Although some of North America's highest-profile holiday events took on classic formats that built upon decades of tradition—for instance the Rockefeller Center tree lighting ceremony, or window unveilings from retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue—this year's events also took forms that ranged from the tried-and-true to the modern with technology or social media integration.
Among the trends at events this year were philanthropic tie-ins, of course, especially those that used guests' donations to create Instagram-ready installations. Pop-ups remained a popular option for marketers, with online retailer Zappos setting up one in Las Vegas that was open around the clock—just like its website. And there were new takes on giveaways: Old Navy, for instance, delivered holiday trees to guests' homes following its family-friendly event in Los Angeles.
Snow, fireworks, musical performances, costumed Santas, and gingerbread houses were also seen at holiday events from organizations and brands including Bergdorf Goodman, Four Seasons, Bellagio, and Ion Television.
On November 24, Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store debuted "An Enchanted Experience." The show included the unveiling of the store’s holiday windows and the premiere of a light display encompassing the entire building. The Rockettes kicked things off with a performance that included a full line of 36 dancers.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was lit for the first time on December 3 with live performances at Rockefeller Plaza to a local crowd of tens of thousands, with millions more TV viewers. In stark contrast to the holiday event were ongoing protests nearby following a grand jury decision not to indict officers involved in the death of Eric Garner.
Mariah Carey was among the night's performers.
On November 16, the Grove in Los Angeles celebrated its 12th annual lighting celebration presented by Citi. Nancy O’Dell hosted the event, which featured performances by Earth, Wind & Fire, Aloe Blacc, Pentatonix, Frankie Ballard, and Darlene Love. The evening ended with a flurry of simulated snow.
Retailer Bergdorf Goodman unveiled its holiday windows in New York with a Barkley Kalpak Agency-produced event that included the lighting of the Unicef snowflake at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street by TĂ©a Leoni, as well as a performance by actress Nikki M. James of Les Miserables and Book of Mormon.
Bergdorf Goodman’s theme this holiday season was “inspired,” and the store’s Fifth Avenue window displays were designed around that concept. Each window was based on a different form of art. Bergdorf Goodman’s team of display artists, helmed by senior director of visual presentation David Hoey, spent nearly a year designing the look.
At the November 17 event, Broadway Kids Care performed its renditions of holiday favorites for the crowd.
Performances and nearly 150,000 lights made up the annual Beverly Hills holiday lighting ceremony on November 23. The event included the illumination of 16 Baccarat chandeliers along Rodeo Drive, followed by a fireworks finale above the famed shopping street.
This year’s array of festive entertainers included The Voice finalist Kat Perkins, ice skaters, the Beverly Hills High School marching band, and hip-hop competitors.
Hosted by HGTV's Robert and Cortney Novogratz, Old Navy's holiday event at Fig & Olive in Los Angeles offered family-friendly activities, including gingerbread house decorating and ornament making.
Guests were given tags on the way into Old Navy's event, which was held on December 6. Each guest could write their address on a tag, tie it to one of the cut trees in the party space, and have the tree delivered to their home following the event.
Caravents hosted its #CocktailsWithCaravents party, benefiting Dress for Success, at Mr C. in Beverly Hills. Through guests’ donations, the December 1 event collected more than 250 pieces of clothing, accessories, and beauty products to donate to the charity. Over the course of the evening, the team added the items to what began as an empty closet display. Caravents calculated that the event's guests—chosen in part for their social influence—generated more than two million social impressions spreading the word about Dress for Success.
At the Caravents party, desserts borrowed from childhood classics, and the “Holiday-Thyme” signature cocktail was made up of Absolut Elyx and cranberry.
On December 9, PR firm BWR hosted its in-office holiday preview with a "candy cane lane" theme and a festive candy buffet to match.
At the BWR event, Starring Fragrances set up a make-your-own bath salts bar with holiday-appropriate ingredients that followed the red and white theme.
Television network Ion created a custom truck that served up wraps for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to consumers in New York. Depending on the time of day, the menu ranged from egg wraps to Nutella-infused dessert wraps. While waiting for their food, guests could preview this season’s five original holiday movies on the side of the vehicle and snap a quick photo with one of the stars. The activation, produced by the Michael Alan Group, started its journey near Columbus Circle, venturing to Midtown, and then finishing up in the Flatiron district.
Food magazine Taste of Home along with Kellogg's Rice Krispies debuted Gingerbread Boulevard, their first-ever collection of three life-size gingerbread houses. The houses were unveiled December 9 to coincide with the annual Madison Square Park holiday tree lighting ceremony in New York. They’ll remain on display through December 23.
The Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills hosted its annual holiday party benefiting Toys for Tots on December 3. Guests were encouraged to bring gifts for the charity, and their donations filled a sleigh at the entrance to the party space. It wasn't long before the sleigh was overflowing with presents.
The holiday display at Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens in Las Vegas included a tree decorated with 7,000 white LED lights and 2,500 ornaments, which sat above a model locomotive that ran past four chocolate houses and through two chocolate stations, both created by Bellagio’s pastry team. Two 12-foot-tall animated snow globes placed on each side of the tree showcased classic winter scenes such as ice skaters on a pond and carolers under a spinning tree. The display is up through January 3.
In the conservatory, animated penguins appeared to build igloos and play near a stage used for live nightly holiday performances. Stars ranging from 12- to 18-feet-tall hung above.
A costumed Santa Claus was the first rider at the Linq Promenade's Winter Parq, sliding down the 30-foot-tall hill made of real snow under the High Roller, the world’s tallest observation wheel.
On November 24, the American Museum of Natural History lit up its annual holiday tree. The theme of this year’s 13-foot tree was “origami night at the museum” and featured intricately folded origami models of characters and artifacts from the Night at the Museum movies that can be found at the American Museum of Natural History. There was a Tyrannosaurus Rex, a monkey with keys, and President Theodore Roosevelt, among others. Each year the tree has a different theme relating to the museum's special exhibitions or to its collections.
Farmland is partnering with Feeding America this holiday season on a festive awareness campaign. Actor Dean Cain and Farmland are asking people to join the cause by pledging to leave bacon, instead of milk and cookies, for Santa on Christmas Eve. For every pledge made through December 24, Farmland will donate 10 meals to Feeding America. To pledge, consumers post their own selfie with the hashtag #BaconForSanta to social media. Costumed Santas at Herald Square in New York helped promote the campaign.
In the newest addition to its holiday lineup, the Toronto Eaton Centre added a tree maze. Each of the trees reflected the design aesthetic and personality of a different creator from 10 unique communities. Decorators included the Toronto Raptors, the National Ballet of Canada, and Twitter Canada. The participants congregated on November 27 for the unveiling of their creations, as well as the opening of Toronto Eaton Centre’s holiday lineup.
Santa's log cabin, custom made by log home builder Timber Block, was also part of the Toronto Eaton Centre's holiday setup.
Visitors could sit around on bean bags in front of a yule log display at the Toronto Eaton Centre.
Online retailer Zappos partnered with ShopWithMe to introduce an interactive 20,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar retail experience in downtown Las Vegas this holiday season. The physical store opened November 21, runs through December 31, and, like the website, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
On December 5, the Friends of the Fulfillment Fund hosted the 42nd annual Holiday Party for Children With Disabilities on a sound stage at CBS Television City. More than 350 elementary school kids, caregivers, and teachers came to celebrate with stilt walkers, baton twirlers, the Harvard-Westlake School vocalists, hip-hop dancers, and live animals from the exotic animal program at Moorpark College. The event’s decor was designed by CBS set decorators.
New York's Hotel Hugo partnered with mobile bookstore Antifurniture to create a temporary brick-and-mortar holiday pop-up book shop open daily December 12 to 17.
