20 Times Event Bathrooms Became the Star of the Show (Yes, Really)

Starting on July 11, the bathrooms at the El Coliseo de Puerto Rico got a vibrant makeover as part of personal care brand Method’s pa’l recuerdo campaign during Bad Bunny’s No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency. Each stall has been reimagined as a colorful, fragrance-filled environment inspired by Puerto Rican culture and Bad Bunny’s aesthetic. Method, the residency's exclusive body wash and hand wash sponsor, based the experiential campaign on research showing that nearly half of Latinx individuals see the bathroom as a space to reset and gather their thoughts, while more than four in 10 describe it as a place for emotional reflection and relaxation.

Guests are met with affirming messages like “¡estás on fire!” and “¡tú sí que estás pa’ foto!” lining the mirrors—part of the campaign’s goal to celebrate the bathroom as a space for confidence, reflection, and emotional reset.

The Method campaign extended to the venue concourse, where a shower-inspired photo booth invites fans to engage with cultural touchpoints like un cafecito, snap selfies with themed backdrops, and even send postcards home. On opening weekend, lines stretched over an hour as fans waited to participate.

The immersive activation—produced by Revolution Marketing—will run through the end of Bad Bunny’s residency in September and also hit the road on his world tour. To extend the experience beyond the venue, Method also dropped a limited-edition isla edition body wash, featuring its island mist scent infused with hibiscus, mango nectar, and passion fruit. The packaging showcases custom artwork inspired by Puerto Rico and El Choli’s energy and comes paired with a waterproof speaker—a nod to the 75% of Latinx consumers who say music is a key part of their shower ritual.

Did you know that 50% of gamers admit to playing while using the restroom? Supercell used that insight to create the truly unique Clash of Clans Bathroom Battlestation at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, featuring three fully functioning toilet stalls that brought the game to life.

The immersive activation was produced by Jack Morton Worldwide.

Special giveaways included branded toilet paper, a Poo-Pourri Battle Breeze pocket sprayer, and a copy of The Books of Clash Volume 1. Guests could also use to the space to check out the game with free Wi-Fi, or enjoy a 'gram-worthy outhouse photo op. See more: Comic-Con 2024: 35+ Clever Ways Brands Engaged Pop Culture Fans in San Diego

A toilet photo op also appeared at 2024's Dreamville Festival in Raleigh, N.C. Charmin was on site offering festival attendees a better bathroom than the usual porta-potty with its premium “VIPee Restroom Experience,” produced by MSL and Saatchi & Saatchi. Attendees could also snag a photo sitting on a giant gold toilet, meet the Charmin Bear, and try the brand’s new Ultra Soft Smooth Tear toilet paper. See more: Dreamville Festival 2024: See How This Music Event Kicked Off the Outdoor Activation Season for Brands

In 2022, OGX Beauty's "Love Labs" pop-up found creative ways to showcase the science behind its products—while also offering memorable moments for guests to love and celebrate their hair. Highlights included a memorable photo op, where guests could pose in a shower among suspended, transparent balloon "bubbles" and a shower head with a stream of iridescent beads. The event was produced by MKG. See more: How OGX's Eye-Catching Pop-Up Showcased Its Products in Unconventional Ways

Another glamorous Los Angeles event that leaned on balloon "bubbles" was this 2018 first birthday party, which had a fun "Rubber Duckland" theme. One eye-catching highlight was the event's dessert table, where a vintage bathtub was turned into a huge flower centerpiece, and clear balloons were used to resemble bubbles. A large blue birthday cake also adopted a bathtub theme, with bubbles and more rubber ducks, and a candy station featured fun yellow treats and props such as rain boots. The event was designed and produced by C Rezende Events. See more: How Rubber Ducks Became a Glamorous Birthday Party Theme

At the 2017 edition of Refinery29’s whimsical funhouse, 29Rooms, in Los Angeles, Transparent creator Jill Soloway and artists Xavier Schipani recreated a moving, gender-neutral high-school bathroom where visitors could hear first-person stories about gender identity from Roberta Colindrez, Rhys Ernst, Alexandra Grey, Amos Mac, Bashir Naim, and Pigeon Pagonis.

Graffiti on the walls included phrases such as “Defy the hand you’re dealt” and “Every body welcome.” See more: Design Inspiration: See Inside Refinery29's Multi-Sensory Playground

At VidCon 2024 in Anaheim, Calif., the Responsible Flushing Alliance (RFA), a nonprofit trade organization, hosted a tongue-in-cheek, noir-inspired experience. Hard-boiled sleuth Detective Vincent Drains and his somewhat surprising partner—a singing and talking toilet named Mel—were on the case of the latest in toilet crimes sweeping the Golden State. The duo invited attendees into the bathroom crime scene at VidCon to uncover the cause of a costly clog and broken pipes. The activation cleverly infused messaging about the dangers of ignoring the “Do Not Flush” symbol on baby wipes, cleaning wipes, and makeup wipes—and noted that it’s costing California $47 million each year to clean up the consequences of bad flushing. See more: VidCon 2024: The Clever Booths, Lounges, and Parties That Grabbed Attention

To celebrate a collection launch in 2019, British beauty brand Soap & Glory hosted a cheeky soiree at a New York burlesque club. Produced by TH Productions, the event featured a feminine boudoir vibe and was inspired by the scent of the then-new product line called Mist You Madly. In one truly unique moment, guests sipped Champagne that flowed from a custom tap built into a vintage sink. Other vignettes included a custom oversize vanity, a luxe chaise lounge for photo ops, and a standalone tub. See more: Champagne Flowed From a Vintage Sink at This Beauty Event

To celebrate the new season of Phineas and Ferb, Disney activated at the Vans Warped Tour in Washington, D.C. in June—inviting festivalgoers to step inside an unusual place. Playing off the animated show’s signature humor and offbeat charm, attendees could experience a day in the life of Agent P with a top-secret activation hidden in plain sight: inside an ordinary-looking porta-potty.

The “Portal-Potty” transported guests into a spy lair, packed with interactive surprises, Easter eggs, and a hidden entrance to the Backyard Bash—a hangout area where fans could enjoy games, giveaways, music, and photo ops including a giant inflatable Agent P and a Love Händel garage band set-up complete with a drum kit and custom guitars. The activation was produced by Mirrored Media. See more: See How Disney’s Phineas and Ferb Transformed a Porta-Potty into a Music Festival Activation

For events that take over private homes, bathrooms can be a fun spot to infuse some decor elements and glam. When beauty brand Philosophy took over four floors of New York's Sousa House for an influencer event in January 2020, for example, B Floral filled a bathtub within the venue with lush blooms for a floral-focused photo op. The overall activation was produced by Eventique. See more: How This Beauty Brand Transformed a Town House for Its Influencer Event

Another brand that took over a private home was Mike's Hard Lemonade, which worked with Crush Studio to rent and redesign an entire Los Angeles-area house for a month-long, '90s-inspired promotion in 2022. Every room of the house—(yes, even the bathrooms!)—was designed to celebrate the then-new Mike's Hard Freeze product. The design drew inspiration from Work In Progress' ad campaign, which tapped into '90s nostalgia, a nod to the decade when Mike's Hard Lemonade was founded. See more: How Mike's Hard Lemonade Transformed an Entire House for a Month-Long Experiential Activation

The Museum of Selfies opened in Glendale, Calif., in 2018, providing patrons with a series of interactive installations catering to selfie-snapping. The museum's "Bathroom Selfie" featured two bathrooms that were mirror images of one another, with a void where the mirror should have been—giving guests an opportunity to create a head-turning optical illusion with friends. See more: What the Museum of Selfies Can Teach Us About Photo Ops at Events

We’d be remiss not to end this roundup on a high note—or at least a gilded one. At the 2014 Austin City Limits Music Festival, 10 festival-goers were given golden bracelets that gave them special access to the Golden Porta-Potty. The gold-painted single stall was air-conditioned and included Wi-Fi, an array of high-end toiletries, and a screen streaming performances from the festival stages. See more: 21 Reasons Austin City Limits Is Bigger Than Ever