Project location: New York, NY · Project context: 2023 · Prepared by POPUP from the project archive in October 2026.
People already knew the illuminated path from Billie Jean. At the New York Edition, King of Style let guests step into that image and create a moment within Michael Jackson's fashion legacy.
How can a familiar music-video image become an interactive event?
A familiar image becomes personal when the audience can enter it and create a moment of their own.
Let guests step onto the illuminated Billie Jean pathway while the event connects fashion, memory and fan participation.
Step into Billie Jean
Fans could dance across an illuminated pathway and recreate the iconic Billie Jean moment. The steps reproduced the original video’s lighting sequence, turning a familiar piece of music history into a participatory experience.
Make space for the legacy
The event placed fashion, conversation and fan participation in one setting. POPUP delivered the physical environment around the King of Style program.
Connect the room
Production joined the guest experience and live event requirements, with the artist’s stylist present. Content creation remained with the commissioning team and its collaborators.
The planning lesson
Choose a reference people can recognize and an action they can perform. Test the physical interaction from the guest's position, then connect it with the event's wider story. Familiarity creates an invitation, but the live experience still needs careful delivery.
Who delivered the experience
Commissioned by the Michael Jackson Estate and King of Style, POPUP built and delivered the event environment and guest experience. The production brought together the live setting, interactive moments and the Billie Jean-inspired pathway; the filmed content itself was outside our remit.
Commissioned by the Michael Jackson Estate and King of Style. POPUP’s remit covered the event, excluding content creation.
What the experience made possible
Exhibition elements and a recreated performance setting gave guests ways to explore Michael Jackson’s influence on style.
Project questions
Where did the experience take place?
Michael Jackson Estate · King of Style: New York, NY.
What was the delivery scope?
Event environment; Scenic production; Interactive guest experience; Event delivery.
Explore related work
Further reading
For the wider event and campaign context:
