The Storm Area 51 “raid” and celebration was an event for the history books. The Downtown Las Vegas Events Center and Collective Zoo celebrated the once-in-a-lifetime occasion with a limited edition Bud Light can and a few thousand friends.
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Area 51 Celebration Recap
What started as an event on Facebook became a viral sensation and one of the must-attend events of the year. See how Storm Area 51 and its celebration in Downtown Las Vegas made history.
How it all started
Matty Roberts from Bakersfield, California turned a meme into a viral Facebook event. The now infamous event, “Storm Area 51: They Can’t Stop All of Us,” soon gathered hundreds of thousands of RSVPs, receiving well over 2 million RSVPs by the event’s eve.
Storm Area 51 caught the attention of many celebrities, including comedian Joe Rogan. The traction of the September 20th event eventually got the government’s attention and forced representatives to strongly discourage “storming” of any kind.
While participants and alien-enthusiasts practiced their naruto run, an extraterrestrial graphic caught the attention of several thousand beer-enthusiasts. The popular American beer, Bud Light, posted a graphic that received enough engagement to ignite a serious conversation about a limited edition, alien-themed beer can.
My aliens after they make it out: pic.twitter.com/DHbwmHMpCL
— Bud Light (@budlight) July 19, 2019
Nearly 50,000 retweets later, Bud Light later reached out to DLVEC and Collective Zoo to help launch the aforementioned limited edition Area 51 Bud Light can. The rest, they say, is history.
How it all went down
After partnering with Bud Light to promote their limited edition can and alien merchandise, Collective Zoo curated a “classified” lineup and worked alongside DLVEC to craft an intergalactic experience worthy of even more memes and Instagram stories.
With 10,000 earthlings, countless inquiries, and 35 plus media outlets in attendance, DLVEC and Collective Zoo brought thousands together to celebrate Area 51, beer, and music.
Highlights from the event included free carnival rides, food options, and plenty of Bud Light. Attendants supported their ET friends with green tights and glowing bracelets. Matty Roberts, the mastermind behind the original Facebook event, stopped by to celebrate our green friends.
The surprise entertainment and DJ lineup included Type 3, ShipWrek Astronomar, Sage Armstrong, and Born Dirty.
What’s up next
September 20th came and went and no aliens were freed. However, the raiders didn’t leave empty-handed. It was reported that 300 showed up at the actual gates and 3,000 plus attended the Alienstock Festival.
Day of the alleged raid, a few die-hard souls followed through on their promises and ran a couple of yards to mimic a raid on Area 51 as stoic guards watched on unamused.
Once the dust settled at Rachel and the memes flooded feeds, only one 60-year-old woman was arrested, after she insisted. “It was what she really wanted,” stated the sheriff.
Collective Zoo and DLVEC are planning several other events this fall and winter, including Zoology and Goodness, both events having sold out last year.
Check out what you missed or relive the experience by viewing our gallery.
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