BizBash 25th Anniversary: A Look Back at Some of Our Favorite Super Bowl Activations

Super Bowl LI in Houston went down in history books, as the New England Patriots pulled off an unprecedented rally to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 at NRG Stadium. The halftime show also went big, as Lady Gaga showed off vocal acrobatics (and actual acrobatics). Leading up to the big game, brands hosted events across downtown Houston at venues as varied as the University of Houston, downtown's Discovery Green park, a warehouse near the Arts District, and a pop-up nightclub. A standout gathering? The 13th annual ESPN the Party, which took place at a 65,000-square-foot warehouse downtown. Event Eleven handled the production and design for the event, creating a space designed to mirror a construction site that reflected the city's new development at the time. Read the full 2017 recap: Super Bowl LI: How DirecTV, Visa, and ESPN Entertained Guests During the Big Game

Back in 2018, the underdog Philadelphia Eagles upset the New England Patriots at Super Bowl LII, which took place at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The big game also featured the buzzed-about return of Justin Timberlake as the halftime show headliner; his performance included a medley of songs, including a tribute to musical icon and Minneapolis native Prince, who passed away in 2016. Big brands on site included Pepsi, DirecTV, Playboy, Rolling Stone, and Maxim. One of the most eye-catching activations was from Schwan's Company. The food delivery company, and maker of Red Baron pizza, erected a 45-foot-high, 70,000-pound tower of delivery trucks on Nicollet Mall during Super Bowl weekend. Fans could join an interactive trivia competition, with the sides of the trucks serving as LED screens for the game. Periscope worked with the brand on the activation. Read the full 2018 recap: Super Bowl LII: 26 of the Biggest Parties, Concerts, and Events Hosted by Brands

Although Super Bowl LIII is the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history (the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3), brands still scored big off the field that year. DirecTV, Bud Light, and Pepsi drew in locals and visitors to exciting events in Atlanta throughout the entire week. The most buzzed-about activation might've been Shaq's Fun House, which made its Super Bowl debut in 2019 at Live! at the Battery Atlanta. (Shaquille O’Neal's circus-theme party first debuted at Miami Music Week in 2018.) The event was—and still is—produced by Medium Rare.

The ticketed event that year also welcomed guests to the venue with a drum line and a tent entrance that depicted Shaq as a ringmaster.

Another buzzy activation from 2019 was House of BET. The cable channel took over Atlanta’s North Event Center with an immersive experience that offered a variety of programming and sneak peeks of upcoming shows. The experience, which was produced and designed by Team Epiphany, included an installation inspired by American Soul, a new series at the time that told the story of Don Cornelius’ dance show, Soul Train. The area featured a 1970s-theme dance floor and a giant disco ball. Read the full 2019 recap: Super Bowl LIII: 27 Ways Brands Took Over Downtown Atlanta

As some NFL fans prepare to cheer on the Kansas City Chiefs at the big game in 2025, they can look back at the team's dynasty-defining victory at Super Bowl LIV. Taking place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, the game saw the Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20. The victory ended the franchise’s 50-year championship drought. A culturally significant halftime show featuring Latina superstars Jennifer Lopez and Shakira met rave reviews. Elsewhere, Miami became an event planner's playground, with an onslaught of events taking place throughout the region. The Players Tailgate (pictured here) partnered with Bullseye Event Group to transform Hard Rock Stadium into an interactive, food-filled pregame entertainment outpost on Super Bowl Sunday. The buildout covered 2.5 acres just outside the stadium’s security perimeter. Proceeds went to the NFL Alumni Association and the Irie Foundation.

Miami flair was also on display at the Bacardi LIV 305 day party. The rum brand took over Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel with a tropics-touched event produced by Team Enterprises. The event featured three regional bar pop-ups. Biz Markie and DJ Irie anchored performances. Read the full 2020 recap: Super Bowl LIV: 17 of Miami's Most Inspiring Activations, Concerts, and Events

Things looked markedly different in 2021. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL allowed just 22,000 fans to attend the game, which saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs. That was only a third of Raymond James Stadium's normal 65,000-seat capacity. There were 7,500 vaccinated frontline healthcare workers in attendance, plus a crowd of cardboard cutouts. This meant brands like Visa, Verizon, Bud Light, and the NFL itself had to get creative with their messaging.

To demonstrate the power of 5G technology, Verizon teamed up with online video game Fortnite to create a virtual football stadium within the game that featured NFL players competing against professional gamers. The company also created a 5G SuperStadium within the NFL mobile app that allowed some users to watch the game from different camera angles.

In-person fan activations were still in the mix, though. The NFL's Super Bowl Experience Presented by Lowe's returned along the Tampa Riverwalk. At the interactive football theme park, fans had the opportunity to virtually meet current NFL players and legends (instead of the usual in-person autograph signings), participate in games, and shop merch from the NFL Shop presented by Visa. The experience also included a 40-yard dash and vertical jump against NFL players on LED screens and a Super Bowl rings display. Read the full 2021 recap: 12 Super Bowl LV Brand Activations You Might Have Missed

2022's Super Bowl weekend proved that live events were back—and they went big. Super Bowl LVI took place in South LA's then-new SoFi Stadium, where the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals and a lineup of iconic rap artists grabbed headlines with the first all-hip-hop halftime show. Brands and celebrities seized the opportunity to activate and celebrate for the entire weekend, taking over a variety of local venues for memorable stunts, football-themed activations, star-studded concerts, and blowout bashes. Joe Lewis Company designed, built, and installed this helmet-throne photo op for client Dapper Labs. Intended to promote NFT brand NFL All Day, the photo op was situated on the red carpet for the NFL Honors, which took place at the YouTube Theater at SoFi Stadium.

Beverage brand Smirnoff hosted the Smirnoff House for ticket holders on game day. Located steps from the entrance to SoFi Stadium, the 40-by-50-foot activation, designed and produced by Rose Gold Collective, featured a shipping container transformed into a backyard bar, complete with a custom tic-tac-toe game. Read the full 2022 recap: Super Bowl LVI: 38 Event Highlights From the Biggest Parties and Brand Activations

In 2023, the Kansas City Chiefs took home the Super Bowl LVII trophy after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 at State Farm Stadium just outside Phoenix. The matchup marked the first championship game where both teams were helmed by Black quarterbacks—Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also made history as the first Black quarterback to win multiple Super Bowl titles. Off the field, celebrity chefs at Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Tailgate, produced by Medium Rare, left an impression. The free event featured a vendor list of 15-plus restaurants, unique pop-up concepts courtesy of Fieri himself, more than 10 bar areas, and plenty of tailgate games. CELSIUS had an on-theme activation outfitted in turf where brand representatives handed out the energy drink to attendees, including to band members who played at the event and dressed up as Fieri in his signature flame-clad button-down, visor, and sunglasses.

Rihanna's solo halftime show (and baby bump reveal) also wowed the crowd in 2023. The singer's lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty, even released a Game Day Collection complete with football-themed styles in honor of her halftime takeover. This three-day retail “Xperience” took place in LA’s Fairfax shopping district ahead of the big game and tapped California-based Cat/Alina Productions to outfit the space in spray-painted turf and brown, green, and white hues. Read the full 2023 recap: The 17 Events That Put ‘Super’ in Super Bowl LVII

Super Bowl LVIII proved why Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world: The event drew an estimated 330,000 visitors and drove an economic impact of $600 million to Southern Nevada. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in overtime at Allegiant Stadium, and Usher performed a high-energy, star-studded halftime show that received high praise. Of course, the city's buzzy Sphere also got in on the action. Last year, the NFL teamed up with Sphere Entertainment Co. to create custom Super Bowl LVIII content, created exclusively by Sphere Studios, on the Sphere’s fully programmable LED exterior. The content was displayed throughout the week and included Chiefs and 49ers helmets, a Patrick Mahomes MVP display, and more.

One of the most talked-about activations from 2024? Paramount's "Expedition Vegas." The block-long, immersive fan experience showcased Paramount’s fan-favorite shows, films, and franchises across 10 brands through bespoke content, interactive games, photo opportunities, exhibits, giveaways, and more. AGENC Experiential handled design and production for the massive build, which included a literal mountain atop The Mirage's existing lagoon. The massive branded mountain required 36,000 square feet of decking and 45,000 pounds of a mountain build. Read the full 2024 recap: Super Bowl LVIII: How Brands, Athletes, and Other A-Listers Celebrated in Vegas