With the holiday season in full swing, brands, bars, and hotels have gotten into the spirit by hosting eye-catching, social-media friendly consumer pop-ups. From multi-sensory snow globes and giant gingerbread houses to panda-theme Hanukkah decorations, here's a look at some of the most festive event ideas from pop-ups this year.
Fatherly, a digital media brand for dads, launched its holiday pop-up, the Playroom, on December 6 at 140 West Broadway in Tribeca. The kid-friendly pop-up featured an “ice cave” that displayed the brand’s 100 best toys of 2018. The brand collaborated with Crony Creative to produce the activation.
To celebrate the holidays, Target hosted family fun nights at New York’s South Street Seaport December 12 and 13. The outdoor event featured a giant boombox DJ booth, which played holiday songs.
The first night, guests could pose for photos with the brand’s canine mascot, Bullseye, in a holiday sweater.
Johnnie Walker partnered with gift concierge app Giftagram to host a gifting pop-up at Brookfield Place in New York. The pop-up, which runs through December 24, offers complimentary bottle engravings and scotch whiskey tastings. MKTG produced the pop-up and West Elm provided furniture in the lounge-like space.
Nissan unveiled an interactive snow globe at the Oculus at Westfield World Trade Center in New York from December 13 to 16. The 40-foot multisensory dome featured a 3-D skyline, enhanced by changing snowfall visuals and audio. The dome highlighted the 2019 Nissan Altima and its I-AWD technology, which adapts and redistributes the car’s power to suit weather conditions. The activation also had a 3-D animation photo booth. The experience was produced in partnership with TBWA/Chiat/Day, Fake Love, and OMD, and MagicSnow provided the artificial snow.
Kohl’s and PopSugar held a holiday pop-up shop in the Oculus at Westfield World Trade Center in New York December 6 and 7. BMF Media Group produced the event, which invited passersby to order Kohl’s products onsite. An entrance arch displaying products welcomed guests.
Passersby were invited to step inside a geodesic dome to grab Kohl’s Cash, which could be used to order products at the activation.
Drink Company’s fourth annual, over-the-top holiday pop-up bar in Washington is on display through December 31. This year, the bar has a theme inspired by the pandas of Smithsonian’s National Zoo. A mural created by artist Andrew Funk depicts pandas eating jelly doughnuts, which are a traditional Hanukkah treat.
The Christmas-inspired section features panda stuffed animals, a festive wrap of pandas in Santa hats on the bar, and an illustration of Frosty the Snowman.
The Mark Hotel in New York partnered with luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman to debut a festive red Pedicab, which takes hotel guests to and from the store. Guests can purchase items presented in a holiday gift list placed in rooms and enjoy free hot cocoa during the ride.
Swarovski unveiled its holiday trees at Toronto’s Union Station in November. The trees are dripping in more than 2,000 Swarovski ornaments, surrounded by a crystallized train set in the brand's blue and silver colors. The display was designed by Creative Twist.
PHD Terrace at New York’s Dream Midtown debuted a season-long holiday pop-up in November. The bar features a festive green, orange, and white color scheme, with a swing photo op, floral installations, and mistletoe adornments. The pop-up was designed and installed by artist Jenevieve Penk in collaboration with Tao Group at Dream Hotels.
The pastry team at JW Marriott L.A. Live created a life-size gingerbread bar comprised of 1,300 pounds of spiced cookie dough and sugar. The bar serves a rotating array of holiday refreshments.
Executive pastry chef Dominique Valenzuela and her team at JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa created a colorful 14-foot gingerbread house, with building blocks as a theme that nods to the property’s current renovations. The structure was made with 200 pounds of sugar, 400 pounds of icing, and 800 multicolored cookie bricks. The house is decorated with 1,400 lollipops, 100 pounds of hard candies, and more than 1,000 gumdrops.
Activation sponsor RxBar Kids had a jump pit for kids
The entrance to the pop-up featured hanging paper snowflakes and colorful tree statues with toys as ornaments.
The Springs in Brooklyn has been transformed into a Christmas pop-up bar, open through December 30. The pop-up has an array of Christmas decorations, including candy cane wallpaper. The bar serves drinks including a frozen peppermint bark latte, Festivus mulled wine, and a cocktail called Nog-Gonna Make It To Work Tomorrow. The pop-up was designed by the Springs owner Anthony Serignese.
New York rooftop venue Mr. Purple at Hotel Indigo has turned into an après-ski lodge, which will be open through February. The space, which was designed in house, includes a giant snow globe with Veuve Clicquot-branded ski lodge decor and a champagne bar.
Ever Bar at the Kimpton Everly Hotel in Los Angeles has been turned into an over-the-top Christmas-theme bar for the season. The space includes a lighted archway, a tree created with presents, and a mailbox where guests can send letters to Santa. The pop-up was designed internally.
The courtyard at Clinton Hall in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, will be a holiday-theme space through February. The pop-up has D.I.Y. s’mores making, eggnog cheesecake pops, spiked hot chocolate, and a Christmas tree with beer can ornaments.
To unveil its “Unrap a Jaguar” campaign, Jaguar partnered with HGTV star Jonathan Scott to reveal a mobile holiday window on December 11 at flatiron Plaza South in New York. Scott ripped away vinyl tartan wrap from a double-decker bus to reveal the automaker’s E-Pace compact performance SUV sitting on faux snow. The bus will travel around Manhattan through December 23.
