Kick Off Awards Season With the Golden Globes — And These 9 Fabulous Parties
by Emily Rubin, Writer
As soon as we sweep the holiday pine needles away, we’re drawn back to our couches to indulge in the annual parade of awards shows that begins every January. We tune in — maybe the only time we actually watch a network show live — to critique celeb fashion choices, tear up over sweet speeches, and talk about how the hosts did (and how the whole could’ve been done better). In addition to the ceremonies, a constellation of wow-worthy parties celebrating the awards crop up every year. Hosted by the likes of Vanity Fair, Elton John, and HBO, these are the soirées we long to be invited to. Until our tickets arrive, here’s a peek inside the “see and be seen” events for the four most-watched shows during awards season.
GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS
The 76th annual Golden Globe Awards are just around the corner, which means it’s time for celebrity-filled events leading up to and after the telecast. The ceremony, hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, will air live from The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 6 on NBC. Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andy Samberg and Killing Eve star Sandra Oh — who is also an award nominee — will co-host the event. See the full list of nominees here.
2018 – Pre Golden Globes Annual BAFTA Tea
The star-studded pre-Golden Globes Annual BAFTA Tea takes place annually at the gorgeous Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. Famous guests — including Emma Watson, Nick Jonas and Michelle Williams — toasted glasses filled with Ruffino Wines to celebrate at last year’s féte, leading up to the awards recognizing their incredible talent. Event Planner SHADOW ensured that the red carpet was celeb-ready and the space party-perfect for the happy guests. This year’s event will be held one day before the Golden Globes, on January 5th.
Photographer: BAFTA
2018 – HBO Golden Globes After-Party
And after the show comes the… after party! Celebs continued the celebration at an HBO event held at The Beverly Hilton following the Golden Globes this past year. Event designer Billy Butchkavitz went above and beyond to impress guests with grand lounge seating, “golden” wrapped walls, gorgeous orchids, and a dance floor created on top of the hotel pool. Images by Lighting illuminated the event with colorful dim-lit ceilings and walls, while video-mapper Bart Kresa Design projected incredible images throughout the venue. Stars loved the transformative space and danced the night away celebrating the wrap of the 75th annual Golden Globes. This year, watch out for another amazing HBO after-party, again held at The Beverly Hilton (of course) on January 6th.
Photographer: Gabor Ekecs
OSCARS/ACADEMY AWARDS
Closely following the Golden Globes (and often featuring many of the same nominees), are the 91st Annual Academy Awards (or “Oscars”) ceremony on Sunday, February 24th on ABC. Unlike the Globes, which honors film and television achievements, the Oscars, awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, recognize excellence in film only. A host for the ceremony has not yet been confirmed, but the telecast always promises good water cooler debates for the following day.
2018 – Byron Allen’s Oscar Gala
Each year as celebs dust off their sequins, producer, comedian, and production company founder, Byron Allen, plans an Oscar gala to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Allen’s connection to the cause is a personal one as he credits the hospital for saving his life when he was sick as an infant. Last year’s soirée saw performances from Katy Perry and Jamie Foxx and raised 1.5 million dollars for the cause. The event was planned by Mindy Weiss Party Consultants at the luxe Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, and beautifully captured by Visuals by Arpit. This year, the gala will be on February 24th, following the Oscars.
Photographer: Visuals by Arpit
2018 – IMDB Oscars Viewing Party
The second annual IMDb Live Viewing Party on Oscars night featured a chic design by Simply Troy Lifestyle + Events and was hosted at LA’s uber-cool Neuehouse Hollywood. The event was a huge success, featuring a room filled with celebrities enjoying delicious fare and flowing champagne. The party offered a fun way to enjoy the telecast while hobnobbing with the town’s most famous auteurs and getting an inside scoop via live interviews on stage. This year’s viewing party details have not yet been announced.
Photographer: Phillip Van Nostrand Photography
2018 – Governors Ball
There is only one official post-Oscars celebration — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governor’s Ball — and it’s the biggest party, capping an already-epic evening. Fifteen-hundred invited guests included Oscar winners and nominees, show presenters and more, from the 90th anniversary awards show. For the 24th consecutive year, legendary chef Wolfgang Puck and the Wolfgang Puck Catering team provided a delectable, innovative menu for the creatives in attendance at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at the top level of Hollywood and Highland. This year’s event will be on February 24th, following the Academy Awards telecast.
Images: Courtesy of Wolfgang Puck
GRAMMY AWARDS
The Recording Academy 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards, honoring the best musical achievements from October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018, will be held on February 10, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The awards will bestow honors in categories like “album of the year,” “song of the year,” and “best new artist.” See all nominations here. A show host hasn’t been announced yet but rumour has it that James Corden might host for the third year in a row.
2018 – Friends Keep Secrets x Interscope Records Grammy After-Party
Of course, a ceremony with as much swagger as the GRAMMYS, will spin off some rocking after parties. Last year’s Friends Keep Secrets x Interscope Records GRAMMY After-Party featured a packed dance floor — as one would expect from a music-oriented celebration — and SVEDKA cocktails. For the first time in 15 years, the GRAMMYS returned to New York City (after telecasting for years from LA), which meant this party could be hosted at China Chalet, as planned by the professionals at SHADOW. Symmetry Labs provided cool light installations for guests which included The Chainsmokers, Calvin Harris, and Dua Lipa. 2019 event details have yet to be announced.
Photographer: Bryan Bedder
2018 – Roc Nation Pre-GRAMMYS Brunch
Jay-Z’s record label, Roc Nation, hosted this star-studded brunch on the eve of the 2018 GRAMMY Awards in New York City. The party was thoughtfully designed by Stonekelly Events at Aspire at One World Observatory. The spot — at the top of the World Trade Center — features an exclusive vibe and breathtaking views. Beyoncé, of course, was in attendance, as were music luminaries like Mariah Carey, Iggy Azalea, Diddy, and Monica. Guests were served Jay-Z’s D’USSÉ Cognac.
Photographer: Stonekelly Events
EMMYS
The 71st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring achievements in television entertainment, will be aired on September 22. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences recognizes excellence in acting, choreography, cinematography, and more, in comedy, drama, reality, and variety series. With an influx of stay-in and binge-worthy shows across networks and subscription services, this event has become one to watch to see our small screen favorites, well, on the small screen.
2018 – HBO Emmy’s After Party
Event designer Billy Butchkavitz produced — for his 20th consecutive year — yet another gorgeously-luxe HBO Emmys After-Party celebrating this past September’s ceremony. The annual star-studded, design-heavy bash was held at The Pacific Design Center’s fountain plaza and captured by Gabor Ekecs Photography. Guests entered the gold, jade, and hot pink soirée through a decadent floral tunnel. The lush “Garden of Eden” theme featured a 25-foot-high perimeter wall, elevated subfloors, bridges, and walkways, as well as a custom stage and dance floor, beautifully lit by Images by Lighting. And — just like for the Oscars’ official after-party — Wolfgang Puck Catering – Los Angeles again provided an outstanding, creative menu for guests to enjoy (and talk about long after). Is it too soon to anoint them the “caterer to the stars”?
Photographer: Gabor Ekecs Photography
2018 – 70th Annual Emmy Awards Governors Ball
The most recent Emmy Awards Governors Ball was transformed into an open-air gala under the stars at the LA Live Event Deck. The official after-party traded in a sit-down dinner for a more free-flowing interactive format, allowing the high-profile guests to mix and mingle, while sampling more than 35 fine dining small plates from Patina Catering. Event producer Cheryl Cecchetto of Sequoia Productions curated a magnificent, immersive light field suspended overhead with thousands of LED lights twinkling through the color spectrum. Furniture, table linens, florals and other décor featured a color palette of of blue, precious metals (gold, silver, platinum) and white for an aura of modern sophistication and glamour. Get an inside peek into the prior year’s Governors Ball on PartySlate here and here.
Images: Courtesy of emmys.com
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