
For a vodka shot bar at a birthday party designed by Kristi Amoroso Special Events, the bottles were displayed in a sculptural arrangement of textured ice spheres.
Photo: Nick Brown Photography

“On the Rocks” station, by A Joy Wallace Catering Production
Photo: Courtesy of A Joy Wallace Catering Production

Crudite, dip, and shrimp display, on an antique cart, by L-Eat Catering in Toronto
Photo: Courtesy of L-Eat Catering

Blueberry pie pops, blueberry cobbler in iron skillets, and Guinness stout cake, by A Divine Event (770.587.9117, adivineevent.com) in Atlanta
Photo: Courtesy of A Divine Event

Dessert and artisanal tea buffet, by chef Tomas Rivera for Poko Event Productions in Los Angeles
Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios

Tapas bar, by Good Gracious Events! in Los Angeles, displayed on sustainable bamboo risers from Cal-Mil (800.321.9069, calmil.com)
Photo: Courtesy of Good Gracious Events!

Fruit, bread, and cheese display, by en Ville Event Design & Catering (416.533.8800, enville.com) in Toronto
Photo: Courtesy of en Ville Event Design & Catering

Housemade hot pretzel rolls with assorted mustards, heated over river rocks, by A Thyme to Cook (877.849.6386, athymetocook.com) in North Stonington, Connecticut
Photo: Courtesy of A Thyme to Cook

Saki soy-seared tuna skewers, sous vide-style local Wagyu beef, and saffron-scented wild rice pilaf, by Disney Special Events and Catering Operations (321.939.7129, disneymeetings.com) in Buena Vista, Florida
Photo: Garth Vaughan

Spring hors d’oeuvres table with lobster tacos, parmesan truffle popcorn, beef short rib sliders with mini shots of Guinness, shrimp tempura lollipops, and mac ’n’ cheese canapés, by Boutique Bites in Chicago
Photo: Scott Thompson

Zellers threw a farewell party produced by Candice & Alison in November as the Toronto retailer got ready to shutter all its stores after 61 years of business. A massive, four-sided bar was covered in enlarged newspaper clippings from 1951, the company's opening year.
Photo: Mauricio Calero

At the Whitney Museum of American Art’s annual Art Party in New York, producers MKG hung black and white lanterns over the main bar.
Photo: Carolyn Curtis/BizBash

Also at the Whitney Art Party in June, the hallway bars had illuminated displays composed of hundreds of individual lightbulbs that served as backdrops.
Photo: Carolyn Curtis/BizBash

Turner Broadcasting Latin America presented its newest lineup at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center in October. At the preshow cocktail reception, Triton Productions cloaked the space with LED backdrops and placed a 40-foot-long bar made of ice on one side of the room. Behind the bar, a performer on a platform acted as the focal point.
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography

For the launch for Absolut's new sparking wine-infused vodka in New York, event designer Nicky Balestrieri of ExtraExtra tapped Confetti System to create silver Mylar installations spelling out the product's name to hang over the bar area.
Photo: Nilaya Sabnis

Target hosted hundreds of shoppers at a pop-up store for its Shops at Target program in New York in September. As a whimsical way to incorporate a bar into the event, the production team at ExtraExtra built a diner-style coffee shop set.
Photo: Nilaya Sabnis

Showtime hosted the second-season premiere of its drama series Homeland aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York in September. Glowing lanterns made the central outdoor bar easy to spot from afar.
Photo: Scott Gries/Showtime

One of the bars at the Design Exchange’s DX Intersection event in Toronto had an eclectic decoupaged look.
Photo: George Pimentel

Following the premiere of The Amazing Spider-Man in Los Angeles in June, guests headed to an outdoor party designed by 15/40 Productions. The premiere party's central bar in the round got a reptilian look inspired by the film's villain.
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved.

Samsung launched its Galaxy Note II in Los Angeles with an event at interior designer Kelly Wearstler's private home. Event Eleven constructed a futuristic-looking bar and food buffet that sat on an LED-lit platform.
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved.

The theme of the Emmys Governors Ball in September was "A Romantic Rhapsody in Red" and saw the Los Angeles Convention Center's West Hall designed to look like the inside of a red rose. Red rose petals were suspended in the sculpted ice bars, sponsored by Grey Goose.
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography

BrownHot Events partnered with Mille Fiori Floral Design to create an 8- by 20-foot paper flower backdrop for the V.I.P. tent bar at the third annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in Los Angeles in October.
Photo: Claire Barrett Photography

At a Cort Event Furnishings preview event at Washington's Four Seasons Hotel in March, designer Richard Carbotti used some of the company's rentals to create an Asian-themed bar area.
Photo: Charles Fazio

Food festival Chicago Gourmet took over Chicago's Millennium Park in September. Event Creative was tasked with building out the tents that housed tasting bars for brands, including Constellations Brands' "Passport to Wine" tent, where the designers accented the white bar with faux boxwood hedges.
Photo: Josh Sears for Event Creative

For the grand opening of Mariano's newest Chicago location in October, Kehoe Designs arranged for a disco-themed soiree inside the supermarket. To bring a Studio 54 vibe to the space, the designers used shimmering bars and disco balls for the decor.
Photo: Liliane Calfee

At the welcome reception for the BIO International convention at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center in June, Kehoe Designs created various themed areas including a Japanese-inspired space, where the bar was covered in koi pond imagery and live greenery.
Photo: John Kreis Photography
New York-Theme Bar Mitzvah

A New York-theme bar mitzvah planned by Party Perfect took place at AMP by Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland, in January. The event featured a suspended hanging dessert buffet from a faux tree designed by Design Foundry. Ridgewells catered the event.
Photo: Tony Brown/Imijination.com