We’ve talked before about pop-up stores, ephemeral shops that open in a strategic location for a short period and have been booming since the pandemic. Following the same philosophy, there are also pop-up experiences: what emerges is not a store, but the possibility of doing something like dining or going to the movies in a special and exclusive way.
There are many examples outside of Spain. For years, Secret Cinema has organized immersive film screenings in various locations across the UK. One example: watching *Grease* in a parking lot turned into a drive-in theater, fully set in the 1950s, with dancers recreating scenes from the movie and, of course, food stalls serving milkshakes and burgers.
Another original project is Le Dîner en Blanc: participants must arrive at the designated location dressed in white, bringing their own chair, table, picnic basket, and prepared food. From there, the entire group heads to a secret location they won’t discover until they arrive, where they’ll set up, dine, and celebrate while passersby wonder where all these people dressed in white came from.
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In Spain, meanwhile, multiple pop-up experiences have also emerged to suit all tastes.
Clandestinemood
Are you a sports lover? Clandestinemood organizes exclusive sports parties for women at a location that participants won’t know until the day of the event. Originating in the United States and inspired by Prohibition, when parties were clandestine and shrouded in secrecy, Clandestinemood takes the idea and focuses it on physical activity. Their offerings revolve around wellness and live music, allowing attendees to meet other women with similar interests. And it’s not just parties: with Walking Girls, they organized city walks for women dressed in a similar style.
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Cenas Secretas
“A date. A place. A chef. A magical night”, sums up the website of Cenas Secretas about their proposal. The location, always in Galicia, is a surprise that diners won’t know until the day of the dinner (they do know the province). The chef, often Michelin-starred, is also a surprise until the day of the event.
Sofar Sounds
Anyone attending a Sofar Sounds experience will know only two things when they reserve: the date and that they will see live music. They’ll find out the location 36 hours before. Who will be performing won’t be known until the group or artist steps onto the stage. These secret concerts are held worldwide, including in Spain, and usually share a special location: instead of a concert hall, it could be in a store, a house, or an art gallery…
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In short, pop-up experiences play with the expectations of places where you expect to see or do something, and, like pop-up stores, they emerge temporarily in an unexpected location. The 1950s drive-in where you saw people dancing yesterday? Today, it’s just a parking lot. The exclusive restaurant that appeared by the river for one night? It’s gone too. A great idea to use spaces in an innovative way and reconsider how unique experiences as simple as exercising can be.
