The Brief: Sandcastle Restaurants and Meme Galas -

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK

This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover sandcastle restaurants, pop-up orchards and the Betch of the Year Meme Gala.

BETCHES’ MEME GALA RECALLS THE MOST LUDICROUS MOMENTS OF 2025

It’s easy to forget just how preposterous the modern world is until those “top viral moments of the year” roundups hit the news cycle. Lest we forget that in 2025, Katie Perry was an astronaut for 10 minutes, the Louvre got robbed in broad daylight, an interoffice affair was exposed on a Jumbotron, and that Dictionary.com’s actual word of the year wasn’t a word at all, but the nonsensical Gen Alpha battle cry, “67.”

Fortunately, Betches Media ensured that a year’s worth of absurdity was not only remembered but celebrated in grand, irreverent style at the “Betch of the Year Meme Gala: Night at the Louvre” event on Dec. 12 at The Back Room in NYC. Billed as a “speakeasy-meets-museum-gallery,” the affair, presented by Dunkin’, distilled 365 days of internet and meme culture into one cheeky experience.

Explorable exhibits ranged from Nicole Kidman’s post-divorce bangs, to the Coldplay Kiss Cam “HR files,” to Skims’ Pierced Nipple Bra. Beyond the meme installations, attendees could sip on Dunkin’s espresso martinis, enjoy late-night Munchkins served on cocktail picks, and interact with an Etsy witch, who cast custom spells and offered “potions” themed to consumers’ 2026 aspirations (like finding a love as strong as Taylor and Travis’ or unlocking the prosperity of a beauty brand ceo).

And with the event falling squarely within the holiday season, Betches made sure attendees walked away with gifts in the form of Dunkin’ swag bags stocked with viral products, like Labubus and Touchland Hand Mist, and Dunkin’ merch. Feels like an Anthropologie rock would’ve been a nice addition, too.

Photo credit: Luis Antonio Ruiz/Larufoto

AS L.A. PREPS FOR TENTPOLE SPORTING EVENTS, BRANDS PLOT NEW MUSIC AND FAN FESTS

For the next three years, Los Angeles is poised to be the epicenter of major sporting and entertainment events as it plays host to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 2027 Super Bowl and 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. And brands and properties are plotting their moves accordingly in a very big way.

Consider this: The Santa Monica City Council has been in talks with Goldenvoice (producer of Coachella and Stagecoach), ESPN, Anheuser-Busch and two Olympics committees about activating their own adjacent events across the city’s famous beach and pier.

Here’s the breakdown: Michelob Ultra aims to produce a World Cup fan festival next June, Goldenvoice is proposing a 550,000-square-foot beachside music festival slated for the fall, ESPN proposed a fan experience for sports buffs on the pier for 2027, and both a “Club France” hospitality house and “Nations Village” international broadcast center for the Summer Olympics have been pitched.

The City Council is slated to make initial decisions on the event proposals during a public meeting on Dec. 16. Industry eyes will surely be watching.

Photo credit: iStock/AlexKane

DINING AND DESIGN TAKE FLIGHT AT CANADA GOOSE’S SENSORIAL EVENT

From fan fests on the shores of L.A., we take you to an intimate and intricate dinner in Milan, Italy, where earlier this month Canada Goose marked the opening of its new flagship store. Part design installation and part culinary journey, the sleek, sensory-forward launch experience was crafted to embody the brand’s principles of precision and material storytelling by leaning into the themes of ice, reflection and submersion.

Design elements, including rippling light projections and a “glacial ceiling” constructed from water-treated metal, positioned diners beneath the surface of icy waters. And the meal matched the mood. Cocktails were served up in sculpted ice vessels, like giant blocks and perfect spheres with textured surfaces that fragmented the light, while each meticulously architected course of the meal represented water, air, earth or fire. And you can bet that attendees got goosebumps along the way. (Agency: Fourth Wall)

THIS POP-UP RESTAURANT WAS MADE WITH 100 TONS OF REAL SAND

Speaking of unique culinary adventures, DoorDash made childhood dreams come true in Miami over the weekend with The Sand CastleDonna, a real-life sandcastle that functioned as a limited-time restaurant. From Dec. 11-14, in partnership with Casadonna, consumers could sign up to dine in the one-of-a-kind venue for free by using the new in-app DoorDash Reservations feature. Those who scored seats experienced either a three-course lunch or four-course dinner featuring Casadonna’s signature Italian dishes.

Naturally, erecting a life-size sandcastle was a true feat of engineering. The Sand CastleDonna was built using 100 tons of real sand, included full turrets and a custom-built dining interior, surrounded attendees in 120-plus real plants and trees, and featured a reusable structural frame. And it took more than 40 specialists, from scenic artists to blacksmiths, to make it happen. We’d love to see what that creative brief looked like. (Agency: MikeTeevee)

Photos: Courtesy of DoorDash

FARMLINK’S POP-UP APPLE ORCHARD—AND MISSION—BLOSSOM IN NEW YORK

’Tis the season for giving and on Nov. 25, The Farmlink Project, which reroutes surplus produce from farms to families in need around the U.S., delivered for consumers in NYC. For one day, in partnership with discount luxury retailer 260 Sample Sale, the organization transformed its Fifth Avenue flagship into a pop-up apple orchard, and dished out 20,000 pounds of free locally grown New York apples—enough to feed about 4,000 families.

Consumers who stopped in were met with hay bales, cider and thousands of fresh apples, along with limited-edition Carhartt x Farmlink merch, like hats and tees, that supported Farmlink’s mission. The experience was meant to turn the traditional sample sale prototype on its head by demonstrating the country’s overstock of produce, rather than apparel, and spotlighting how community action can help reduce food insecurity.