The logistics of having three parties in one night (and making sure no one missed the bus) did complicate things. “It’s like a ballet,” said the evening's planner, André Wells, who created a French circus theme for the night after six months of planning. “You have to be so organized,” he said, holding up his four-page schedule. 

After receiving their wristbands at the St. Regis, guests entered the hotel's ornate Astor Ballroom to find tables topped with shiny red-striped cloth and more than $5,000 worth of flowers from Ultra Violet Flowers, including French yellow lilies and Holland tulips. Outfitted with flickering Belvedere-branded vodka votives, translucent bar stools, and a low S-shaped banquette (which proved to be a stumbling block for more than a handful of guests), the space included a jam-packed square bar in the center and offerings of shrimp wontons and vegetable potstickers from Design Cuisine Caterers. For a more substantial meal, a room outside the ballroom featured chefs creating made-to-order stir-fry, in Chinese takeout boxes with chopsticks.

At 9 p.m., guests headed for the buses, some still toting their takeout boxes. As the bus traveled though Georgetown, partygoers tried to guess where it would stop: Café Milano? Morton’s? All wrong. At the Halcyon House, a private two-level mansion overlooking the Potomac, a jester greeted guests as they entered. (The circus performers were hired for the night from Cast of Thousands Entertainment Company.)

Upstairs, French burlesque mannequins decorated the historic rooms, and fishnet stockings covered glass vases, with floral arrangements from Janet Flowers Wedding and Event Designs. Guests could choose from a variety of signature cocktails, including the aptly named “Young & Fab”—a coconut rum cocktail mixed with Grand Marnier and pineapple and cranberry juices. And the lavish array of food continued with sushi, mini burgers, and goat-cheese quesadillas, also from Design Cuisine.

The lower-level sculpture studio, down a long flight of wooden stairs, with floor-to-ceiling windows and concrete floors, was the real stunner. Wells outfitted the raw space with a long bar and two large pillared white banquettes with matching seats, while a live band, Big Ray and the Kool Kats, played oldies. At the end of the night, some unweary revelers boarded the bus again for Josephine Lounge, but all managed to carry home the overloaded gift bags, stocked with $500 worth of swag, including Prescriptives mascara, Clarins Paris sunscreen, and a cupcake from Georgetown bakery Baked & Wired.   —Adele Chapin