With the recent mass shooting at Pulse, an L.G.B.T. nightclub in Orlando, a variety of brands found it more important than ever to show their support at Pride events across the country. New York's Pride celebration, NYC Pride, took place June 19-26, with sponsors showcasing flashy parade floats, activations, cocktail ideas, colorful decor, and more at events including the Pride march, Dance on the Pier, and a family movie night.
Here's a look at some of the notable ideas from this year's festivities.
As the presenting sponsor of the parade, T-Mobile partnered with Bond Parade Floats to create a magenta-colored float that showcased its Pride tagline "Mobilize For Equality," a rainbow DJ booth, and a giant replica of the company's signature "T" logo in rainbow colors. Employees donned custom shirts inspired by the float, and handed out beads, beach balls, Pom Bams, and magenta backpacks.
At the Pride parade in Manhattan on June 26, Netflix's prison drama Orange Is the New Black activated a fan-fueled, interactive float with a video wall that featured a changing stream of fans who broadcast to (and also watched) the parade through a mobile device or desktop by uploading videos to a custom website. The Netflix series also encouraged fans to take photos and use its own Pride hashtag #OrangeWillSetYouFree on social media platforms. The float, which was produced for Netflix by Allied Experiential, had a festive orange look and carried members of the cast and staffers dressed in prison-theme garb.
L.G.B.T.-focused cable network Logo, home to the popular RuPaul's Drag Race, showcased a drag queen-inspired float at the parade. The float carried a giant RuPaul inflatable designed by Inflatable Design Group and with cast members from the network's upcoming all-stars season, who danced on a giant make-up compact. The back of the float, which was designed by Logo's internal creative team, featured a list of all the cast members' names printed on giant lipstick tubes of various shades. Additionally, Logo staffers marched alongside the float and handed out "drag queen eyes" sunglasses and carried branded crown frames to use for photo ops with spectators.
Design Foundry created and installed the decor for NYC Pride events at Pier 26, which included the Teaze party on June 25 and post-parade event Dance on the Pier on June 26. The decor, which was designed by Adam Koch and Steven Royal, included neon spandex truss covers and a canopy of neon flags.
Sponsors of various Pride events this year, Campbell's Soup Company brands Goldfish and V8 celebrated inclusion with a colorful display of free samples of its family-friendly snacks at Family Movie Night. The event took place June 21 at Pier 63 at Hudson River Park.
Designed by employees and manufactured by Mobile Stage Network, Unilever's float featured a rainbow "U" formed with various designs, as well as logos of the brand's many products.
Ride-sharing service Lyft featured a branded rainbow car and volunteers who carried giant balloons that featured a variety of designs, including colorful illustrated maps.
The float for cosmetics brand Kiehl's was a colorful ode to New York, complete with the brand's logo, illustrations of products, and an "Equality For All" slogan. The float was designed by Mirko Mladic and constructed by Bond Parade Floats.
As a sponsor of the parade, Chipotle brought back its quirky Pride tagline "ÂżHomo Estas?" along with spectator swag that included coupons and T-shirts. Foregoing a float this year, volunteers who marched for the restaurant chain carried a giant burrito blimp that took three helium tanks to blow up.
BuzzFeed hosted its aptly titled "Glitter Bomb" Pride party on June 25 at the Highline Ballroom. The event offered attendees three different types of Svedka cocktails with cheeky, pop culture-inspired titles including the RuPunch and Jay Z's Tears.
