Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

Shaq transformed The Battery into a celebrity-filled carnival

Shaquille O'Neal poses on the red carpet ahead of his "Shaq's Fun House" event at The Battery Atlanta on Friday, Feb. 1, 2019.

Credit: Ryan Fleisher/Special to The AJC

Credit: Ryan Fleisher/Special to The AJC

Shaquille O'Neal poses on the red carpet ahead of his "Shaq's Fun House" event at The Battery Atlanta on Friday, Feb. 1, 2019.
By Ben Brasch
Feb 2, 2019

What was a patch of dirt in the Cumberland area of Cobb County a few years ago was a world-class party Friday night.

Shaquille O'Neal put on “Shaq’s Fun House” inside The Battery Atlanta. The party was packed with famous people and folks who spent hundreds of dollars to get inside. There were scheduled performances from artists like Migos, Tiesto, Diplo and others.

Guest included football stars Patrick Mahomes, Adrian Peterson, Jason Witten, Darrelle Revis, Warren Moon, Lamar Jackson, Emmanuel Sanders, Reggie Bush, Josh Norman, Tim Tebow, Vince Wilfork.

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Devonta Freeman poses on the red carpet ahead of his "Shaq's Fun House" event at The Battery Atlanta on Friday, Feb. 1, 2019. (Ryan Fleisher/Special to The AJC)

Credit: Ryan Fleisher

icon to expand image

Credit: Ryan Fleisher

There were also folks with strong Georgia ties like Evander Holyfield, Devonta Freeman, Phaedra Parks and A.J. Green.

Special guests also included Cobb’s police chief Mike Register and Braves development head Mike Plant, who is in charge of day-to-day operations at places like The Battery.

The carnival-themed party was hosted primarily in Sports & Social.

For a sense of the insanity: There were dancers on poles and spinners, a DJ, whack-a-mole, booze, a carousel and pizza.

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Channel 2's Justin Wilfon reports.

About the Author

Ben Brasch is the reporter tasked with keeping Fulton County government accountable. The Florida native moved to Atlanta for a job with The AJC. If there's something important to you going on in Fulton, he wants to know about it. Help him better metro Atlanta by dropping a line, anonymously or otherwise.

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