Apple’s Global Birthday Tour Continues in Canada, France, and Thailand
Toggle Dark Mode
Apple will officially be marking its 50th Anniversary as a company in less than two weeks, and it’s already begun commemorating the occasion with gala events around the globe.
On Friday, only one day after officially announcing its anniversary plans with a rare open letter from CEO Tim Cook, Apple kicked things off in New York City with a surprise Alicia Keys concert in the Apple Store at Grand Central Terminal. While the store itself was closed for what was effectively a private concert, throngs of passers-by were able to enjoy the performance from the concourse below.
While Apple has promised to hold celebrations around the world, it hasn’t exactly laid out a full schedule. Instead, we hear about each event only a day or two before it lands, and some of them only by conjecture, such as Wednesday’s concert in Chengdu, China. The construction of a multi-level stage outside the store made it clear something was up, but nobody knew what to expect until Li Yuchun made a surprise appearance on Wednesday evening alongside a dozen dancers and Tim Cook (who wasn’t dancing, but was clearly enjoying himself).
However, not everything is a gala affair. Apple has been running special events in other countries as one-off Today at Apple sessions that are open to the public. These are published on its website like any of its other in-store session, so folks can sign up to attend while space is available.
The first of these was at Apple Myeongdong in Seoul, South Korea, where K-pop group CORTIS appeared to talk about their debut album, artistic vision, and how they used Apple products in their creative efforts.
Now, Apple has published three more Today at Apple sessions, revealing its next three stops will be in Canada, France, and Thailand.
Canada
Earlier today, a page went live in Canada for Skating My Truth with Elladj Baldé, where the professional figure skater will talk about “how he uses ice as a catalyst for creativity and change,” and “carving new paths as a storyteller.” Baldé was recently commissioned by Apple to show off the iPhone 17 Pro with its 8x zoom and Dual Capture feature. The session will include some tips on “how to use Dual Capture on iPhone to tell your stories.”
Sadly, Canucks who want to attend will need to be on the west coast, as this one-off session is being held at the Apple Pacific Centre store in Vancouver next Thursday, March 26, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time.
There’s no word on whether Apple plans to hold any other celebrations in Canada, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see an NYC-style event suddenly pop up at the new Sainte-Catherine flagship Apple Store in Montreal — a city that’s also considered an artistic and creative hub.
France
Folks in France will have a few more options, as Apple has four special Today at Apple sessions planned at the Apple Champs-Élysées in Paris — two on Wednesday, March 25, and two more on Thursday, March 26.
The Wednesday sessions will feature DJ Myd, who will explain his creative process and provide a live GarageBand demo where attendees can see how his rhythms and ideas take shape, followed by graphic designer So Me, who will present some of his iconic projects and explain his cross-disciplinary approach to music and visual arts.
On Thursday, Apple will host SOPORI FM, the fictional and soothing radio station created by singer-songwriter and music video director TRENTE (aka Hugo Pillard), accompanied by live visual narratives created on an iPad by French pop artist and illustrator Pi Ja Ma. It will then wrap things up with a conversation between producer and musician Boombass and journalist Naomi Clément, who will discuss Cassius and the future of French electronic music.
Thailand
This Saturday, March 21, Apple will host Molly, the artist behind the beloved Crybaby art toy in a session at the Apple Iconsiam in Bangkok that’s already booked solid, setting a record for the fastest-filling Today at Apple event in the region’s history.
Molly (aka Nisa Srikamdee) will guide attendees in how to express themselves through art, sharing her own inspirations and techniques for transforming emotions into dreamy characters. She’ll also talk about how to create unique stickers using Procreate on iPad and Apple Pencil. Users can bring their own iPads to follow along or use in-store models provided by Apple.
