Critics called for it to be canceled. President Trump snubbed it. Yet the White House Correspondents' Association pushed on, hosting its annual dinner at the Washington Hilton in a less-glitzy-than-usual atmosphere on April 29.
Several brands and media outlets that are usually known for splashy parties—including Vanity Fair, HBO, Google, and The New Yorker—opted out this year. Others, though, continued the celebrations, albeit with less fanfare than in recent years.
Political resistance and the freedom of the press were popular themes at certain events. BuzzFeed's Red, White, and Banned Party at the Brixton mocked fake news with a series of false headlines from the past year in pop culture and politics. Guests could get T-shirts printed with "Failing Pile of Garbage"—a phrase the president had used to describe the site; BuzzFeed has since used it on merchandise to raise money for the Committee to Protect Journalists. Comedian Samantha Bee of Full Frontal on TBS hosted the “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” comedy show, which recorded the afternoon of the dinner at DAR Constitution Hall and aired that night on TBS during the same time slot as broadcast of the dinner on C-SPAN.
Atlantic Media, CBS, USA Today, Thomson Reuters, and the Washington Post all returned to the Washington Hilton for pre-dinner receptions. MSNBC hosted its blow-out after-party, moving the event to the Organization of American States building, and CNN returned to Long View Gallery for its Political Hangover brunch the following day.
Returning events made some changes to reflect this year’s subdued vibe. The Annual Garden Brunch downsized from more than 700 people last year to just 350 this year. MSNBC also opted for a smaller event, with 700 guests compared to 1,200 the previous year, in a move that producers said was meant to recalibrate to shift the focus from celebrity to journalism.
Other events that continued this year included Capitol File magazine's and Independent Journal Review's parties at the British Embassy and Carnegie Library, respectively, as well as the New Media Party at WeWork's White House location and BuzzFeed's brunch at Brixton on U Street.
The dinner itself had a noticeable drop in celebrity attendance—a subject of contention for critics who claim the dinner has lost its focus. The association took this year to refocus the dinner on its scholarship program and the event's original purpose: recognizing the White House correspondents. A new banner on the stage read: “Celebrating the First Amendment.”
The headlining entertainer was The Daily Show's Hasan Minhaj, who delivered a roast of the president as well as took a slight jab at the event itself, saying: "I would say it is an honor to do this, but that would be an alternative fact. It is not. No one wanted to do this so of course it falls in the hands of an immigrant. That's how it always goes down."
Here's a look inside the events.
Comedian Hasan Minhaj served as the official entertainment at the Hilton, and took advantage of the opportunity to roast the president, who had skipped the event.
The entrance to BuzzFeed's Red, White, and Banned Party was flanked with redacted documents.
The staircase to the event was wrapped with fake news headlines riffing on pop culture and politics, such as “Mike Pence gets standing ovation at Hamilton,” “Cubs lose World Series; curse continues,” and “@realDonaldTrump deletes Twitter.” The rooftop was dubbed ”Alternative Factland" and had more fake headlines and monitors that displayed an inaccurate running tally of the crowd size—referring to the president’s false characterizations of the crowd size at his inauguration.
A collection of real headlines placed over redacted text provided a photo backdrop for guests—and celebrated journalism that made a difference over the past year.
The Annual Garden Brunch at co-host Constance Milstein’s Georgetown home focused on celebrating two pillars of democracy: military veterans and the freedom of the press. Georgetown Cupcake create custom fondant toppers for its mini cupcakes proclaiming "Democracy" or "Free Press" plus the event’s hashtag.
Event co-host Fred Humphries, vice president of government affairs for Microsoft, brought in a Microsoft Magic Board for guests including former Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett to share how they participated in democracy.
Design Cuisine suspended black, white, and light-blue umbrellas from the ceiling of the tent hosting the Garden Brunch, which had nearly half the attendance of last year after organizers cut the guest list to just 350 people from its previous size of more than 700. Â
Design Cuisine set up multiple food stations mixing savory and sweet items like spring pea and herb falafel, marinated spinach and feta tarts, bacon-wrapped egg muffins, and marmalade french toast sandwiches. The caterer also provided a crepe station with mini crab, chicken, and ham crepes as well as a doughnut wall.
Atlantic Media and CBS chose a black, white, and gold color scheme for its pre-party at the Washington Hilton, but with a more geometric design for the step-and-repeat created by Design Foundry.
American Airlines returned as a sponsor of the NBC News/MSNBC after-party on Saturday evening. The check-in area had an aviation theme, with tickets that looked like actual airline tickets. The event was produced internally with Dufour & Co.
Guests could pick up one of three welcome drinks—the Walk on Board, Old Fashioned First Class, and Refreshed Upon Arrival—prepared by Occasions Caterers and featuring metal drink-stirrers topped with airplanes.
Atmosphere Lighting illuminated the second-floor event space with color-wash lighting that switched between blue, green, purple, and pink throughout the night, often with geometric patterned gobos.
Design Foundry created small lounge groupings throughout the main space by mixing white leather sofas and chairs with navy velvet sofas, each with branded Comcast and MSNBC pillows. Palm trees from Twigz Studios and oversize arrangements of blue hydrangea by Philippa Tarrant decorated the space.
CNN and event production company Advoc8 teamed up to create a CNN-branded circus for the network's annual Political Hangover brunch on Sunday afternoon at Long View Gallery. Advoc8 designed custom staging around the art gallery’s main entrance to look like the entrance to a circus tent. A stilt-walker greeted guests as they arrived.
Inside, Advoc8 worked with the venue’s pillar in the middle of the gallery to create a carousel bar branded with the names of each of CNN’s broadcast shows around the top.
Advoc8 created CNN-branded games to keep guests entertained throughout the brunch. The team placed oversize Jenga and giant Connect Four stations in both rooms of the gallery with customized, on-theme game pieces.
Occasions brought out its signature ferris wheel, serving bags of flavored popcorns and rosé gummy bears.
Thomson Reuters returned to the Top of the Hay at the Hay-Adams hotel on April 30 for its annual Sunday brunch. The event featured dishes from former contestants on Top Chef, including Sylva Senat (right), Spike Mendelson, and Mike Isabella.
Independent Journal Review returned this year with a tribute to the Golden Age of Journalism at its cocktail party at Carnegie Library on April 27. Advoc8 capitalized on the throwback theme by choosing 1920s-style decor of sparkling linens, votive candles, feathers, and gold accents to decorate the two floors.
A bald eagle—a symbol of American freedom—and his handler greeted guests as they arrived at Carnegie Library.
Capitol File magazine also returned this year with a cocktail party for 400 at the British Embassy on April 28. Syzygy Events International provided branded bars inside the embassy and lounge furniture in the garden.
Old Blue BBQ passed hors d’oeuvres such as smoked duck bacon topped with spicy mustard at the fourth annual Bytes & Bylines party on Thursday night at DTR Modern art gallery. The event brings together the tech, political, business, and media worlds to honor the White House Correspondents’ Association's scholarship fund and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
