Report from New York by Our New Hire! What Are the Latest Trends in New York?! ~Events Edition~

Hello, I am Sunny-chan from PR.

One of our new hires joining the company this April is currently interning at a company in New York, leveraging their strong English skills before graduation. We received a New York report from them and would like to share its contents with you.

What trends are emerging in New York, a city that sets trends across various fields? In this edition, we focus on events!

Valrhona Hot Chocolate Festival
~Dominique Ansel Bakery Participates! A Hot Chocolate Festival in New York~

The “Valrhona Hot Chocolate Festival,” hosted by French chocolate brand Valrhona, was held from January 23 to January 31 at bakeries and dessert shops throughout New York City. This inaugural event featured over 10 popular establishments, including Doughnut Plant, Dominique Ansel Bakery, and MarieBelle. Each participating shop offered an original new hot chocolate creation, and for every hot chocolate purchased, 50 cents was donated to City Harvest, a New York City nonprofit organization that provides food assistance to children in poverty.

Cupid’s Undie Run ~A Charity Run in Underwear in the Middle of Winter!?~

“Cupid’s Undie Run,” where participants run one mile (approximately 1.6 kilometers) through the city in their underwear to raise funds, was held on February 13. The event began in New York in 2010 and aims to raise money for the Children’s Tumor Foundation, a charity supporting children with medical conditions. Funds are collected through race entry fees and online donations. Since its inception, the number of participating cities has grown each year. Two years ago, it was held in 30 cities and raised over $2.8 million. Last year, approximately 18,500 people participated across 38 cities—37 in the United States and one in Australia.
http://www.cupidsundierun.com/

DAYBREAKER ~The Boom Continues! Party People Gather at Morning Clubs!~“Daybreaker” is a morning activity event that began in New York in 2013. Aside from the fact that alcohol is not sold at the venue, it is no different from a nighttime club event. However, it ends around the start of the morning commute rush, and many participants head to their workplaces after the event concludes. Participants have shared positive feedback, such as “It’s great to have the whole day left after having fun” and “It’s a more enjoyable morning activity than running alone in silence.”

This event is currently held in over 30 countries and has become a global phenomenon. Morning-specific content is also appealing, including live orchestra performances and offerings of the trendy cold-brew coffee. Though held irregularly, Daybreaker events take place almost weekly in New York at various clubs, hotels, and studios, becoming an increasingly routine event.
https://daybreakernyc.splashthat.com/

Museum of Feelings
~Five-Hour Wait Lines! A Pop-Up Museum Themed Around Emotions~

A pop-up museum hosted by “Glade,” a long-established air freshener brand owned by SC Johnson Company in the United States. It was held for a limited time during the holiday season from November 24 to December 15, 2015, and drew crowds with wait times of 2 to 5 hours daily throughout the period.
The facility featured numerous exhibits related to “emotions,” and even the entrance sign changed color based on the emotions people in New York expressed on social media. The exterior changed color based on New York City’s weather, stock prices, and the moods New Yorkers tweeted about. Inside, there were five rooms organized by scent, including the “Feel Invigorated” zone, where visitors could enjoy movement and speed visually while wearing 3D glasses, and the “Feel Calm” zone, where visitors experienced walking on clouds accompanied by lavender and vanilla scents. The tour allowed visitors to experience various moods.
The most popular feature was a system that displayed one’s current emotion in color. When visitors touched a dedicated display, it inferred their emotions from body temperature and facial expressions, categorizing them into 20 emotions such as “anxious,” “excited,” and “relaxed,” each represented by a different color.
https://www.themuseumoffeelings.com/

Upcoming and Ongoing Events!

THE ORIGINAL LGBT EXPO ~Over 300 Companies Gather for the Largest LGBT Festival~

“THE ORIGINAL LGBT EXPO,” hosted by Life Out Loud Events, will be held over two days on March 12 and 13 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. This is the world’s longest-running and largest LGBT festival! Over 300 companies from business, education, politics, science, and more gather, and new business opportunities are born here every year! The event features various seminars, live performances, screenings of LGBT-themed films, and other compelling content!
http://thelgbtexpo.com/

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show ~The Very Hungry Caterpillar Becomes a Puppet Show!~

A puppet show based on the beloved picture book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” is being held from January 30 to March 27 at the 47th Street Theatre in Manhattan. The story is composed of four of author Eric Carle’s picture books: “The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse,” “Mister Seahorse,” “The Very Lonely Firefly,” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” It has already been performed in four Australian states, with 88 performances during that run. In Japan, it was held from spring to fall 2015 at the Digital Picture Book Museum, where it was well received not as a show but as an interactive facility featuring digital coloring and cut-and-paste workshops.
http://www.hungrycaterpillarshow.com/

What do you think? At SUNNY SIDE UP, we share the latest trends at our morning study session “Poached Egg,” where we introduce international case studies. However, nothing beats the “live experience” of experiencing things firsthand or hearing directly from those who have experienced them—something that can only be felt on-site. This report has been extremely valuable for us at SUNNY SIDE UP, providing insights into local conditions and trends! The New York reports will continue, so please look forward to the next installment!