Johnny Walker Festival

Johnny Walker Festival Activation 2025

A Sustainable, Two-Tiered Experience Built for Longevity

Sector: Live Events & Brand Activations
Client: Johnnie Walker
Services: Design & Build • Retrofit & Refurbishment • Sustainable Construction • Live Environment Delivery

Overview

For the 2025 festival season, Johnnie Walker challenged Better Green to take the hugely successful 2024 two-tier activation and evolve it—keeping the iconic look and feel, while maximising the existing investment and ensuring the structure remained exciting, relevant, and visibly elevated for year two.

Working to a 100sqm footprint, we delivered a bold refresh featuring:

• A top-tier bar and viewing deck for festival-goers

• A new garden lounge area

• Bespoke seating pods designed to increase dwell time and enhance the premium Johnnie Walker experience

The result? A refreshed build that looked newer and more contemporary than its inaugural year, delivered sustainably and entirely in a live festival environment.

The Challenge

Keep it fresh without starting again
The brief demanded a visual refresh and new audience touchpoints—all without losing the core 2024 identity.

Maximise the original investment
Better Green were tasked with preserving as much of the 2024 structure as possible while still achieving a “new build” look.

Minimise waste and new materials
A key priority for both Johnnie Walker and Better Green was reducing environmental impact across the entire build, transport, storage, and installation process.

Our Approach

1. Sustainable Refurbishment

Rather than rebuilding, we refurbished and preserved the majority of the 2024 structure, significantly reducing waste and eliminating unnecessary disposal.

• Repaired and resprayed key structural elements

• Upcycled cladding, walling, flooring materials to be integrated into the new design

2. Smart Design Enhancements

To elevate the experience while maintaining the footprint, we introduced:

• Bespoke seating pods to create intimate premium moments

• Subtle architectural additions and new fascia materials to sharpen the overall aesthetic

• Updated colourways and finishes to create a “brand-new” feel

3. Live Environment Expertise

Delivered across multiple festival locations, the project benefited from Better Green’s deep experience operating in high-pressure, time-restricted live environments.

Our team ensured:

• Zero disruption to festival operations

• On-time delivery across all sites

• Efficient build, pack-down, and storage logistics

The Outcome

The 2025 Johnnie Walker activation was a standout success, praised for feeling both premium and entirely refreshed—while still recognisable to fans.

Measured Impact

• 80–85% of the original 2024 structure reused

• Significant reduction in new materials and waste

• Activation described as “fresher and newer than year one”

• Maintained to a standard that potentially enables use again in 2026

This project is a strong example of Better Green’s ethos:

High-impact design delivered sustainably, cost-consciously, and with long-term lifecycle planning at its core.

Why Johnnie Walker Choose Better Green

• Proven capability in bespoke event builds

• Industry-leading sustainable construction methods

• Expertise in multi-site festival delivery

• Ability to retain brand integrity while evolving creative concepts year-on-year