Downtown Phoenix is a bit busy right now, you might say. Between all the people roaming Super Bowl Central, the football fans heading for NFL Experience, and the usual downtown crowd, its streets and sidewalks are a hive of activity and attractions.
And one of the most curious Super Bowl-related attractions located in downtown is the massive blue-and-white encampment perched on the corner of First and Jefferson streets near the Hotel Palomar, which boasts circus-style tents and an colossal inflatable gorilla with its arms raised in a touchdown pose.
There's also a towering Bud Light bottle outside, which is only fitting, considering that the structure will function as the beer brand's House of Whatever, which will arguably be one of the more unique attractions and experiences of Super Bowl weekend.
At least according to Alexander Lambrecht, vice president of Bud Light, that is.
"Our mission is to be the most talked-about experience of the weekend," he says. "It will be something very disruptive and very unlike any other type of Super Bowl [celebration] that is going to happen."
Currently, the House of Whatever is fairly quiet -- save for the occasional sound of last-minute construction taking place -- but come Friday and Saturday, it will be teeming with light, color, music, and movement, as well as thousands of people.
See also: 25 Best Super Bowl Week Parties
It also will be one of the more exclusive events of Super Bowl weekend since it will strictly be an invite-only experience. Unlike other private parties over the next several days, however, you don't have to a bigwig or have a big bankroll to attend. It's aimed primarily at millennials from ages 21 to 27 (although those who are older can participate) who happen to have a taste for Bud Light.
The House of Whatever ties into the beer's current "Up for Whatever" advertising campaign and promises to be big on spontaneous experiences and adventures for attendees that will involve surprise appearances and participation by celebrities on Friday and Saturday.
While Lambrecht wouldn't divulge many details on exactly what that entails, he did say it would be of a spur-of-the-moment impromptu nature, involve celebrities of some sort, and definitely memorable. Experiences will take place both at the House of Whatever's complex and inside portions of the Hotel Palomar across the street.
"What I can tell you is that it will be 33 straight hours of unexpected experiences," he says. "There will be many opportunities for people to be surprised by Bud Light. Some of them will feature celebrities and talents."
Like Steve Aoki, for instance, who will perform at the House of Whatever and participate in some fashion. If that will involve the hipster DJ pulling off his signature stunt of throwing sheet cake at people, Lambrecht wouldn't say.
"I cannot comment on whether or not there will be any cake thrown, but it will have some signature Steve Aoki [moments] that will at the same time will be unexpected," he says.
Lambrecht also says that it will be in the vein of Bud Light's "Whatever, USA" stunt last year where they hosted a massive weekend-long party over Labor Day in a small Colorado town and flew in more than 1,000 people from around the country to attend.
"The whole atmosphere that happened at 'Whatever, USA' is exactly what we're going to bringing to the House of Whatever. In fact, you could say it will be Whatever USA under a roof," he says. "So it's going to very energetic, there's going to be a lot of activity going on, there's going to be dance music, there's going to be food experiences...there going to always be something unexpected and fun happening."
It also will be in the spirit of Bud Light's Super Bowl commercial, which features one cat playing an impromptu life-sized game of Pac-Man.
And if you're eager to have a similar adventure, here's the lowdown on how to get into the House of Whatever.
Lambrecht says that the audition process to get an invite involves recording a 15-second video showing off your spontaneity while holding or drinking a Bud Light (and thus, showing that you're "down for whatever") and then uploading it to Instagram or Vine and tagging it with @budlight and #UpForWhatever. (More information can be found online at Bud Light's website.)
"Since we're focusing primarily on spontaneity, we want millennials to show us that they're up for whatever, show us they're ready to be surprised, and that they're very open for a very spontaneous time," he says.
Bud Light will contact those who create the best and most unique videos via social media with an invitation. And while Lambrecht says that a certain number of participants will be flown in on Bud Light's dime from throughout the U.S., a majority of the attendees will be drawn from around the country.
"Obviously we will be having a focus on the Phoenix area, however we are having a national campaign where millennials of legal drinking age can audition to be part of the House of Whatever," he says.
Better start charging up your camera phones and go get some Bud Light from the corner store.
See also: Up on the Sun's complete Super Bowl coverage
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