chicago was held in the Museum of Contemporary Art's warehouse, with an appropriately gritty factory vibe. To match the event's industrial feel, the co-chairs draped guests with caution tape as they arrived on the scene.
Photo: Bob Carl
Performa's White on White Party
At its 2006 benefit in New York, performance art organization Performa integrated partygoers directly into the design scheme by asking them to dress in white and then video projections to turned the guests into human movie screens. For guests who didn’t arrive in white, the organization put together a group called the Emergency Sewing Project to craft white clothes; the team of sewers was intended as both a service and a performance piece.
Photo: BizBash
Performa’s Relache—The Party Fund-Raising Gala
Performa’s most recent gala in December also incorporated attendees into the event's surrealist theme: Invitations instructed guests to wear black and white haute couture. On site, there was a station where the event’s 500 attendees could further accessorize with headpieces formed with mannequin heads and other costumes from designer Lika Volkova.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Absolut X Masquerade Ball
Liquor brand Absolut hosted its edgy, art-driven Absolut X Masquerade Ball in Chicago in November, where guests were invited to wear black-and-silver hand-painted masks, as well as transform themselves at makeover stations.
Photo: Courtesy of Ketchum
The Color Run
The Color Run 5K toured to 53 cities in 2012, with more than 600,000 participants willing to douse themselves in bright hues. The runners were asked to wear white shirts, and when they reached the designated color zones dotting the course, volunteers and staffers doused them with colorful powder. "I wanted to add something ... that could serve as a sort of visual reward for all the hard work these runners put into training for the event," said founder Travis Snyder.
Photo: Courtesy of the Color Run
Dîner en Blanc
Started more than 25 years ago in Paris, Dîner en Blanc is an impromptu picnic now held in dozens of public spaces throughout the world each year. Event organizers ask guests to dress in all-white clothing and bring a list of items, including white plastic folding chairs and tables, white tablecloths and napkins, and white dinnerware.
Photo: Daniel the Photographer Serrette
UrbanDaddy and Stoli's "White Room" Event
UrbanDaddy's "white room" event in November—an affair created in partnership with Stoli to promote the vodka brand's new campaign and flavors—instructed its 350 attendees to dress in all-white attire to match the all-white decor in the venue. As the night progressed, guests splattered the walls and their clothes (protected by white lab coats supplied by organizers) with colorful paint.
Photo: Carolyn Curtis/BizBash
Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles Gala
The vision of artist Marina Abramović dictated the look and feel at MoCA’s 2011 gala. The event's 750 guests were asked to change into matching white lab coats as they entered the space, an experiment that was designed to allow everyone to participate in the evening on an equal playing field. "You had all these people in expensive outfits, but they put on the lab coats and that was that,” said event producer Carleen Cappelletti. "It took away the hierarchy you feel at an event."
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
'Playboy' Super Bowl Party Presented by Crown Royal
Produced by Caravents, Playboy’s recent Super Bowl party had a Mardi Gras theme and decor elements meant to invoke an authentic New Orleans feel. To go along with the themed decor, guests could select a colorful masquerade mask to wear as they entered the party.
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved.
Whitney Museum of American Art 75th Anniversary Benefit
Back in 2005, the Whitney’s fall gala incorporated blue neon centerpieces created by artist Richard Tuttle. Accordingly, invitations specified that guests dress in the Pantone Matching System color blue 630 to correspond with the significant color displayed in Tuttle’s art. Guests including Chloë Sevigny, Evelyn Lauder, and Peggy Siegal complied.
Photo: Arlene Sandler/Lensgirl
At the Hennessy V.S. Presents Details at Midnight event at Coachella, guests gathered in a tricked-out teepee.
Photo: Krill Was Here
Blogshop events are filled with decor elements such as cheerful flower arrangments and balloons.
Photo: Angela Kohler
The decor at this year's Whitney Museum of American Art gala in New York emphasized materials familiar to artists, such as paintbrushes and sketch pads. Playful centerpieces included table numbers imprinted on silver paint cans.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Servers from Oysters XO roved the grounds shucking oysters for guests. The uniform, complete with pageboys and suspenders, was meant to evoke the scene around a New York City dock.
Photo: Rodney Bailey/EventPhotojournalism.com
At CyberCoders's Gatsby-theme event, a tightrope walker from Zen Arts hovered 30 feet overhead, surprising guests at dinner and teasing the crowd with leg lifts, wobbles, and the splits.
Photo: Callie Biggerstaff
For Paris Fashion Week in 2013, H&M built its 20,000-square-foot “Maison H&M” on the historic Musée Rodin grounds. The elaborate setup comprised several rooms, including the parlor, bathroom, and library space, where models donned French maid uniforms. The staff at the after-party also wore maid outfits.
Photo: Stéphane Fugier
An Airplane in Flight
How about an airplane in flight as a venue for an event? When Entourage returned from a yearlong hiatus, HBO needed a dramatic way to launch the fifth season of its flagship comedy. A typical screening and after-party didn’t seem to fit with the show’s expensive campaign and jet-set vibe, so the marketing team came up with the idea of an on-brand airplane. HBO approached Virgin America, which fit with the show's aesthetic. The airline was about to debut a new flight service between New York and Las Vegas, so the pair agreed to a joint promotion. The result included a private Virgin-hosted party inside a JFK airport hangar, photo ops with the show’s cast and Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson, an in-flight premiere of the season opener, and an after-party at the Playboy Club in Las Vegas.
Photo: AP Photo/Virgin America, Bob Riha Jr.
Dinner tables were set up among the library stacks.
Photo: George Pimentel
CityTarget Seattle Launch
To help launch its downtown store in 2012, CityTarget turned Seattle's Plymouth Pillars Dog Park into a doggy wonderland. It was a fitting promotion for a brand whose mascot is a bull terrier named Bullseye. CityTarget worked with Seattle’s Rally Marketing Group to develop the experience, which included a “bonetender” at a stocked Bone Bar that offered complimentary treats and toys.
Photo: Courtesy of Rally Marketing Group
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the Southern California desert of Indio has a massive footprint, so guests need clear instructions back to their cars and bikes in remote lots. Guests at this year's event in April found their way back by following long pathways that they could easily identify and remember by color.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
