The holiday season tends to rev up the imaginations of those in the event industry, and this year is no exception. From a Guinness World Records contender for "largest gingerbread exhibit" to an elevator paved with edible bricks—plus a tugboat dressed up as Rudolph—here's a look at over-the-top holiday activations from across North America.
Inspired by one of the city's iconic eats, the Chicago property erected a gingerbread version of a hot-dog factory. The whimsical display, created by executive pastry chef Cheryl Brookhouze, has a 10-foot-long Chicago hotdog and a faucet pouring mustard into a bucket. Some 1,400 pounds of gingerbread went into its construction.
A contender for the Guinness World Record for "largest gingerbread exhibit," the Gingerbread Lane display is at the New York Hall of Science. At 1.5 tons, the 300-square-foot village is made entirely out of gingerbread, icing, and candy, and was created by chef Jon Lovitch. More than 1,500 hours of labor went into the candy-decked creation.
On December 5, the Friends of the Fulfillment Fund hosted the Holiday Party for Children With Disabilities at CBS Television City in Los Angeles. To entertain 230 elementary school students, the event employed everything from a costumed Curious George to stilt-walking elves. The event was spearheaded by Fulfillment Fund board member and co-chairwoman of the Friends of the Fulfillment Fund Jan Goldman.
The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte is displaying a holiday tree made of 8,000 red and green macarons. The eight-foot-tall creation was assembled by the hotel's pastry team, led by executive assistant manager of food and beverage and culinary Jon Farace. At the base of the tree, a team of chocolate reindeer pulls a miniature red sleigh.
Laurent Branlard, executive pastry chef of the Florida property, took nearly 80 hours to design a seven-foot tall, 400-pound chocolate nutcracker. The sweet sculpture is part of a larger holiday display that comprises 2,000 pounds of chocolate. Fun fact: the entire display contains around four million calories.
Craig Donahue of TDG/The Donahue Group was the executive producer of the Beverly Hills Holiday Lighting Ceremony on Rodeo Drive. TDG tapped Ice Bulb to carve ice sculptures of holiday decor—including snowflakes and a menorah—from 6,000 pounds of ice, using chainsaws. Show Pro’s lighting effects enhanced the dramatic carving display.
The elevator that travels up to the restaurant Sixteen has become the "Gingerbread Express" this season. Created by Sixteen executive pastry chef Patrick Fahy and his team, the elevator is paved with 1,000 gingerbread bricks. Inside, a window box provides a view of a snowy Alpine Valley, and an active train set circles overhead. The activation was built in five days with a seven-member crew.
The splashy Las Vegas property has a gingerbread house inspired by its likeness. Flora Aghababyan, chief cake designer for Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, created the three-foot-tall display from 4,500 gingerbread tiles. At the base of the edible hotel, little gingerbread shops represent Chanel, Dior, and other boutiques found on the properties. The gingerbread house weighs close to 300 pounds and was built over the course of 21 days.
On December 7, the "Great Santa Run" saw 11,221 costumed Santa Clauses gather in downtown Las Vegas. The 5K run and one-mile walk was led by grand marshal Shania Twain and raised funds for Opportunity Village.
On December 9, Circle Line Cruises and World Yacht hosted the first "Lighting of the Ships" at Piers 81/83 in New York. Providing specialty cruises for two local nonprofits, the event included a boat procession led by a tugboat that was decorated as Rudolph. The boats sailed to the Statue of Liberty and back.
The W Fort Lauderdale is hosting a contest that puts a holiday spin on the “selfie” craze. Mirrors in nine spots throughout the property are embedded in elf-theme vignettes. Guests can snap photos of themselves at the festive stations, then upload the snaps to Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter using the hashtags #wfortlauderdale and #bringthebright.
