Not Fade Away at the Surf Ballroom Experience Center

Overview

Not Fade Away is an interactive multimedia program in the Surf Ballroom Music Experience Center, a brand new building located next to the historic Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. Guests come from all over to visit the Surf Ballroom - where in 1959, Buddy Holly, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Ritchie Valens played their last show before a plane crash ended their young lives, devastating fans and leaving threatening the future of rock ‘n’ roll.

As the only immersive experience in the country dedicated to an active rock ’n’ roll landmark, our program celebrates the artists and audiences who have continued to shape the Surf's enduring legacy.

This 40-minute timed experience unfolds in a series of distinct chapters, each revealing a layer of the Surf Ballroom’s rich and complex story. A linear film is the first chapter, interweaving the history of the Surf Ballroom itself, the tiny farming community of Clear Lake, and the history of American music.

Projections on the main curved wall, the side/surrounding walls and the floor - along with surround sound audio - tell dramatic stories of nights out dancing, the birth of rock ‘n’ roll, the evolution of the Surf Ballroom and America, and how the tiny rural community of Clear Lake showed up again and again to make sure the Surf continued to exist.

At specific moments throughout the film, the whole space comes together to immerse visitors. After the original Surf Ballroom burns down in 1945, the rebuilt Surf - designed to look like a tropical beach club - comes to life as we animate the murals that appear on the actual Surf’s walls (showing a beach scene) and have projected water and waves “wash” over visitors’ feet. With the rise in popularity of rock ‘n’ roll, dance club lights project onto the floor as visitors are surrounded by archival footage of dancing teenagers from the 1950s.

When the film finishes, the space transforms. The curved main wall becomes fully interactive, filled with moving digital portals that offer deep dives into a wide range of topics related to the Surf and American music - the Outlaw Country movement, Chicano Rock, the Bo Diddley beat, the history of rockabilly, love stories of folks who met at the Surf, and so much more. The experience opened with 130 stories and the client is adding more each day through a content management system. Both music scholars and those with little knowledge of the subject can discover something new as they open portals through gestures along the wall.

The floor also becomes interactive, with music notes and other patterns responding to visitors' footsteps as they move through the space. Children love running “through the music” as much as older visitors using rollators enjoy how the space responds to their (much slower) movement.

During the interactive portion of the experience, the side walls are transformed into a Surf Ballroom hall of fame, with a thoughtfully designed video collage showing dozens of world famous artists who have graced the Surf’s stage from its opening in the 1930s through today, representing the genres of Big Band, rock ‘n’ roll, and country music. Occasionally the static projected images come to life and visitors are treated to clips of live performances.

Music is a universal language and there’s something in Not Fade Away that will connect with each guest. Everyone who visits will hear a song, learn a bit of music history, see a photo or piece of footage that resonates with them and encourage them to learn more when they get home. Visitors are also reminded of the importance of local venues and encouraged to support live music in their own communities.

Experience Design & Interactive Systems

Not Fade Away is a fully immersive, interactive projection-based experience located at the Surf Ballroom Music Experience Center, a brand new building located next to the historic Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. As the only immersive installation in the country dedicated to an active rock ’n’ roll landmark, it honors the lives and legacies of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson—while celebrating the artists and audiences who continue to shape the Surf’s enduring legacy.

This 40-minute timed journey unfolds in a series of distinct chapters, each revealing a new layer of the Surf Ballroom’s rich and complex history—from the rise of rock ‘n’ roll in America, to the events of “the day the music died” and the broader cultural story that connects it all.

Visitors begin in the lobby and move through the entry gallery, encountering iconic artifacts such as Buddy Holly’s jacket, the Big Bopper’s suitcase, and the first-ever Les Paul prototype electric guitar. All exhibit design was created by Trivium Interactive, ensuring a fully immersive experience with a cohesive visual language across both media and print.

From there, guests enter a 3,000-square-foot theater, where immersion begins the moment they step inside. A nine-minute linear media experience unfolds across every surface—walls, floor, and ceiling—blending cinematic storytelling, rare archival footage, scent design, and layered digital projections to bring music history vividly to life.

When the story opens with Carl Fox’s dream of the Surf Ballroom as a tropical oasis, the iconic beach club scene cascades across the curved front wall. Waves ripple at visitor’s feet, splash across the rear wall, and surround them in a seamless wraparound of the Surf’s beloved mural. Tropical scents waft through the space, enveloping visitors in a multi-sensory experience that brings the Surf’s vibrant past to life.

As the story crescendos to its emotional climax—the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of Holly, Valens, and the Big Bopper—the entire environment transforms. The floor and walls dissolve into swirling snow through projection mapping, while immersive sound and ambient lighting pull the audience into the moment. A 27-foot-wide curved screen anchors the narrative, while synchronized archival footage expands across the surrounding walls, adding emotional depth and historical context.

Once the film concludes, Slim Jim Phantom (the host) reappears, welcoming visitors through a shimmering “gateway” into a fully interactive experience. Three distinct, color-coded chapters then emerge on the curved wall—unfolding the story of the Winter Dance Party, the history of rock and roll, and the evolution of the Surf Ballroom itself. Each chapter features its own graphic language, animations, and ambient takeovers, drawing guests deeper into the narrative.

More than 130 interactive “portals” are embedded throughout the wall, activated simply by waving a hand. Guests unlock stories, songs, photos, and video clips—each one a window into a different moment in rock ’n’ roll history.

Technology is seamlessly embedded throughout the space to support and elevate the visitor’s journey. Storytelling unfolds across every surface using: 15 Panasonic projectors, 32 channel of audio controlled by a customized Q-sys backend system, panoramic wall projections, responsive, motion-triggered floor visuals, overhead LiDAR and depth-sensing cameras for interactive gesture control, and a scent machine tied to key moments in the media.

The central curved wall is embedded with content points that are fully updatable by the client. Five depth-sensing cameras and hidden LiDAR sensors detect guests’ gestures, enabling them to interact with glowing portals that respond with music, stories, and immersive media.

Overhead, additional cameras track motion to activate interactive floor effects, such as animated music notes that appear beneath visitors’ feet as they move, turning every step into part of the story.

Every design decision—from the architecture of the curved screen to the layered, reactive multimedia content—was carefully crafted in collaboration between the client team and Trivium. The result is a deeply immersive cultural destination that engages the senses, celebrates rock and roll, and leaves a lasting impression on every visitor.

Partners

• City of Clear Lake - Client
• Surf Ballroom & Museum - Client
• Electrosonic - AV Hardware Integrator
• Available Light - Lighting Designer
• Natalie Zanecchia Design - Exhibit Designer