Creative Technologies and Production Club created a variety of animations in the world's largest inflatable dome for the sixth event in the traveling electronic dance music-focused Dot Party series—created by Minecraft mogul Markus Persson—which took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in June. The 69-foot-tall, 200-foot-diameter dome held 2,500 people who partied to DJ Snake and Skrillex and was lit up by a 360-degree mapped projection that featured constantly changing animations.
In the "Name Your Color" section, guests could select a color and have it made into a lipstick in front of them using a 3-D lipstick printer from Mink founder Grace Choi. Guests then gave the color a name and had custom labels printed out.
As part of its holiday "Give Beautifully" campaign, Stella Artois hosted an interactive, immersive light installation December 10 to 12 at Skylight at Moynihan Station in New York. Guests were led through a dark tunnel to an empty room lit by a canopy of lights, which became interactive by following attendees around and gravitating towards them. The experience was photographed, and guests could share photos on social media in the adjacent Tasting Room.
Spotify hosted a summer block party for its 750 employees on June 8. Held at the Knockdown Center in Queens, New York, the event featured basketball courts, a disco ball, a roller rink, a 1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille photo booth, and a performance by T-Pain. An interactive graffiti wall allowed guest to spray paint their own designs. The event was planned and produced by Tinsel & Twine.
Comic-Con International, which was held from July 20 to 23 in San Diego, is known for over-the-top stunts and interactive fan experiences. Comedy Central series Broad City got in on the action for the first time this year with a life-size coloring book activation. Illustrations designed by Broad City artist Mike Perry covered the walls and furniture.
Throughout the long weekend, attendees used neon paint to add color. The activation—which took place at the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center—also offered Broad City-inspired manicures and temporary tattoos.
On July 20, the Long Beach Convention Center opened its newest event space, the Cove, with a street party that included food trucks and games such as ping-pong and foosball. In honor of Long Beach's history as a port town, and to tie into Pow Wow Long Beach, which created large outdoor murals around the city, the event at the Cove featured large shipping containers that guests could paint throughout the evening. The containers were provided by Duncan & Son Lines.
At BizBash Live: Los Angeles and BizBash Live: Florida, held on July 19 and May 4, respectively, Champagne Creative Group encouraged guest participation at its booth with a giant coloring book.
To mark the launch of her new line at Michaels, Martha Stewart hosted a colorful, interactive paint party at Hudson Studios in New York on June 15. David Stark Design and Production built a colorful house facade out of 2,710 bottles of home-decor paint and watercolor-craft paint. Guests were invited to grab paint brushes from window boxes, then go to work painting everything inside the house—including rugs, couches, lampshades, duvet covers, nightstands, and more. Organizers wanted to show the versatility of the paint, which can be used on fabric, wood, glass, ceramic, and metal surfaces.
Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry draws top chefs and mixologists who donate their time and efforts to end childhood hunger in America. The 2017 event, which was held on June 11 at Media Park in Los Angeles, included tastes from more than 40 restaurants, breweries, wineries, and mixologists. Guests were invited to grab a paint brush and contribute to a mural using paint supplies donated by Yoobi.
Toronto architectural studio Raw Design hosted its annual “Raw” party in June 2015, taking over a 3,000-square-foot industrial space. The 3,000 guests became an “army of artists,” according to organizer Kim Graham, and were invited to help create a giant paint-by-numbers picture, spray paint onto other guests, write on the wall, and paint on bottles at the bar.
At Diffa Dining by Design at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart in November 2015, doodling was encouraged at the table designed by Allsteel and Henricksen. The design incorporated pages plucked from adult coloring books, and centerpieces held crayons and colored pencils.
Art doesn’t have to involve paints and markers. At the inaugural Panorama music festival, held on Randall’s Island in New York in July 2016, Macy's partnered with LeadDog Marketing Group to produce the Macy's Oasis. The lounge gave festivalgoers a chance to relax, and featured a string art wall created by attendees.
In 2016, national furniture rental company AFR introduced a new initiative called #ColorYourEvents, which allows guests to grab a marker and color in branded decals that are adhered to tabletops. Clients provide the artwork and markers, and AFR handles the decal printing and pasting. Pricing depends on the item and the size.
At the New York City Wine & Food Festival, held in October 2016 at Piers 92 and 94, a Coca-Cola-sponsored barbecue showcased a giant illustration of New York that guests were encouraged to color in throughout the event's duration. The illustration was created by Robert Gerdts, artistic director of Warren Moore Events.
Calabasas, California-based Wax Creation makes colorful wax models of hands that serve as interactive party decor or favors. Guests dip their hands into the liquid wax to create an impression, which dries in a few minutes. Wax Creation also offers a candle-coloring activity for holiday events, where guests can dip and color their own custom candles. The company services events throughout California and Nevada; it also recently launched an east coast branch that serves Florida. For events in the Los Angeles area, Wax Creation charges $595 for two hours of activity, which includes unlimited hands, delivery and pick-up, and two attendants.
In addition, the branded area included a wall containing 28 fans to keep guests cool, as well as beer-can art designed specifically for Governors Ball.
This year, a first-time scavenger hunt called Jane Says—named after the song by Jane's Addiction lead singer and Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell—challenged guests to certain tasks taking place throughout the park. Billed by festival organizers as "part scavenger hunt, part quiz show, and part mission for global good," the activity let guests win prizes for themselves or cash prizes that could be donated to charity. Lollapalooza earmarked $100,000 for local and global initiatives via Jane Says.
Activities included air tennis and mini golf. Drinks from Evian and boozy sweets from Patrón provided much-needed relief against the desert heat; L.A. food trucks supplied the party's nibbles.
Rock-It Promotions hosted its annual gifting lounge from September 6 to 8 in its new sixth-floor office space. The lounge had a variety of activations including a station that offered fine line micro-tattoos by Ink & Water Tattoo.
The reopening of the renovated Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York took place earlier this month. The event, which was produced by Endeavor Global Marketing, featured an elevator that was transformed into a floral photo booth. Orchids and hydrangeas provided by Boho Blossoms decorated the interior of the elevator.
On February 7, Delta Air Lines took over the Mondrian in West Hollywood for a pre-Grammy party designed and produced by MKG. Guests entered the celebration through an installation of hanging gold records.
