Best of 2011: Event Highlights from Nine Markets

Local eatery Sweetgreen hosted its fourth-annual Sweetlife festival in May, with big-name acts like Lupe Fiasco, Girl Talk, and headliners the Strokes. The sustainable music festival, which hosted 750 people in its Dupont Circle store’s parking lot last year, grew exponentially, hosting more than 16,000 people at Merriweather Post Pavilion, despite consistent rain. “Music is a big aspect [of our brand] and something we love personally, so it’s a great avenue for us to reach customers and show you can throw a festival in a sustainable way,” said co-founder Jonathan Neman. —Courtney Thompson

To celebrate the opening of its new wing—a $12 million structure that holds seven galleries devoted to contemporary art—the Museum of Fine Arts hosted a 24-hour bash. Beginning at 7 p.m. on September 17, the ambitious event segued from a glitzy, intimate cocktail reception to a dance party that lasted until 3 a.m. In the morning, a free open house offered everything from breakfast bites to sunrise yoga and dance classes. The inspiration came from Christian Marclay’s film The Clock, which spans 24 hours and screened during the event. —Jenny Berg

Ultra Music Fest, one of the most popular outdoor electronic music events, split from the Winter Music Conference for the first time this year due to scheduling conflicts and logistical issues. On its own, Ultra saw its largest crowd since its inception in 1999, drawing 150,000 spectators to Bicentennial Park in March. Founders also expanded the festival to a three-day event with performances from more than 300 acts. Tickets sold out 34 days in advance. —Jana Schiowitz

In keeping with the trend of offering full-blown sponsor experiences instead of simple branding, the LG Innovators' Ball incorporated sponsor lounges into the evening. Fashion brand Joe Fresh outfitted its lounge with an orange carpet and white furniture to match its signature colors, and offered guests complimentary manicures and hand massages. The Porter Airlines lounge replicated the waiting area in the downtown airport with reps dressed as Mad Men-era pilots and flight attendants. The lounges allowed both sponsors to take complete ownership of a space and fully communicate their brand messages.   —Carla Warrilow

As it did with its Liberty of London pop-up last year, Target built demand for its limited-edition Missoni collection with a temporary store, previewing it to the public on Fashion’s Night Out in September. What the retailer didn’t anticipate was the buying frenzy that ensued—within hours of opening, the pop-up sold out its inventory, causing it to close two days earlier than planned. The following week, the 400-piece Missoni for Target 400-piece line was rolled out in stores and online, provoking such a shopping spree that the Web site crashed, frustrating consumers and prompting a wave of angry comments on the retailer’s Facebook page. —Anna Sekula

After an underage girl died of a drug overdose at the Electric Daisy Carnival music festival in Los Angeles (promoter Insomniac Events had worked with the L.A. Memorial Coliseum for 13 years), the festival moved to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where it was widely considered a success, with only routine criminal and health incidents reported among 200,000 fans at the June event. The three-day fest was such a hit in its new Vegas home that it will return to the same venue next year, signaling that the festival’s Nevada move has proven to be the savior of an event otherwise mired in danger and controversy. —Alesandra Dubin

Cirque du Soleil developed its new show, Iris, specifically for Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre—home of the Oscars. The show focuses on the history of filmmaking, including a tongue-in-cheek award-show scene. After much anticipation and buzz, the show had its official premiere and Hollywood Boulevard party on September 25. ELS produced the sprawling event over 35,000 square feet for 5,000 guests on the closed boulevard, which was completely blanketed in red carpet and transformed for the evening into a look reflective of a huge editing table. —Alesandra Dubin

The blue American Express logo showed up on flip-flops, pillows, bar carts, furniture, swizzle sticks, and ice cubes at a party the company hosted for the Delta Airlines Global Sales Conference in May at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. The goal: to let each of the 850 guests know that the company values its partnership with Delta. In addition to being a practical gift for the party held around the Swan’s pool and beach, the flip-flops also created imprints of the Amex logo in the sand. —Mitra Sorrells

Fund-raisers developed new ways to engage younger patrons. In January, the Chef’s Ball for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation hosted its first after-party, with dessert and mixology stations. “We marketed the event to a younger crowd that wouldn’t necessarily spend [the gala’s full ticket price of] $400,” said planner Amy Patterson. “But for $60, they could come and check out the scene.” Likewise, Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS’ June gala (pictured) introduced an after-party with a rock concert and a lower ticket cost, and a luncheon for the Lynn Sage Cancer Foundation in October offered a discount for patrons under 30. —Jenny Berg