An dramatic art installation was made from multicolor neon ribbons at PopSugar and ShopStyle's Cabana Club hotel takeover. The piece was a collaboration with the Las Vegas festival Life Is Beautiful.
At Forever 21's "Party in the Sky" on Saturday evening in Palm Springs, two enormous cranes hoisted the brightly colored DJ booth, in a shipping container, into the air for a dramatic effect—especially in the swaying winds of the day. A truss above was marked with the event host's name in pink.
Teepee tents have become a key motif at Coachella events, and Forever 21's bash used them to anchor seating groups. Furniture and decor, spray painted with bright accents and marked with hashtags and logos, were made from raw wooden pallets.
During SXSWi, 3M LifeLab was created using the company’s products, including Dichroic glass films, aluminum tubing, 3-D printed joints, and Scotchlite reflective fabric panels.
The theme of the Mashable House was #BreakTheInternet. The venue featured a photo op where guests could climb into a giant replica of singer Katy Perry’s “liger” from this year’s Super Bowl halftime show.
New to the IFC Fairgrounds this year was the giant human sticky wall. Participants donned velcro suits and tossed themselves against the tall sticky wall. The channel's activation was produced by LeadDog Marketing and ran during SXSW's music portion.
Hype Hotel switched venues to a bigger space at the Fair Market for its music showcase, which allowed sponsor Taco Bell to create a storage container restaurant in the outdoor space, complete with a taco storefront and patio.
At National Geographic’s interactive scavenger hunt game, participating teams entered a shed-like space and had to solve puzzles in order to escape the cold during SXSW Interactive.
Taking over the Gatsby, Pandora created a meeting-friendly connected home during SXSW Interactive. Produced by Stoelt Productions, the activation included five rooms featuring different devices, including iPad Air, Google Chromecast, and TiVo.
To teach attendees about the storied history of the vodka distillery, Ketel One designed a long history wall at its two-day event at the Fair Market during SXSW Interactive. Elements included fruits depicting the origin countries of the liquor’s three flavor profiles, interactive four points of quality testing, and a cocktail personality quiz. There was also a living green wall comprised of herbs typically used as cocktail garnishes.
Tumblr teamed up with artists to create projected installations for the musical showcases at the Tumblr IRL residency during the music portion of SXSW at Ironwood Hall. Different bands were paired with different artists, such as Twin Shadow with photographer Milan Zrnic.
To celebrate the launch of TV network Palladia's Instagram account at its music party at the Cedar Door, guests were able to use the event’s official hashtag to share photos through Crowd Reactive as well as print mailable postcards with the images. The event was produced by BMF Media.
Fader Fort hosted local Austin artists to create unique custom designs for guests wearing Converse shows during the music portion of the festival. The Fort also handed out 100 pairs of sneakers to random attendees.
During SXSW music, Neiman Marcus transformed a bungalow into an inspiration house where each room had an inspired-by theme. The music room featured hanging headphones playing music from presenting artists. Guests were invited to help fill out a pointillism mural in the art room.
Friskies took over Cafe Medici on Congress Avenue to create the Haus of Bacon for two days during SXSWi. The cat food brand teamed up with artist Jason Mecier to create portraits of famous Internet cats using bacon, cat kibbles, and Friskies’ packaging.
For more low-key fun, Brooklyn Brewery hosted Tiny Tails to You, a local traveling petting zoo, for a day at the Grackle. This included a petting zoo and tortoise races.
BuzzFeed's BFF Cluhouse featured an emoji fortune-teller for the day. By looking at guests’ most recently-used emoji on their smartphones, the fortune-teller picked the person’s fortune, including an emoticon to use more.
First-time sponsor McDonald’s created a comforting lounge with free food, Wi-Fi, and plenty of seating for attendees. The space was open throughout the musical portion of SXSW.
Fox created a food truck version of the convenience store from the cartoon The Simpsons, coordinated by Jordanah Events, and handed out free slushie drinks, or “Squishees,” to guests for two days during SXSWi.
The Pursuit of Equinox classes at the Fast Company Grill at the Cedar Door highlighted the newest cycling class centered on data tracking during SXSWi. In the class, bikes pedaled by participants sent out data that was visualized on a screen in front of the room. BMF Media produced the Fast Company Grill.
During mornings, the music-focused Spotify House held cycling classes by SoulCycle with a live DJ and simultaneous dance classes.
As part of the exploration on what makes barbecue delicious during SXSWi, Serious Eats hosted barbecue sauce workshops where participants were able to create their own flavors using a base sauce and additional condiments, which could be taken home in vials.
The Ipsos Girls’ Lounge made the trek out to SXSW, offering a female-friendly space for networking, panel discussions, exercise sessions, and more, during SXSWi.
Ponchos were dispensed to passersby and attendees of Comedy Central’s one-day Kegs and Eggs at Pelons & Bar during the music segment of SXSW, just in time for the rain.
As part of Dr. Martens’s Stand for Something campaign during SXSW music, the shoe brand let attendees complete the phrase “I Stand For” on free T-shirts.
Flood magazine, formerly known as Filter magazine, scaled back its music showcases at SXSW this year. The simple event featured big bands and artists like Spoon and Run the Jewels performing at the open-air space at Cedar Street Courtyard.
Animal Planet’s Next Cat Star Party featured hanging balls of yarn and giant cut-out cat cardboard figures for decor and photo booth props. The network also passed out promotional cat ear headbands to guests.
Patrón’s branded train parked at the Austin Amtrak station hosted several dinners and happy hours helmed by local chefs and bartenders throughout the festival. On March 18, Rolling Stone partnered with the tequila brand to screen a documentary about Austin-based musician Gary Clark Jr. Vases and planters from halved bottles of the tequila were scattered on tables. There was also the taste wall, where guests could try different types of tequila.
For the span of SXSWi, CoverGirl ran the makeup bar at Cosmopolitan’s lounge at the JW Marriott, giving free makeovers to guests.
Mattel, a new sponsor this year, created its "Crazy Combinations Lounge" based on its board game Apples to Apples with a red and green color scheme and games on every table. The company offered free apple cider to visitors, as well as a photo booth with silly oversize props and a charging station. Comedians such as Nikki Glaser and Amy Schumer stopped by the lounge to hang out and play games.
As part of Ben & Jerry's "Thumbs Up for Fair Trade" campaign, attendees could stamp their thumbprint onto a mural promoting the three pillars of fair trade. Afterward, they could sample the brand's Bonnaroo-inspired Coffee Caramel Buzz ice cream flavor.
At the New Music on Tap Lounge, viewers relaxed on bright blue branded floor cushions as they drank Miller Lites and watched special performances on the stage.
Complimentary professional hair washing and wet stylings were available once again in Garnier Fructis's air-conditioned lounge, as well as giveaways of a wide array of its products. Samples were also offered at every shower station on the camping grounds. A self-styling station was available for those who wanted to do their own hair. Additionally, iPads were set up so guests could explore the Garnier Web site.
In the spirit of garage rock, Ford erected a garage in the middle of the festival for its Fiesta Garage. Bands like Maps & Atlases and the Rubens performed while attendees lounged in mismatched armchairs. Also available were free customized T-shirts, iPads to browse the Internet, and a photo booth station.
Branded bandanas filled with ice were given away to overheated attendees. The company also displayed three new Ford Fiestas.
The Pageant of the Cosmos offered carnival games with an Adult Swim–inspired twist. For "Balloonicorn in Space," participants donned a unicorn hat and had to pop as many ceiling balloons as they could.
The planetarium, shaped like a character from an Adult Swim show, offered screenings of the channel's content as well as celestial graphics. Adult Swim also sponsored fireworks (from Fireworks by Grucci) after headliner Jack Johnson performed on the main stage Saturday night.
IFC presented this year's comedy tent, which included sets by David Cross, Bob Saget, and Maria Bamford. To get into the theater, attendees waited in the barricaded lines, surrounded by placating quips like, "Eventually you'll get inside the tent, promise." Inside, IFC created a stage backdrop mimicking the festival outside. Some ticket-holders received free seat cushions promoting the second-season premiere of Comedy Bang! Bang! with Scott Aukerman and Reggie Watts, who also performed a live show at the tent.
In the silent disco, dancers listened to the DJ by wearing Ultimate Ear headphones so the music didn't disturb live performances occurring nearby.
At the Vapor Lounge, the electronic cigarette brand offered another respite away from the heat. Guests watched a live feed of musical performances as they relaxed, charged their phones, used the GIF photo booth, and sampled one of the cigarettes.
Inspired by the New Orleans dive bar of the same name, Snake & Jake's Christmas Club Barn was decorated with Christmas lights. Inside, Brooklyn-based Roberta's Pizza served its specialties as people enjoyed the late-night tiki disco party.
In addition to brand activations, there were plenty of on-site activities and amenities. Festival producer Superfly expanded its social engagement strategy by inviting attendees to link their R.F.I.D. wristbands with Twitter and Facebook. As guests swiped their wristbands at one of more than 20 stations around the grounds, the action generated an automatic post to their social networks to share what they were doing.
Staying hydrated was important during the four-day festival in the heat and sun. Ten water-filling stations were spread through the grounds, providing filtered water from the farm's 22 wells.
Organizers created a temporary post office to make it easy for festival-goers to send merchandise home. Special perks included Bonnaroo postcards and the official Bonnaroo postmark.
Attendees could keep cool on several waterslides. The kiddie and practice slides and the 35-foot tropical slide were free, while the 40-foot "Big Ass Water Slide" had a small fee.
To promote health and wellness, organizers expanded the yoga program, offering a variety of classes each day including vinyasa and meditative yoga. This year also marked the first-annual Roo Run 5K, which featured a course around the festival grounds. At Planet Roo, the festival's education and environmental center, people could take various classes and workshops at the Academy, including break dancing, building instruments, and theater. Nearby they could watch documentaries, visit the learning garden, and enjoy beverages at the coffee shop.
The 20-foot lighted fountain, known informally as the "mushroom," provided a cool break from the heat of the day, as well as a place to shower. There was also a Ferris wheel that offered attendees a fun ride and great views.
Selected Instagram photos with the #Bonnaroo hashtag were displayed on the sides of the two main stages between sets. Instagrammers were also encouraged to submit their photos for the official fan documentary, True Roo: Fan Faces of Bonnaroo, by tagging #TrueRoo.
Massages were offered in the V.I.P., guest, and artist hospitality areas. V.I.P. ticket-holders had access to separate lounges and special viewing sections at every stage. Those who purchased the "Roll Like a Rock Star" package were also treated to golf-cart escorts, three prepared gourmet meals a day, and accommodations in a luxury tour bus.
Kidz Jam offered parents a chance to step away from the music and entertain their children with performances, art projects, and interactive games. Amenities like water, sunscreen, and ear plugs were also provided for children.
