When the sun sets on Downtown OWA, the walls wake up.
For the resort's annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, we transformed three surfaces across the pedestrian streetscape into living canvases — turning static murals and architecture into a layered, seasonal projection experience that ran every night from November through February.
Downtown OWA is the Gulf Coast's premier open-air entertainment district — a pedestrian-only streetscape of restaurants, shops, and live venues anchored by a 36-foot Christmas tree and nightly fireworks. OWA Parks & Resort wanted something new for the 2025 holiday season: an experience that would extend the spectacle beyond the tree lighting and give guests a reason to linger, look up, and walk the full length of Downtown after dark.
We gave the walls a voice.
Ten days. That was the window from green light to opening night.
OWA's Tree Lighting Ceremony — with its fireworks, live performances, and thousands of guests — was a fixed date on the calendar. There was no pushing it. The projection experience needed to be designed, produced, installed, and running by November 22, 2025.
What made it possible was OWA's willingness to collaborate. The resort's team worked hand-in-hand with us throughout the sprint — clearing access, coordinating around park operations, and making fast decisions that kept the project moving without compromise. A ten-day turnaround doesn't happen without a client who trusts the process and clears the path.
Three projection surfaces. Three different moments. One continuous journey through the seasons.
The Heart of Downtown — A custom-painted mural near the center of the park became the anchor of the experience. Animals already embedded in the mural's artwork were animated into living elements of an ever-shifting seasonal environment — spring blooms giving way to summer warmth, autumn color, and winter stillness — each cycle breathing new movement into a surface guests had walked past hundreds of times before.
Sweet Tooth Candy Store — The pre-existing mural on the side of OWA's candy shop received the same seasonal treatment, its painted characters stepping out of the wall and into a world that changed with the music and the light.
The Clock Tower — At the exit of Downtown, the clock tower closed the loop with a warm send-off: Christmas-themed visuals and a simple, glowing message — Thanks for coming to OWA.
Each show looped every two to three minutes, running continuously from dusk onward — an ambient, always-on layer of wonder woven into the nightly atmosphere of Downtown.
Since its completion in February 2025, the ImmersiveRoom at Entourage Events Group has become a defining feature of the venue. Our content gives the space its visual identity—a library of environments that transforms the ballroom for every client who books it. Paired with the robust technology stack Andrew built through Luxedo, the room delivers a seamless immersive experience that sets the venue apart in the Minneapolis market.
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