The best brand takeovers at Bondi Icebergs, ranked
By Visit Bondi Beach Editorial Team · Updated
Part of our Swim guide.
The short version: the best Bondi Icebergs brand takeover I've ever seen is the Hennessy x NBA basketball court, with the Barbie movie's all-pink invasion a close second. I've lived a stone's throw from that pool for years, and nothing gets the neighbourhood buzzing like waking up to find our famous ocean baths transformed overnight into a stadium, a tennis court, or a wall of pink. Here's my ranking of the ones that earned it.
- Where
- Bondi Icebergs, 1 Notts Ave, Bondi Beach
- Cost to look
- Free from the coastal walk
- Best photo spot
- The Notts Ave lookout above the pool
- My top pick
- Hennessy x NBA floating court (2021)
What makes a great Icebergs takeover
The bar is high because the setting does half the work: that turquoise pool clinging to the rocks, waves crashing over the edge, the sweep of Bondi behind it. So a lazy logo on the pool floor doesn't cut it. The takeovers I remember used the space rather than just borrowing it - they built something you'd never expect to see hanging over the ocean, and gave walkers on the coastal path a real reason to stop.
My ranking, best to most memorable
1. Hennessy x NBA - the floating basketball court (2021)
For my money, nothing has topped this. Hennessy and the NBA drained the pool and dropped a full black court into it for their 'Courts Beyond Limits' launch - Bondi was the debut, before London and Shanghai. That monochrome court against the turquoise water and the ocean beyond was ridiculous in the best way, and half of Sydney spent the week wondering how you got a game there.
2. Barbie - the all-pink press blitz (2023)
When Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig brought the Barbie press tour to Icebergs, the whole precinct went Barbie-pink. What I loved was that they made the space around the pool the hero rather than tinting the water - it felt like a set, not an ad. If that didn't stir up childhood Dreamhouse memories, nothing would.
3. Adidas x Parley - the tennis court (2019)
Adidas emptied the pool and laid down a tennis court to launch their Parley range made from recycled ocean plastic, timed to the Australian Open. Clever concept, clever timing, and a real message underneath it about the plastic ending up in exactly the ocean you were looking at.
4. American Express 'Shop Small' - the OG
Amex was the first to treat the pool floor as a canvas, sinking a giant 'Shop Small' banner into the baths and setting up a local traders' market for the day. Every brand that has dressed the pool since builds on that idea. It's not the flashiest here, but without it the rest might never have happened.
Plenty of other brands have had a crack at the pool - some inventive, some just a logo in the deep end - but these four are the ones I'd send a visitor chasing. They're unpredictable and fleeting by design. The pool itself is here every day, and it's a stunner even with nothing in it but a few early-morning lap swimmers.
Frequently asked questions
What was the best Bondi Icebergs brand takeover?
The Hennessy x NBA floating basketball court from 2021 is the standout - they dropped a full black court into the drained pool for the launch of their 'Courts Beyond Limits' series, and Bondi was the first stop. The Barbie movie's all-pink 2023 takeover runs it a close second.
Can I visit or use the pool during a brand takeover?
Usually not - the pool is typically drained or dressed for the activation and closed to lap swimming while it's on. You can almost always still see it for free from the coastal walk on Notts Avenue above the baths. Check the official Bondi Icebergs website for current pool hours and closures.
How often do brands take over Bondi Icebergs?
There's no fixed schedule - they pop up occasionally when a brand books the space, and each usually lasts only a day or two. Because they're not announced far in advance, following Icebergs' own channels is the only reliable way to hear about one.
Was American Express really the first brand to take over the pool?
Amex's 'Shop Small' activation is widely credited as the first to turn the bottom of the Icebergs pool into a branded canvas, sinking a large banner into the baths. It set the template that later brands built on with courts, sets and full precinct makeovers.
Where's the best place to photograph an Icebergs takeover?
The lookout on Notts Avenue, on the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk directly above the pool, gives you the classic elevated shot of the baths against the ocean. Go early in the morning for soft light and far smaller crowds.