Culture, Content and Curation: How BUDX Miami Celebrated Global Tastemakers
Poolside gigs featuring Black Eyed Peas and Halsey to hip-hop parties at a waterfront mansion — all during the exciting Super Bowl weekend

Halsey performs at Night Two of BUDX Miami by Budweiser on February 02, 2020 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for BudX)
It was in December 2017 that Budweiser launched a new kind of festival, an ambitious electronic lab/subculture property called BUDX. Among all the party destinations around the world that could have been eligible hosts for this global debut, the beer giant chose New Delhi. It was a cool thing to do, also perhaps the right thing too – after all, the past year had seen Budweiser betting big on India’s cultural landscapes, launching many small and big online and offline initiatives.
For the three-day-long BUDX, a warehouse-turned-venue in the Capital, Dhanmill Compound, was converted into an underground dance music mecca. If you happened to attend this maiden edition, you’d remember just how unique it was curatorially – from extensive Boiler Room sessions to masterclasses and panel discussions. If that wasn’t all, BUDX also took over a five-star hotel nearby which hosted artists and influencers as well as its own set of parties. Rechristened BUD hotel for the course of the event, Gurgaon’s Le Meridien miraculously assumed the role of a giant club – out went the boring lobby music; now trap and techno greeted you as you entered the premises. Wintry brunches turned into breakbeat shindigs. It was quite a thing. Since then, we have seen a BUDX each in Mumbai and Hyderabad, along with editions in Amsterdam, Ho Chi Minh City, Johannesburg and Bogota.
The recently held BUDX Miami was probably the most intense edition Budweiser has hosted globally — also a fine example of content-driven integrated marketing. Firstly, it marked the grand American debut of BUDX. Second, it was the first time Budweiser brought together over 200 tastemakers from around the globe under one roof – these included experts and influencers from the world of music, fashion, street culture, sports, art and design. The three-day event held during the Super Bowl weekend in South Beach’s Nautilus by Arlo — the BUD hotel – was a smorgasbord of curated gigs, installations and parties. Steve Arkley, Global VP, Marketing at Budweiser said this was an opportune time and perfect space for BUDX to showcase its global investment in culture. “We have been looking at BUDX as a platform — we’ve developed it in the world of music and we wanted to diversify it to lifestyle. We couldn’t think of a better location than the Super Bowl weekend in Miami to bring that kind of energy and excitement.”
It’s all about curation
As is true of most BUDX editions, you got a sense of frenetic energy as soon as you entered the hotel. A vintage Chevy parked in the lobby made for a striking centerpiece while the revamped red-and-black décor, free-flowing pints of beer and house music in the background all contributed to the vibe.

The vintage Chevy parked inside the BUD hotel. Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Budweiser
The first day was all about familiarizing yourself with the many activations around the property – the Screen Print Shop in the lobby hosted by Portuguese artist Andre Amaro drew curious attendees who translated their design dreams into cool merch, while the extensive wall mural that rang along the main passage turned into a hot spot for selfies. As more and more people checked in, the hotel soon became a colorful cosmopolitan universe – the invitees came from over 24 countries with influencers from South America and Russia leading the brigade. “The opportunity for participants here is huge. The social reach of this group is half a billion people. So we have [influencers who have] 300k to 50-60M of social reach,” said Arkley.
Day One’s itinerary included a Mansion Party at one of South Beach’s sprawling waterfront properties, where New York hip-hop legends De La Soul played a thrashing gig. It got pretty dense and the show kickstarted the weekend just appropriately. The trio’s performance was followed by an immersive set in the lawn by LA-based producer/DJ Channel Tres, whose brand of shape-shifting ambient, left-field pop and house kept the floating crowd hooked all throughout.

Channel Tres performs at Night One of BUDX Miami. Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Budweiser
If you happened to be staying in one of the few rooms with a sea and pool view, you literally witnessed the entire fabrication of the poolside stage for Day Two’s shindig. It was incredible to witness the transformation of a quiet lawn lined with sunbeds into a music festival as the crew pieced together everything from the truss to the LEDs to the sound system in record time. Post brunch, we discovered the pop-up wonder that was The Gillette Barber Shop, where three celebrity barbers offered complimentary grooming services to the attendees. Although Vince Garcia, Rich Mendoza and Mark Marrero kept very tight schedules with long waitlists throughout the festival, we managed to secure an appointment with Garcia for a funky makeover. With a newly acquired fade haircut, even the untimely showers that evening couldn’t dampen our will to party.

Black Eyed Peas paid tribute to Kobe Bryant during their set at BUDX Miami

BUDX Miami guests pose while on their way to the Super Bowl LIV 2020

“The Super Bowl is the greatest sporting event in the American calendar and it is increasingly getting relevant around the world,” said Arkley.
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