The Pitchfork Music Festival had its 11th run at Chicago's Union Park from July 15 to 17. Featuring 43 acts—including Brian Wilson, Carly Rae Jepsen, and FKA Twigs—the festival had more family-friendly elements this year. At the new Old Town School of Music Kid's Stage, little ones could experiment with drums and other musical instruments and also pick up some festival swag.
Brands also used tactics that appealed to all ages. Bai and Clif Bar both brought a summer-camp vibe to their activations, offering everything from a coloring station to a braid bar and bean-bag games between the two of them. Perrier's whimsical tent had the bright colors of a storybook, and was filled with floating bubbles. And though most brands had photo ops and hashtags that encouraged guests to share pictures from their experiences on social media, companies remained mostly low tech—even referencing the old days of vinyl records, Atari-style video games, and vintage turntables. Here's a look inside the festival's throwback-style highlights.
The Pitchfork Review placed a colorful bus—which is on the cover of its latest issue—on festival grounds. Guests were encouraged to "Gram the Bus" (i.e. snap Instagram photos of it) for a chance to win V.I.P. passes to next year's fest or a subscription to the music magazine.
Inside the splashy bus, guests could lounge in an area filled with folding chairs, pillows, and soft grass-green carpeting.
The Chicago-based beer company also staged its activation in a bus—this one was a retired 1963 city bus. Outside, guests could kick back on couches under a tarp that provided shade from the July sun.
Festival-goers could play a Goose Island-branded video game, replete with its own joystick, both inside and outside the vintage bus. Since 2013, the beer company has been collaborating with a festival band to produce a new beer. This year, it worked with Twin Peaks to produce the Natural Villain lager, which debuted at the fest.
Luden's, the cough-drop brand, hosted a so-called Selfie Booth. Guests could pose for keepsake photos with colorful, summery props—including an inflatable ice cream cone. Staffers also doled out samples of Luden's in flavors like watermelon and strawberry banana.
Perrier's bright activation was housed inside a clear tent. Outside, a bubble machine sent hundreds of bubbles floating through the air, drawing curious festival-goers over to check out the source.
Inside the tent, the "Perrier bubble ball" dispensed prizes including fish-eye camera-lens clips, flash tattoos, earplugs, and earbud headphones.
At a bar, staffers in green-and-white striped outfits offered samples of the sparkling water.
A photo op allowed guests to step into a booth that looked like a hot-air balloon, and pose in front a whimsical backdrop.
Vans, which will open a House of Vans retail store in Chicago in the fall, hosted workshops that let guests build their own turntables.
Bai, which makes antioxidant-infused water, had a braid bar. The brand's footprint also had a photo op, a lounge area, and plenty of beverage samples.
Clif Bar was another company to provide a relaxed lounge area, filled with summery folding chairs and bean-bag games.
In Clif Bar's "Re-Sound Lounge," guests could watch audio engineers from Mobile Vinyl Recorders make vinyl records. Based in Seattle, the company uses vintage disc-cutting lathes to create records in real time. The company travels to social events, festivals, and marketing events, and has other clients including Toyota, Converse, and Red Bull.
Clif Bar also had an area filled with postcards for guests to color in. The postcards featured drawings made by Chicago artist Shawn Smith.
Guests could get temporary tattoos at Dark Horse Wine. The company also scored lots of inexpensive marketing by offering branded ponchos when it began to rain briefly on Friday. Dozens of guests were suddenly seen wearing the company's logo, and others headed to its booth quickly to get a coverup for the rain.
