An Epic Eye Ball Turns Dallas’ Downtown Lawn Into a Massive 1980s Throwback Party: Boombox Time Machine Sets a Wild Stage

What: The Fifth Annual Eye Ball in Celebration of the Dallas Art Fair

Where: The Eyeball at The Joule 

PC Moment: From the moment you stepped through the 13-foot-tall boom-box portal and into The Eye Ball, one thing became abundantly clear: Headington Companies, specifically Jeny Bania (VP of public relations and brand marketing) knows how to throw one hell of a party. The fifth edition of the annual event celebrating the Dallas Art Fair was an ‘80s-style bash of epic proportions, all dreamt up by Bania, with plenty of help from the talented creative heads (see: Sam Sano, Joslyn Taylor, et al) at Swoon, the Studio.

From the neon-lit dance floor to the classic arcade games to the recording booth bathrooms, every corner of the downtown Dallas lawn, which houses Tony Tasset’s massive Eye sculpture, was decked out.

The bubble gum pink “splat” invitations hinted at the evening’s ‘80s theme, and inspired a larger-than-life bubble gum photo booth.

More than 700 attendees traveled through the boombox time machine to toast the 2018 Art Fair and party down. Mixed in the crowd were a handful of models, styled by Jan Strimple in bold ‘80s looks, complete with crimped hair, colorful makeup, and killer attitudes; as well as break dancers donning MC Hammer pants and big headphones.

Local musician Zhora provided gnarly tunes throughout the evening, while soul-funk icons Morris Day and The Time also took the stage for a surprise performance.

A nostalgic menu of snacks and beverages catered by The Joule completed the 1980s motif. California rolls, mini Chinese takeout boxes with noodles, pepperoni pizza, Orange Julius push pops, and mini sloppy Joes circulated on trays, while the bar served up foil juice pouches and spiked punch.

As the raging party drew to a close, Americano brought out a tower of pizza boxes, offering guests one last late-night snack before heading out. Perfectly on-theme party favors (Eye Ball-branded buttons and heat-reactive T-shirts) gave attendees something to remember the night by — as if this Eye Ball could be easily forgotten. 

Who: Brian Bolke and Faisal Halum, Peter Doroshenko, Justine Ludwig, Chandra Johnson, John and Marlene Sughrue, Chandra North, Bridget Hall, Jane Aldridge, Christen Wilson, Joyce Goss, Shelby Wagner, Muffin Lemak, Justin and Kimberly Whitman, Todd Fiscus, Fred Holston, Jenny Kirtland, Chuck Steelman, Lucy Wrubel, Jennifer Karol, Maxine Trowbridge, Jane McGarry, Clarice Tinsley, Samantha McCurdy, Augusto Arbizo, Nicelle Beauchene, Erin Cluley, Iliya Fridman, Kathy Grayson and Bertie The Pomeranian, Jason Jacques, Nadine Knotzer, Peggy Leboeuf, Harlan Levey, Nino Mier, Bill Powers, Lora Reynolds, Angela Sala, Pascal Spengemann, Rachel Uffner, Tim Van Laere, Cris Worley.