Target staged what may have been the most expensive fashion show ever put on outside of the official New York fashion week schedule. The company bought out the entire Standard Hotel straddling the city’s popular new High Line park, hired dozens of dancers and models to perform a synchronized show in the hotel windows while what has to be one of the most ambitious light shows the fashion industry has ever seen played out, larger than life. Rumors say that total production costs topped $1.5 million.

I am fortunate enough to live two blocks from the event and walking through the people gathered for the event was a pretty interesting experience. It’s very rare that a brand manages to get people so excited about a promotional campaign that they’re willing to wait around for hours to get a glimpse of the event. Target has had people line up in the past for their pop-up stores or designer collections, but this time people were perfectly happy going out of their way to watch what was basically an outdoor ad. I guess if you’re gonna create an experiential event, you better go all the way and pull the right stops, and Target managed both.

Watch a video of the event.