CASE STUDY
Dunkin’ Donuts Photo Op Swing
MUSIC FESTIVAL ACTIVATION
- New York NY
- Branded Environments, Custom Fabrication, Experiential Marketing, Pop Ups
Executive Summary
Dunkin’ wanted a fun, interactive photo op to bring its brand to the summer music festival circuit. NPARALLEL + Atomic Props partnered with Live Nation to design and fabricate a branded swing that festivalgoers could climb on, pose with, and share with friends.
Painted in Dunkin’ pink and orange and crowned with three oversized foam-carved donuts, the swing traveled to nearly every major music festival that summer, including Governors Ball in New York City, giving the brand a repeatable, high-engagement moment at every stop.
Business Challenge
Dunkin’ came to the festival circuit with a clear goal: create a photo op that people actually wanted to use, not just walk past.
The activation had to read as unmistakably Dunkin’ from across a crowded festival field, where dozens of brands compete for the same attention.
It also had to travel. A piece built for one event can afford to be fragile. This one needed to survive a full summer of transport, setup, teardown, and constant hands-on use across multiple festivals without losing its finish or its appeal.
Goals & Objectives
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Create an interactive photo op that invites festivalgoers to engage with it together
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Make the activation unmistakably Dunkin' on a crowded festival field
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Engineer a build durable enough to tour the entire summer circuit
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Generate shareable, social-ready moments at every stop
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Deliver a place-based activation that performs anywhere it lands
Our Solution
Brand Forward Design
We built the swing around the Dunkin’ brand from the frame out. The 6-foot by 9-foot structure was painted in Dunkin’ pink, with the bench finished in Dunkin’ orange. The color alone made the piece recognizable across a festival lawn, before anyone read a single word.
Foam-Carved Donut Backrest
The backrest is where the activation earns its identity. We foam-carved three donuts, each two feet wide, then hard-coated them for durability. Instead of generic frosting, we wrapped each donut in graphics pulled from photographs of actual Dunkin’ donuts, so the detail held up to a close look and a close-up photo.
Built to Tour
A summer on the festival circuit is punishing. The hard-coat application gave the carved donuts the durability to ride from event to event and stand up to thousands of hands, while the painted frame and bench held their finish through repeated transport and setup.
Interactive by Design
The swing works because it asks to be used. It is not a backdrop people stand near. It is a piece people climb onto, swing in, and photograph together, which turns a brand impression into a shared experience and a shareable image.
Results
The Dunkin’ swing delivered exactly what a festival activation should: a branded moment people chose to step into. Across the summer circuit, the build performed as designed, staying on brand and intact from the first festival to the last.
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Toured nearly every major U.S. music festival that summer, including Governors Ball in New York City
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Delivered a repeatable, high-engagement photo op at each stop
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Held up across the full circuit, proving out a touring build engineered for the road
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Kept Dunkin' unmistakably recognizable on crowded festival grounds
Ready To Build a Brand Activation People Line Up For?
From music festivals to street-level pop-ups, we design and fabricate interactive activations that pull people in and travel anywhere your brand needs to be.
Whether you need foam-carved sculptural elements, a durable build engineered to tour, or a photo op people actually want to share, our team brings the craft and execution to make it real.