Heineken was the master sponsor of the The Town festival. The year 2023 marked the 150th anniversary of HNK, and they wanted to commemorate this milestone with consumers at Brazil's largest music festival, The Town, as the master sponsor brand.

But how could they deliver music in a way that was unique, unprecedented and original within a music festival? Despite being a territory of great influence by the brand, it still wanted to captivate the audience with an unforgettable merging of music and immersion. We needed to craft an experience where people could feel what music is, feel what it is to be music, which is so significant in people's lives.

Fully living the music was the brand's core idea. We then created a captivating sonic experience, the HNK Studio. Amidst the festival's chaos, we isolated attendees for an immersive experience to feel the music before it becomes a song, intensely living it in a studio shielded from outside noise, where only the internal sound could be heard, setting the stage for them to experience the on-stage performances in a unique way afterward. The activation featured holographic audio to take the consumer on a journey through the music lifecycle. The dim lighting welcomed everyone to settle in and, in the background, a variety of sounds told the story of a song from when it is conceived as an inspiration until it takes its first notes, through the recording process, and on to the world's biggest stages. And to wrap things up, a final sound bite: How about a Heineken?

In 2023, Heineken celebrated 150 years of good times and wanted to connect with the Brazilian spirit of great moments, forging a vast international network. Music is a domain where the brand already has a great presence and audience; the idea now was to mix music and immersion in an unforgettable and iconic way. A true brand experience that only Heineken could offer inside such a major festival. Our approach was to use music as the main asset in this experience, leveraging the fact that people were there for the music in the first place, and the impact it has on their lives. We offered the audience a new way to feel, experience, and understand this art form that is so deeply ingrained in human culture.

Assembly of the HNK STUDIO took 12 days.

A metallic structure was used to level the wooden floor, and the full superstructure was assembled in steel.

The finishing of the space was crafted in woodwork with painting on the exterior. Due to the rain (there were rainy days during the assembly period), tarp was applied both on the exterior and interior.

On the façade, Neon Flex logos, stickers, and appliques mimicking the edges of the case were installed.

Inside the studio, where the experience took place, acoustic foam was used to soundproof the space from the rest of the festival, in combination with CPro Audio sound equipment.

*PLEASE USE HEADPHONES TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO

The Town is one of Brazil’s largest music festivals, held in São Paulo. Hosted at the Interlagos Race Track - which boasts more than 4.000 meters -, the festival spanned five days across six stages. In 2023, Heineken, the event's master sponsor, celebrated its 150th anniversary legacy by inviting consumers to experience memorable moments at the brand's exclusive attractions at the festival, while upholding its sustainability goals, and having music as the catalyst of the initiative. Studio HNK held about 48 sessions daily, plunging consumers into a full-on musical journey, complete with captivating sound experiences, while toasting to Heineken – the brand that resonates most profoundly with the music territory. Over 30.000 minutes of immersion and more than 500.000 people reached.