How We Brought Christmas PlayScape to Life in Melbourne CBD

Overview

In December 2025, Queensbridge Square in Melbourne’s CBD was transformed into a festive playground as AliExpress Christmas PlayScape, in collaboration with POP MART, welcomed thousands of visitors for four days of Christmas celebrations. This was more than just a festive pop-up. It was a large-scale public activation designed to engage, entertain, and connect global brands with the local Melbourne community.

Brand Catalyser’s Role

We managed the activation end-to-end, including:

  • Concept & experience design
  • Stakeholder & council coordination
  • Engineering & safety compliance
  • Site planning, construction & installations
  • Production of event collaterals
  • On-site operations
  • Waste & sustainability planning

From early planning to final bump-out, every detail was carefully managed to ensure the activation was safe, compliant, and enjoyable for the public.

From Concept to Experience

The idea behind Christmas PlayScape was to bring AliExpress’ playful, global energy into a festive, local setting that felt welcoming and easy for everyone to enjoy. Rather than creating something people simply walked past, we designed an experience people could step into, interact with, and remember.
From the start, we focused on three points:

  • How visitors would move through the space
  • What would catch their attention
  • How engagement could feel simple and effortless

With the concept in place, our focus shifted to how that vision would come to life on the ground. We mapped out the full visitor journey, right from the moment people discovered the activation in the CBD to the moment they walked away with a prize.
Across Melbourne’s CBD, branded floor decals and city promoters helped guide foot traffic toward Queensbridge Square, building anticipation before visitors even arrived. As they approached the site, a towering festive welcome arch marked the start of the Christmas PlayScape experience.

 

At the centre of the activation stood the POP MART Container, wrapped in the Peach Riot series and serving as the prize collection hub, branded showcase, and live-streaming booth.
The lucky draw was the highlight of the activation, created to celebrate the season of gifting and love. Designed to stand out with vibrant visuals, the mechanic itself was kept simple and rewarding: complete three quick tasks to earn up to three chances to win.
To add a more personal touch, our ‘Call Santa & Make A Wish’ Photo Corner invited visitors to leave their Christmas wishes, creating a warm moment of festive connection.
The Impact
Over four days, we saw: 
– 9,660 visitors
– 1,803 lucky draw participants
– 6,080+ gifts distributed
– 108,500–143,000 impressions
Strong foot traffic and high participation reflected both visibility and quality engagement for the event.
 
The Challenge
Queensbridge Square is a high-traffic, open-access public space, welcoming thousands of visitors every day. Our responsibility wasn’t just to create an engaging Christmas experience. 
It was to ensure the activation met City of Melbourne regulations, prioritised public safety, able to manage large crowd volumes smoothly, consciously minimise environmental impact, and operate efficiently across all four days. Every creative idea had to work practically in the real world, not just on paper.
 
How We Delivered
Through early planning and close collaboration with all stakeholders, we built a strong operational foundation before the event began.
Site checks, council approvals, engineering consultations, and risk assessments ensured the activation could be delivered safely and smoothly. On-site, our team managed staff, crowd flow, and daily operations to keep the experience running seamlessly for visitors.
 
A Festive Success
As part of the City of Melbourne’s Christmas in Melbourne program, AliExpress Christmas PlayScape became a festive destination for families, shoppers, tourists, and passersby.
The activation delivered a joyful Christmas atmosphere, strong brand engagement for our client, a safe, well-managed public experience, and most importantly, a memorable festive moment in the CBD.
For Brand Catalyser, the project marked a major milestone. It reinforced our role as a trusted partner in delivering large-scale, compliant public activations in collaboration with the City of Melbourne, while demonstrating our ability to bring complex city experiences to life with precision, creativity, and care.
This event sets a strong foundation for what comes next, as we continue to shape meaningful, high-impact experiences across Melbourne’s suburbs and city spaces.

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