Meccaland Goes to Sydney for Second, Much Larger Edition
COSMETICS COACHELLA: Australian retailer Mecca is bringing its wild and raucous beauty festival, Meccaland, back for a second year–and this time it’s heading to Sydney.
The three-day consumer event, which last year in its Melbourne debut attracted around 10,000 attendees, will be held in Eveleigh from May 17 to 19, the premium cosmetics retailer announced on Tuesday.
Related stories
Australian Designers Band Together to Create Retail Collective
Christian Kimber Wins Australia's National Designer Award
Sustainable Ones to Watch: Spell & The Gypsy Collective
“We’re taking almost four times the event space,” said Mecca founder Jo Horgan. “We’re doubling the number of brands participating and we will have even more amazing glam-bassadors (beauty influencers) than we did last year.”
Beauty VIPs like Isabella Fiori, Shani Grimmond, Pia Muehlenbeck, Sammy Robinson are on the roster for the weekend, and brands will once again be offering special edition products.
Horgan added that “five immersive ‘worlds’ will make up Meccaland – a completely new concept that I’m particularly excited about, as it will bring even more theater, more pop, fizz and color to what was already a pretty spectacular event in 2018.”
“There will be a pop-up Mecca store, large format masterclass series, a Face Off artistry competition, cheerleaders, beauty ferris wheels and so much more. The Insta-worthy opps are truly endless…and I can’t wait!” she said.
This year, festival tickets are tiered, with public sale beginning on March 20. Standard entry costs 69 Australian dollars, $49 at current exchange, which is a bump over last year’s ticket price but also gives attendees four hours as opposed to three last year to roam the festival grounds.
The next tier up for 99 Australian dollars buys a Superstar Pass that extends access to 5.5 hours and and the “Superstar Lounge” where guests can mix with invited influencers. Lastly, for 149 Australian dollars, guests can get a Pro Pass that includes six hours at the festival, lounge access, and a one hour beauty masterclass.
While beauty trade shows are nothing new, consumer-focused festivals like Meccaland, which started only last year, have become a novel channel to amplify experiential retail. Sephora entered the festival fray too a year ago on its 20th anniversary with Sephoria: House of Beauty, a two day event in Los Angeles.
Related: Meccaland, Australia’s First Beauty Festival, Hits Melbourne >>
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
