10 Cool Event Ideas You May Have Missed This Month From Instagram, Freeform, Seamless and More

As a fun and memorable way to support New York City’s restaurant industry, Seamless and The Infatuation teamed up with creative agency MKG to launch the cleverly named “Presto! Resto!,” a COVID-safe restaurant on wheels. During each week of April, the truck's interior was transformed into a different local restaurant—complete with menu items and a replica of the eatery's decor—which then traveled to contest winners’ front doors around the city.

To enter the contest, New Yorkers posted on Twitter and Instagram about what they missed most about dining out; three winners were chosen each day and were invited to enjoy their Seamless deliveries inside the truck with three guests. The activation's participating restaurants were Miss Lily’s in Manhattan, Di An Di in Brooklyn and Comfortland and Adda Indian Canteen in Queens.

In addition to hosting a unique “vertical screening” for its two-episode premiere party (click here to see more), Freeform promoted its new thriller series Cruel Summer with a 1990s-themed roller rink at the Westfield Century City in Los Angeles from April 24-25. Produced by BMF, the socially distanced, free-with-reservation event featured a large black-and-white checkered rink and a playlist of tunes from 1993, 1994 and 1995, the years the show is set.

Fun props further evoked the '90s and promoted the Jessica Biel-produced teen series, which follows the kidnapping of a high school girl.

On April 29, Instagram hosted an exclusive hybrid event with Eva Chen, the brand’s vice president of fashion and shopping partnerships. During the gathering, Chen chatted with some of the platform’s top fashion and beauty creators; there was also a session on Instagram best practices and other offerings. The event was produced by Stoelt Productions, who build a sleek studio in New York and sent the feeds back to its REMI studio in Los Angeles to coordinate graphics, cue up speakers and panelists, and more.

To promote Amazon Prime Video’s new movie Without Remorse—based on the Tom Clancy novel and starring Michael B. Jordon as a Navy SEAL—the brand tapped Operant Media and Telt Mgmt to create activations at two influencer houses: SWAY house in Los Angeles and Collab Crib in Atlanta.

The exclusive screenings featured a number of creative, on-theme surprises for attendees—starting with invites delivered via drone. In Los Angeles, attendees could enter a wind tunnel to get the feeling of jumping out of a plane like a Navy SEAL, and in Atlanta, they could run through an inflatable military obstacle course—complete with their own hype man and DJ. For the screenings, attendees climbed aboard their own inflatable Navy SEAL watercraft, which were equipped with flashlights, poncho liners and walkie-talkies for ordering cotton candy and popcorn.

In honor of National Superhero Day on April 28, Ally Bank teamed up with Inspira Marketing to honor the year’s real heroes: those working on the COVID-19 vaccination front lines. The bank delivered more than 700 gift bags to healthcare professionals at two vaccination sites in Charlotte, N.C., and Detroit; the bags included items from Amazon, Door Dash, Adidas and Uber. The on-theme twist? The gifts were delivered by caped crusaders, who wore original costumes created by Lia Cinquegrano, founder of Thomas 4 Studio.

Over the last year, Stella Artois has infused nearly $1 million into the Canadian restaurant industry through its Rally for Restaurants program. As an extension of that campaign, the beer brand recently launched "Love Artois," a new initiative that encourages Canadians to share fond memories and positive reviews of their favorite local eateries by using the hashtag #LoveArtois. To spread the message further, the brand is hosting the so-called “love letters” on big screens across the country, focusing on key cities including Toronto (pictured), Vancouver and Montreal. (Click here to see more creative ways Stella Artois has pivoted during the pandemic.)

While this year’s Academy Awards on April 25 was missing most of the star-studded after-parties, a few did move forward—including the 29th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation’s viewing party. The nonprofit's first-ever virtual gala was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris alongside Sir Elton John and David Furnish, and raised $3 million for the global effort to end AIDS. The evening featured a stripped-back performance from Dua Lipa (pictured), and appearances by the likes of Lady Gaga and Cynthia Erivo.

For the first time, foundation supporters worldwide were able to join the event via a preshow produced by Fulwell 73 at Rosewood London; attendees tuned in via Cisco Webex. "We haven’t missed a year yet, and we certainly weren’t going to miss our 29th annual Oscar party to benefit my foundation—even if it meant going virtual," said Elton John in a statement. "It was so much fun to perform with the gorgeous Dua Lipa and open up our party to supporters all over the world."

Atlanta-based sneaker company WISH ATL released its new collaboration with Jordan Brand last month—and the line's designer, Aleali May, wanted to use the release party to honor her roots. The collection is inspired by her time on her high school drill team, which she credits for teaching her to be a teammate and leader—so WISH ATL invited Mahogany-N-Motion, the dance team of Spelman College, to shop the collection first at a special event on April 20. The brand’s office was transformed into an Aleali May x Jordan-themed spa-like experience, where the dancers enjoyed custom nail art inspired by the collection.