JUST BEFORE MONDAY
An itinerant party planning company, which took 150 years to take its current shape, ‘elrow’ comes to Mumbai. Yoshita Rao finds out what it takes to plan an eight-hour-long jamboree
Saturday nights in Maximum City are rarely uneventful, but March 16 saw the debut of a globetrotting party at MMRDA grounds in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai. The party, which started at 2 in the afternoon, had animal characters dressed up on stilts mingling, taking selfies with the crowd and a dimly-lit stage with DJs and performers dressed as 'jungle folk', to celebrate the theme: Brazilian carnival. Though previous editions of this eight-hour long party called ‘elrow’ – an entertainment company founded by sixth-generation Cruz and Juan Arnau a hedonistic duo from Barcelona – featured enormous fly agaric mushrooms, with their red caps and white polka-dot exteriors hanging from the ceiling, along with mammoth-sized, artificial vegetation and colourful buntings, among a plethora of streamers. A cross between a dream and a music festival, these parties have unconventional themes like flamboyant pool parties with inflatables as giveaways; comic books come to life with characters on stilts; and psychedelic parties with zany and trippy symbols.
Elrow’s website says their story began in the 1870s and took 150 years to arrive at the finished product. “The [Arnau] family had run casinos, restaurants, nightclubs and cabarets for many decades [in Barcelona],” lists Vicenc Marti, President of elrow, in an emailed interview. Cut to May 2008, when the ‘junior’ Arnau siblings (named after their ancestors), bought a club in downtown Barcelona, called Row, and christened it Row14. “This was because it was situated 14kms from Barcelona centre,” says Cruz Arnau, owner of elrow. Row14 gave way to the name ‘elrow’, which, the owners add, was “easier to remember”. “We are a family that has followed the history of electronic music and have lived and enjoyed it from generation to generation,” says the 34-year-old, who thought the party scene needed changing. “The night started to become boring, dark and linear and people wanted to be a part of something new.” What started out as a “small party in Barcelona” with dressed up crew and ceremonious showers of confetti, became a “polyhedral and poetic experience”. The vivid imagery and performances, she adds is now “a remix of several worlds.” After their hometown of Barcelona, elrow moved to Bristol, Shanghai to Cape Town, New York and now Mumbai.
(A traditional Brazilian drum performance)
The Brazilian Carnival-inspired Mumbai party, like most elrow parties, was the fruit of six months of ideating and planning, says Marketing Director, Matthew Hoag. “An elrow show has several elements – production to animation, marketing, music, and therefore we have to ensure that all the elements are synchronised,” he adds. “Hippy drinks” and finger food flowing out of food trucks are what awaits guests.
Held inside an air conditioned hangar, the Mumbai party saw performances by an international artist line-up, including DJs Marc Maya, Toni Varga and George Privatti, interspersed with the desi few like DJs Blurry Slur, Anish Sood and Ana Lilia. “We wanted to ensure that elrow’s India party is equally exciting with an experience that forges its own identity,” says Kunal Khambhati, Head, Live Events & IP, BookMyShow, who helped develop the concept-theme of elrow in India.
When asked about planning of these large-scale jamborees, Marti adds, “We work in a manner similar to the fashion industry.” With 14 themed parties, and an average of four sets per theme, Marti says they work on getting the sets to the event a couple of weeks ahead of time. There are also multiple concurrent events happening in different parts of the planet. “Last week, we held parties in New York, Madrid, Rotterdam, Barcelona and Lisbon simultaneously,” he says. To add to the multitude of events, where themes are not allowed to be replicated, co-owner and CEO, Juan, says, “Our creative team is inspired by various things and there is an entire creative process before we come out with a new theme.”
With nearly 150 events in 30 countries, Hoag estimates the employee headcount in the Barcelona headquarters to be 120, and more employees in their two regional offices at New York and Shanghai. But Marti begs to differ. “If you count the number of people involved in our shows in a 12-month period, including actors, still walkers, animation, logistics, actors, performers, musicians, that number goes beyond 5,000 [employees].”
But how much does it cost to host such events? Surely it must be an expensive affair. “While we do not disclose individual budgets for parties, it goes well beyond six figures in USD for a single event,” Marti says. With charges of Rs 3,000 per head at the Mumbai event, the company estimated a few hundred thousands to be present. “In 2018, elrow attracted more than 600,000 people in [all of] its standalone events,” he says, adding, “we expect a 30 per cent growth internationally for 2019.”
The age bar for entry is over 15. However, the admission ticket is sans the cocktails or any alcoholic beverages (permitted for those of the legal drinking age) and food at the event. CCTVs, high-end door frame metal detectors, hand-held metal detectors and trained security teams will also be at service.
Mukesh Ambani's best plan for Jio users, 200GB data, 90 days of unlimited calls at just Rs...
'Thanks for...': Abhishek Bachchan's viral statement amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai
Jammu and Kashmir: 2 terrorists killed in encounter with security forces in Anantnag
21-Day Mars, Moon simulation in Ladakh
Prashant Kishor's fee for advising in one election will leave you shocked, it is Rs...
Dua Padukone Singh: Here's how Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh named their baby girl
Another BIG move by Mukesh Ambani, set to provide some help for debt-ridden Ghana as Reliance Jio...
J-K: Gun battle breaks out between security forces and terrorists in Srinagar's Khanyar
Noel Tata takes BIG decision at TCS after Ratan Tata's death, plans to hire...
'Will chop them up...': Mithun Chakraborty hits out at TMC’s Humayun Kabir at Kolkata rally
Delhi Air Pollution: Delhi-NCR AQI turns ‘very poor’ as city wakes up to toxic smog post-Diwali
Gautam Adani's next BIG step: Adani Power stops Bangladesh’s power supply due to...
Indian troops start patrolling Demchok sector in eastern Ladakh following India-China disengagement
Amy Jackson announces first pregnancy with husband Ed Westwick, flaunts baby bump in adorable pics
In THIS Indian village, families live with cobras, the reason is...
Hardik Pandya flaunts his special 'World Champion' ring after being retained by MI, video goes viral
Happy Govardhan Puja 2024: Top 50 WhatsApp wishes, messages, quotes for loved ones
Despite massive Diwali opening, is Singham Again paying the price for banking on huge star cast?
Shah Rukh Khan's heartfelt gesture towards jewellery store staff wins internet, watch
DNA TV Show: Public calls out celebrities’ hypocrisy on Diwali pollution
Fashion designer Rohit Bal dies at 63: Last year, he was on ventilator for heart ailments
BCCI scraps India's intra squad warm-up game ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy, reason revealed
Legendary fashion designer Rohit Bal dies at 63 after prolonged illness
Another terrorist attack in J-K, militants shoot two non-locals in Budgam
Meet Anish Sarkar, world's youngest FIDE-rated chess player at 3 years
Bigg Boss 18: These two wild cards to enter Salman Khan's show, get into heated argument on stage
Fact check: Did Abhishek Bahchan tie knot with Nimrat Kaur amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai?
Govardhan Puja 2024: History, significance, Puja timings; why it is celebrated after Diwali?
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Birthday: Kajol pens heartfelt wishes for actress, calls her…
Dhirubhai Ambani played matchmaker for Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani, he did...
Amid Diwali festivities, UPI sets new record in October with transactions over…
PM Modi's BIG attack on Congress: 'Making unreal promises is easy but...'
Singham Again box office collection day 1: Ajay Devgn film beats Kartik Aaryan-starrer, earns Rs...
'Always fun to...': Google CEO Sundar Pichai shares why Diwali is his 'favourite time of the year'
Why Rishabh Pant and Delhi Capitals parted ways ahead of IPL 2025 auction? Report makes huge claim
'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3', 'Singham Again' banned in Saudi Arabia; know why
Delhi Government announces public holiday for THIS festival, find details here
Despite festive season, Rs 7.90 lakh cars lying unsold, it is worth...; here's the reason
'CSK Ne Chaal Chal Di': Ex-India star takes humourous dig at franchise’s decision on MS Dhoni
IPL 2025: 23-year-old Agra cricketer gets staggering salary increase of 6900 per cent, to earn.....
Nita Ambani turns 60: Know Mukesh Ambani's wife's lavish lifestyle, income, houses and more
NASA shares Diwali wishes with a cosmic twist, reveals Hubble image of...
What is an onion bomb? One killed, six injured in firecracker explosion in Andhra Pradesh
Meet IIT-JEE topper with AIR 1, who scored 341 marks in JEE Advanced, went on to pursue...
25 Billion Kilometers and Broken Voice: The Voyager 1 Saga
Mukesh Ambani's superhit plan for Jio users, 2GB data per day, unlimited calls at just Rs...
Bigg Boss 18: Shehzada Dhami out from Salman Khan's show? Here's what we know
Virat Kohli's epic dance move to 'My Name is Lakhan' during IND vs NZ match goes viral, WATCH