8. Ultra Music Festival
#8 Music Festival
Miami
The electronic music festival celebrated its 15th anniversary this year by expanding to two consecutive weekends, which boosted attendance from 200,000 to 330,000. The new two-weekend format is one embraced by several music fests, including Coachella and Austin City Limits, and music insiders have wondered if Lollapalooza will follow suit. Ultra, which relocated to Bayfront Park in 2012, is still waiting approval from city officials for its second weekend next year. The move is no sure thing: After a city commissioner tried to block this year’s additional weekend, the festival had to pay $500,000 for increased security. Next: March 28-30, 2014
Photo: Kevin Verkruijssen/mittnick.nl
V Squared Labs worked with the electronic dance music band Krewella to create a so-called "reflection mapped" set piece known as "the Volcano" for the group's North American tour, which kicked off earlier this month.
Photo: Max Chang
Hip-hop dance group Jabbawockeez, winners of the first season of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew, recently opened its new show Prism at Luxor Hotel and Casino. The show is a high-energy mix of choreography, storytelling, and special effects and takes place in the brand-new 830-seat Jabbawockeez Theater. A year in the making, the space has amphitheater-style seating for an intimate feel.
Photo: Erik Kabik
The recently opened Jeff Mitchum Gallery at MGM Grand showcases more than 300 images and never-before-seen sculptures. It's the second gallery from the landscape photographer whose images have been in the Smithsonian Institute and the Getty Museum. The 4,000-square-foot glass-enclosed space includes "Third Day," Mitchum's $1.2-million showpiece. A team of art experts can provide tailored tours of the permanent display for groups.
Photo: Courtesy of Jeff Mitchum Gallery
The recently opened Reviv spa is meant to encourage hydration among desert visitors. Developed by a group of emergency room physicians, the space, located in the Underground at MGM Grand, offers guests a variety of intravenous and vitamin therapies to combat dehydration. The treatments are administered in one of four full-body massage chair rooms or in a group room furnished with a large couch and a high-definition TV. Each guest receives an iPad upon check-in to use during treatments.
Photo: Courtesy of Reviv
Bella Electric Strings provides classically trained female string players for events. Think solo acoustic shows or large-scale plugged-in performances. Founder Nina DiGregorio started out in an all-female quartet in high school and now works with about 30 employees and musicians primarily for corporate events.
Photo: Courtesy of Bella Electric Strings
Four Inch Fold offers event design and rentals in the Atlanta area. Upholstered vintage furniture, benches, and tabletop items such as floral-patterned dinner plates are among the available options. But the company's real claim to fame is its collection of 35 eight-foot farm tables that can seat as many as 350 guests. This fall, the inventory will expand to include contemporary chairs.
Photo: Haley Sheffield
Run by chef Jesse Jimenez and his wife, Jamie, Homespun Atlanta stages pop-up dinner parties for groups of as many as 16 guests, or as many as 30 with additional help. Homespun has also provided meals for board meetings and leadership retreats. Typically held at homes, design studios, or event spaces around Atlanta, the three-course dinners are served family-style and with wine. Menus emphasize ingredients sourced from local farmers' markets and include dishes such as braised rabbit with lemon-marsala glaze and vegan pumpkin cake with roasted plums. "The menu is never finalized until a day or two before the dinner; that's the nature of using only what's available," Jamie says.
Photo: Paige Jones for Homepsun ATL
Garnish & Gather, which delivers gourmet meal kits to local at-home chefs, recently launched a line of gift packages that can be shipped throughout the Atlanta area. Ranging from $45 to $75, the kits contain raw, farm-fresh ingredients, recipes, rustic cooking tools, and handwritten notes. Currently, seasonal recipes include dishes such as African peanut stew and barbecue-roasted chicken thighs, and the company says it will expand its services this fall to include more locally sourced foods and gift options.
Photo: Courtesy of Garnish & Gather
5. Dumbo Arts Festival
#5 Art, Design & Architecture Event (up from #6)
The city's largest consumer art event is across the river in Brooklyn with attendance topping 200,000 people annually. Next: September 27-29, 2013
The city's largest consumer art event is across the river in Brooklyn with attendance topping 200,000 people annually. Next: September 27-29, 2013
Photo: Jane Kratochvil/Courtesy of DUMBO Arts Festival
