COCA‑COLA X STRANGER THINGS

Learn how we transformed Shoreditch into Hawkins to celebrate Stranger Things season 3.

We know the small American town of Hawkins, Indiana is the home of Stranger Things. However, for one day only, those creepy happenings headed to East London…

To celebrate the third season of the hit show, Coca‑Cola and Netflix partnered to launch a Stranger Things-themed pop-up Arcade in Shoreditch on the Eleven(th) of July, 2019. The event transported fans back to Hawkins to experience its famous arcade, with the chance to play the original nostalgic video games featured in the series.

Not only did guests have the opportunity to play some 80s gaming classics, but they were also able to enjoy Stranger Things photo moments, whilst taking a fill of Coca‑Cola zero sugar! But of course, it wouldn’t be Hawkins without some strange goings on…

View of Coca-Cola X Stranger Things Arcade interior with three arcade machines covered with different types of fabrics

Our arcade was also home to a secret upside-down world, which was only revealed to those with a well-trained Stranger Things eye. The first 800 visitors to the hidden upside-down world were given a limited-edition Coca Cola x Stranger Things upside-down can in reward for their expertise. That alone proved reason enough to swot up and binge-watch the whole thing again.

So, what’s with the collaboration? Fittingly, to answer that question we’ll have to journey back to 1985.

Not only is this the setting of Stranger Things’ third season, it is also when we launched a now infamous new drink: “New Coke”. For those who can’t remember that far back, New Coke was a reformulated Coca‑Cola, which, it’s safe to say, didn’t go down too well with our loyal fans. New Coke received a huge consumer backlash and led to calls for original Coca‑Cola to return, which it did in the form of classic Coca‑Cola ­– as we still know it today.

New Coke was a real hot topic in America during the summer of 1985. So, its story is of course interwoven into Stranger Things 3...

Can’t get enough of the hit Netflix show? Hear more about our Stranger Things partnership here.