We knew this Super Bowl party would be insane from the moment we heard about it. After creating the first ever Shaq’s Fun House in Miami last year, Shaq brought his epic, carnival-style, music festival-inspired party to Atlanta for Super Bowl weekend. On Friday, February 1st, he unleashed superstar DJs, hip hop stars, and circus performers on Atlanta’s Live! at Battery Park for a night of extravagance and over-the-top fun. Here’s a recap of what went down at Shaq’s Fun House in Atlanta…
Who was there?
Shaq’s guestlist was packed with celebrities, athletes, and influencers (as in @thefatjewish was there). Legendary boxer Evander Holyfield attended, as did a newly engaged Tim Tebow and his fiancée, Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, plus Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and former NFL star Reggie Bush and his wife Lilit Avagyan.
More NFL stars young and old came to party too, like Adrian Peterson, Josh Norman, Lamar Jackson, Jason Witten, Darrelle Revis, Warren Moon, Emmanuel Sanders, Vince Wilfork, Devonta Freeman.
Local Atlanta socialite Phaedra Parks of the Real Housewives of Atlanta also swung by the massive shindig.
But Shaq is a nice guy. He didn’t limit his guestlist to celebs (well, at least not as much as he did during the Miami Fun House). He also invited special guests like Cobb County Police Chief Mike Register and the Atlanta Braves development head Mike Plant, who’s in charge of operations at The Battery. Shaq even took the time to mingle with fans and take pics with kids outside the party as stars strolled the red carpet to enter.
Carnival & Circus Everything!
Shaq doesn’t mess around when he proposes a themed party. That carnival and circus idea? He went all out. For instance, did you know that Shaq is a huge Cirque Du Soleil fan? So much so that he hired the “Mystere” performers to come to Shaq’s Fun House. Then he went a step further and actually participated in their show! Yep, Shaq went to rehearsals and everything…
Before the party, Shaq said, “It’s going to be talked about, and hopefully people pull out their phones and it goes viral because that’s my favorite show, ‘Mystere’ by Cirque Du Soleil. I know I was a great athlete, but these guys are some of the finest athletes in the world. Every time I’m in Vegas for the past several years I always hit up a show.”
Not only that, but he hired tons of carnival performers to roam the party and enhance his guests’ experience. The Tallest man in North America was there, along with mimes, aerial dancers hanging from the ceiling, dancers on poles and spinners, performers on stilts, fire-breathers, sword swallowers, and clowns. There were carnival games like whack-a-mole and ski ball, plus a carousel, a mechanical bull, and yes, even that promised Ferris wheel.
Brand Activations & Food!
Oh, about the food. Shaq hand-picked all the restaurants himself to ensure a delicious spread for everybody. Waffle House, a Georgia icon, created a pop-up diner serving up all the classics. STK Steakhouse Atlanta made sliders and Brush Sushi Izakaya out of Decatur was also there providing high-end cuisine for the party people. And of course, Shaq called in some late night Papa John’s pizza too.
There were also unique, interactive brand activations like Reebok’s robot photo booth where fans could create GIFs and print out 4×6 photos of themselves. Shaq even brought in his favorite lime green Porsche to put on display alongside a Porsche racing simulator. Of course, sponsor JBL Audio was responsible for the huge main stage and the #daretolisten DJ crate.
Epic Performances
Obviously, as promised, the ringleader of all this got up on stage to perform. Always a music fan, DJ Diesel, aka Shaq himself, was on the turntables throughout the evening to get his guests hyped. The venue had a full festival stage set up for the night’s live music.
Grammy-winning DJs Diplo and Tiesto played few exciting sets as well as DJ Irie. Migos came out wearing their quintessential chains and put on an epic show. Lil Jon (Yeah!) hopped on stage in an Atlanta Hawks jersey to perform some of his biggest hits for the hometown crowd as well as one set on the decks. There was even an unannounced, surprise performance by Atlanta-native Jermaine Dupri. With confetti, smoke, dollar bills, strobe lights, you name it, all swirling the stage and the crowd, Shaq made this an unforgettable concert experience for fans.
According to local Atlanta news, Shaq turned a patch of dirt into a world-class party that night. The 7’1” NBA All Star and larger-than-life personality wanted to amp up the traditional, boring Super Bowl parties of his dad’s time… and it’s safe to say he succeeded. We’re sure he’s going to keep the Fun House tradition alive – he’s already got one scheduled for Miami Music Week 2019 – but will he ever come back to the Super Bowl? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
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