Hundreds of mustachioed men in khakis and Richmond kits packed the plaza outside Apple's Fifth Avenue flagship Thursday, all vying for bragging rights in a full-blown Ted Lasso lookalike contest. The event, dubbed the Gathering of the Teds, transformed the glass-cube entrance at 767 Fifth Avenue into a slice of AFC Richmond for the day, complete with easter eggs, photo-op zones and a stage built for pep talks.
The contest unfolded in three rounds, according to Time Out, which reported that secret celebrity judges scored contestants on Ted energy, optimism, costume and commitment. Hopefuls kicked things off with an in-character introduction and a dance break, then ten semifinalists advanced to a round of Ted Lasso trivia. The final round asked survivors to deliver a 30- to 45-second pep talk worthy of the coach himself, with the whole competition kicking off at 5 p.m.
Believe Breaks and a Goldfish Zone
Beyond the stage, the flagship store offered its own slice of Richmond culture. Believe Breaks handed out free coffee and tea to fans milling around the plaza, while a Goldfish Zone let passersby scribble down something they wanted to let go of and drop it into a fishbowl, per the same Time Out account. Between 11 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., roaming Ted lookalikes fanned out across Midtown and Central Park performing random acts of kindness, and a self-styled Believe Line of cheering Teds lined up to applaud runners passing through the park.
The activation arrives as Apple TV+ leans hard into promoting the show's return. The fourth season of Ted Lasso premiered globally on the streamer Wednesday, with Coach Lasso back in London to take charge of AFC Richmond's newly formed women's team, the Lady Greyhounds, according to CNET. New episodes roll out weekly, with the ten-episode season wrapping up with a finale on October 7.
A Blue Carpet Kickoff Two Days Earlier
The Fifth Avenue gathering capped off a multi-day promotional push through New York. Apple hosted the official red-carpet premiere for season four at the Brooklyn Academy of Music two days earlier, with Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple all in attendance, according to Apple. The Fifth Avenue flagship itself has served as a marquee Apple gathering spot since it opened under Steve Jobs in May 2006, distinguished by its 32-foot glass cube entrance and its status as the only Apple retail location open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Season four's storyline leans into real-world momentum behind women's professional football, with the Lady Greyhounds' financial and structural struggles echoing actual growth in the sport — English Women's Super League club revenues climbed 34% during the 2023-24 season, according to the Times of India. Over its first three seasons, the show racked up 61 Primetime Emmy nominations and 13 wins, including back-to-back Outstanding Comedy Series victories in 2021 and 2022.
Following a Trend That Started in Washington Square Park
Fifth Avenue's fully permitted takeover stands in contrast to the grassroots lookalike gatherings that kicked off the trend in the first place. Public lookalike contests became a viral phenomenon in the city after YouTuber Anthony Po organized an unpermitted Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest in Washington Square Park in October 2024, drawing thousands of spectators and police intervention, as reported by The Guardian. That contest's aftermath even reached Hoodline's own coverage: representatives for Chalamet offered to reimburse a $500 fine the city levied against the event's organizer, as Hoodline previously reported.
The format spread quickly beyond Manhattan, with lookalike crowds gathering for figures including Jeremy Allen White in Chicago and Paul Mescal in Dublin through late 2024 and 2025. Under New York City Department of Parks and Recreation rules, any public gathering of 20 or more people, or one requiring amplified sound and temporary equipment, needs a formal special event permit — a requirement Apple's corporate-backed activation cleared that the earlier viral crowds notably had not.
Thursday's event shows how brands have folded that spontaneous fan-culture format into buttoned-up marketing campaigns, trading unpermitted crowds and police dispersal for a scripted, sanctioned spectacle on one of the city's busiest retail corners. For a franchise built on earnestness and dumb luck redemption arcs, it's a fitting way to send hundreds of Teds out into Midtown to spread a little kindness before the next episode drops.
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