The New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 on Sunday to win Super Bowl LIII, which was the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history. The lackluster game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium also was accompanied by a halftime show headlined by Maroon 5, which event producers gave lukewarm to downright scathing reviews. Add in the fact that the game drew its lowest ratings in 10 years, and this year’s Super Bowl might prove to be one of the dullest in recent memory.
The more compelling action took place leading up to the game, when brands drew in locals and visitors to some exciting events in Atlanta over the past week. The Super Bowl host committee held public, sports-centered fan events like Super Bowl Live and the Super Bowl Experience; big-name brands like DirecTV, Bud Light, and Pepsi held annual and first-time events for live music enthusiasts of all genres; and BET took advantage of the big game buzz with a new immersive experience.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest Super Bowl concerts, lounges, pop-ups, and parties that took over Atlanta’s downtown core.
Bud Light Super Bowl Music Festival
Bud Light held its first music festival for the Super Bowl from January 31 to February 2 at State Farm Arena. The first night, which was presented by EA Sports, paid tribute to Atlanta with rapper Ludacris as the headliner. The stage featured I-85 highway sign replicas that displayed the names of performers. Bud Light worked with On Location Experiences to produce the three-day event.
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest/EA Sports Bowl
DirecTV N.F.L. Sunday Ticket Lounge
For Super Bowl weekend, DirecTV celebrated the 25th season of the N.F.L. Sunday Ticket streaming platform with a hospitality space for meet-and-greets with athletes and private events for subscribers. The lounge, which was produced and designed by Best Events, featured walls of gold footballs as a stage backdrop.
Photo: Paul Abell/AP Images for DirecTV
DirecTV N.F.L. Sunday Ticket Lounge
Additional decor included chalkboard signage and a branded staircase.
Photo: Paul Abell/AP Images for DirecTV
DirecTV Super Saturday Night
DirecTV’s annual Super Bowl concert drew more than 9,000 attendees to Atlantic Station. Foo Fighters headlined the event, while other performers included Run The Jewels, Roger Taylor of Queen, and Zac Brown. AG Light and Sound and Benjamin Van Brande handled the stage design. AT&T worked with JEM Management, Cogent Entertainment Marketing, and Big Branch Productions to produce the overall experience.
Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for DirecTV
DirecTV Super Saturday Night
The design of the event was inspired by the San Fernando Jackalopes, a fictional 1970s high school football team the Foo Fighters band members portrayed in a promo video for the concert in January. Black and gold lockers displayed the hashtag for the event, as well as branding for the band and DirecTV.
Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for DirecTV
DirecTV Super Saturday Night
Keeping with the high school football game theme, a photo op invited attendees to pose on bleachers with posters cheering on the faux team.
Photo: Robin Marchant/Getty Images for DirecTV
DirecTV Super Saturday Night
Guests channeled their inner rock star by posing for photos on lead vocalist Dave Grohl’s guitar throne, which displayed the Foo Fighters logo.
Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for DirecTV
DirecTV Super Saturday Night
Breakfast, a New York-based studio of multidisciplinary designers and engineers, created a custom Brixel mirror installation that spelled out DirecTV. The kinetic, interactive sculpture was created with mirrored Brixels (customizable kinetic pixels) that were programmed to rotate.
Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for DirecTV
House of BET
BET took over Atlanta’s North Event Center with an immersive experience that offered a variety of programming and sneak peeks of upcoming shows. The experience, which was produced and designed by Team Epiphany, included an installation inspired by American Soul, a new series that tells the story of Don Cornelius’ dance show Soul Train. The area featured a 1970s-theme dance floor and a giant disco ball.
Photo: Freedom Film LLC
House of BET
The experience also showcased an updated Museum of Meme gallery, which first launched in 2018 for the inaugural BET Social Awards. Comedic, social-media friendly exhibits included an “Is This Your King?” wall inspired by the film Black Panther.
Photo: Freedom Film LLC
House of BET
Another exhibit turned a popular lyric from Drake’s song “In My Feelings,” which spawned a viral video challenge, into a game show. Guests were invited to answer the question, “Does Keke love you?” by picking a ping-pong ball that displayed emojis and other reactions.
Photo: Freedom Film LLC
Shaq's Funhouse
Shaquille O’Neal hosted his circus-theme party (which first debuted at Miami Music Week in 2018) at Live! at the Battery Atlanta on Friday. The ticketed event welcomed guests to the venue with a drum line and a tent entrance that depicted Shaq as a ringmaster. The event was produced by Medium Rare.
Photo: Medium Rare/Grey Goose Vodka
Shaq’s Funhouse
Guests could dine at a pop-up Waffle House that served custom menu items nodding to the event’s host.
Photo: Medium Rare/Grey Goose Vodka
Planet Pepsi
Halftime show performer Travis Scott first headlined Pepsi’s pre-game concert on Friday at the Georgia Freight Depot. The outside of the venue featured projection mapping of the Pepsi globe. The soft drink brand partnered with iHeartMedia’s brand integration group and innovation division to produce the event.
Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Pepsi
Planet Pepsi
The inside of the venue featured a psychedelic design inspired by the Pepsi colors.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Pepsi
Planet Pepsi
The brand commissioned Janice Rago and Eric Nine, two Atlanta-based artists, to create music-theme murals for the event, which incorporated the Pepsi globe.
Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Pepsi
Rao’s and Wheels Up Pop-Up Dining Experience
Rao’s, New York’s V.I.P. Italian restaurant, opened a pop-up dining experience in Atlanta Thursday and Friday to celebrate the big game. The pop-up welcomed consumers with a bold red exterior and a live projection of its location on East 114th Street. The experience was produced by Momentum Worldwide and Beachview Event Rentals and Design, and presented in partnership with Wheels Up, a membership-based private aviation company.
Photo: Rafterman
Rao’s and Wheels Up Pop-Up Dining Experience
Inside the pop-up, guests could enjoy Italian dishes from chef Dino Gatto at old-fashioned dining tables one would find at Rao’s. Jars of Rao’s marinara sauce were used as centerpiece lamps, while framed photos on the walls recreated the restaurant’s interior.
Photo: Rafterman
‘Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical’
Instead of running an ad during the game this year, Skittles created a commercial performed as a live Broadway musical. The 30-minute show, starring Michael C. Hall, featured original song and dance numbers about the prevalence and effects of consumerism and brand advertising in people’s everyday lives. The show was written by playwright Will Eno in partnership with DDB Worldwide and performed in front of a live audience at the Town Hall in New York on Sunday afternoon.
Photo: Courtesy of Skittles
Bridgestone Performance Field at Super Bowl Experience
Bridgestone, the official tire of the N.F.L., activated at the Super Bowl for the 12th consecutive year. At the Super Bowl Experience, which was held at the Georgia World Congress Center, the brand invited guests to test their football skills while learning about specific tires. Bridgestone partnered with Marketing Werks for all of its activations.
Photo: Courtesy of Bridgestone
Bridgestone Experience at Super Bowl Live
Football fans could test their throwing arms at a Tic-Tac-Tire toss game.
Photo: Courtesy of Bridgestone
Rolling Stone Live: Atlanta
On Saturday, Rolling Stone took over the Goat Farm Art Center by Skylight, a performance venue located in the ruins of an old cotton gin factory, for a music event headlined by Ludacris, Young Thug, and DJ Questlove. The venue was outfitted with a massive Rolling Stone sign above the stage and hanging tube lights installed by Revolution Marketing. The event was presented by Mercedes-Benz in partnership with LDV Hospitality, and Lala Productions handled production in association with Rival Entertainment.
Photo: Raymond McCrea Jones
Rolling Stone Live: Atlanta
Sponsor Crown Royal invited guests to give back with an activation highlighting the Canadian whiskey brand’s Purple Bag Project, which sends care packages to soldiers. Guests were invited to put various goodies in branded purple bags and drop them in a custom mailbox. The activation was produced and designed by Rose Gold Collective.
Photo: Raymond McCrea Jones
U.S.A.A. Salute to Service Military Appreciation Lounge
Financial services company U.S.A.A. hosted a lounge for military, veterans, and their families, which featured entertainment and discussions with N.F.L. athletes and coaches. Produced by Endeavor Global Marketing, the lounge featured a stage inspired by a football field.
Photo: Courtesy of USAA
Ultimate Courtyard Super Bowl LIII Sleepover
Members of Marriott Bonvoy, the hotel company’s combined loyalty program, bid points to win a Courtyard Marriott suite at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The activation was produced by Endeavor Global Marketing.
Photo: Doug Benc/AP Images for Courtyard by Marriott
American Cancer Society’s Crucial Catch Super Bowl Rally and Health Expo
The American Cancer Society celebrated its 10th anniversary of N.F.L. partnerships with a football-theme event held at the A.C.S. headquarters on January 30. The event, which drew more than 300 Atlanta leaders, N.F.L. players, and cheerleaders, featured branded stations and photo ops that brought to life “The Defender,” a digital cancer risk reduction tool produced by the A.C.S. and funded by the N.F.L.
Photo: Courtesy of the American Cancer Society
Verizon 5G Experience Lab
At Super Bowl Live, Momentum Worldwide produced an interactive experience for sponsor Verizon. Activities for guests included a 4-D, V.R. moon landing, which guests could experience in the brand’s red and black pods.
Photo: Courtesy of Verizon
