Tao, the jury award winner for the most in-demand and anxiety producing night out at Sundance, is returning to Park City, Utah, during the 2016 festival.
The three night pop-up in a custom-built lounge under Village at the Lift will feature DJ Vice, Politik, Mel DeBarge, Devin Lucien and Brody Jenner spinning on the nights of Friday, Jan. 22 through Sunday, Jan. 24, TheWrap’s Party Report has learned.
Consistently overpacked with a mob congregating at the base of Main St., Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss’ hospitality brand hosts a controlling block of the entertainment marketing, media and representation communities under one roof.
More precisely, it’s under one parking garage, as the only hosted (read: open bar) big-room nightclub experience at the festival, going from 11 p.m. until early-morning joggers’ hours.
Everyone from Harvey Weinstein, Scooter Braun and Insomniac/EDC founder Pasquale Rotella to Joe Manganiello, Skrillex, Zach Quinto, Zoe Kravitz, and Jason Momoa have passed through here. For years, Paris Hilton was a regular, with flashy earmuffs that in hindsight foreshadow the sparkly headphones in her future as an international DJ.
As for the actual audio entertainment, Vice has been a TAO resident for years with multiple appearances. Reality star Brody Jenner had a residency at TAO in Las Vegas last year playing with William Lifestyle, and also played at a non-affiliated Chicago club during Lollapalooza with Devin Lucien, who joins him in Park City.
TAO executives Deb Fass and Mike Snedegar have a long relationship with Jenner and his family, going back to the Kardashian club days, birthday parties and appearances in Vegas and New York.
On Sunday, Jan. 24 during the NFL’s AFC and NFC Championship Games, they will partner with NYC pals Paige Hospitality Group for an “Ainsworth Football Viewing Party” in the space.
In addition to the clientele in town for the festival, there is a legitimate connection to film. TAO Downtown in New York recently hosted the NY Film Critics after party, where 2016 Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan, Michael Keaton, Julianne Moore, 2016 Oscar-nominee Phyllis Nagy, Liam Neeson, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart and more spent the first business Monday after New Year’s in that Manhattan hotspot.
Last year, after Coachella announced Outkast reunion as a headliner, Big Boi showed up on stage at the Park City pop-up just weeks later. In previous years, Rick Ross, Nas and Matisyahu have all played at Tao Sundance. Tequila Don Julio is partnering and providing 1942 bottle service.
You may want to head to the bottom of Main Street now to start getting in line, and word to the wise: “yelling doesn’t help.”
More to come..
Send invitations, bookings, and tips to Mikey@thechimp.net.
TheWrap’s Party Report at Sundance is presented by the vehicles that will be shuttling filmmakers and to casts to special events, the 2016 Kia Sorento CUV. Among those special events are The Party Report’s party pal and HQ, the Kia Supper Suite by The Church Key. Keep up with real time images of the scene in Park City on @SundanceParties (Twitter and Instagram) .