M ore than pure Instagram gold, 29Rooms, returns to Chicago in full force and on a mission: “This is a whole new show from what we had last year. The theme is Expand your Reality so it’s all about pushing people outside of their comfort zone to explore new realities, new ways of thinking, new parts of themselves,” says Piera Gelardi, Refinery29′s Executive Creative Director and Co-Founder. “We call it our interactive world of culture and creativity,” she adds. “It’s really designed to be a space where we can spark imagination, provoke thought, ignite creativity and dare people to think bigger.”

A peek behind the scenes of a visually stunning often oversaturated photo op, reveals a mix of visual art, interactive installations, sociopolitical messaging, brand activations and opportunities to inform, empower and inspire. “Our creative process always starts with our audience, so we’re really looking at what content resonates with people at Refinery29, what the themes are there, as well as the feedback of the people who came through last year—what they loved, what  they felt they wanted more of—and we built upon that,” says Gelardi, who describes 29Rooms as a physical manifestation of the Refinery29 brand—a way for people to interact IRL with the issues, perspectives, and bigger ideas that were once only talked about online. “A good example of that is that last year we heard from the audience that they loved the experience but they wanted more hands-on interactivity and more moments of connection with each other. So that’s something you’ll see built into several parts of the experience.” 

29Rooms starts its tour in Chicago, before making its way to Atlanta, Dallas, Toronto, and Washington, D.C. and this year’s centerpiece is the Art Park, that features one artist from each host city—ours is represented by Yvette Mayorga and her candy sculptures and O.J. Hays, who created a billboard with Chance the Rapper’s SocialWorks organization. As for the space? A fun fact: The pop-up is one of the very first events taking over the former trading floor of the Chicago Board of Trade building—where Ferris, Cameron, and Sloan watched over the pit of traders and brokers in the classic John Hughes film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Which makes it interesting and a little bit surreal at the same time.

“I just think the Chicago creative community is incredible,” says Gelardi, who insists that everyone is creative but not everyone has the opportunity to tap into that part of themselves. “Often people are told they’re not creative,” she adds. Which is why 29Rooms aspires to open them up through play; then expand their minds to new ideas and experiences that they might not otherwise be exposed to. “That’s what it’s all about, and that’s something that we hear a lot: People feel transformed, like there’s something that they learned here that they want to take into their lives,” she says. It is with that in mind, that 29Rooms brings together a unique mix of emerging and established creatives across all disciplines imagined.

“We’re equal-opportunity for all creative people—it could be an astrologist, a musician, a dancer, a filmmaker, a visual artist—we want to build a space where we’re celebrating all different creative voices and giving them a new platform, a new kind of canvas to work on,” she says. “Even in our art park, where we work on all visual artists, we’re sort of creating this new type of space to present their work that is not a white gallery wall.” Similarly, they never shy away from cultural, social, and political issues or from uplifting underrepresented voices by providing opportunities for women, POC, LGBTQ+, and other groups who are often left out of the conversation.

The verdict? 29Rooms is incredibly well thought out and set to offer lots of moments for reflection, inspiration, creativity and—wait for it—even opportunities to unplug. In a whimsical wonderland of elaborate Instagram backdrops and real, unexepected one-on-one connections (with other guests or brands) that provides spaces ranging from playful and fun, to more reflective and meditative, to highly political, one thing is for certain: there’s something for everyone. Here’s five rooms we absolutely loved!