After dinner at the Unicef Hope Gala, which was held April 9 at the Geraghty in Chicago, guests hit the dance floor under a canopy of neon Slinkies as the Ken Arlen Evolution Orchestra played.
Event designer Bronson van Wyck raided the High Line’s construction supply shed and wrapped the entire interior of the former Tunnel nightclub (now the Waterfront venue) with thousands of yards of semi-transparent construction plastic for the May 23 dinner event. The evening started with cocktails on the Spur—the High Line's final, unfinished portion.
At this year’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit, which celebrated the “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” exhibit and was held on May 2, a 65-foot double helix rose to the top of the Great Hall’s ceiling. One strand was made of 250,000 silk roses, while the other featured laser-cut off-white lace. "This was my first time using artificial roses and my first time hanging something rigged from the ceiling," said Raul Avila, the Met Gala's long-standing producer.
Held April 9 at the Duke Energy Convention Center, the annual fund-raiser honored the Cincinnati Reds with a custom set design built to feel like the team’s original stadium, Crosley Field. Table centerpieces featured baseball-shaped pomanders on top of striped linens, while the V.I.P. areas included mix-and-match vintage furniture. Plus, the carnival-like after-party included a nostalgic candy bar, mini milkshakes, corn dogs, and tater tots, along with games like skee-ball, caricature artists, and a baseball card photo booth.
At this year’s annual fund-raising gala, held April 30 at the Brookfield Zoo outside of Chicago, Event Creative created a look inspired by an African sunset with bright oranges and graphic prints. Guests could also interact with animals—including a two-toed sloth, a small anteater, a porcupine, and more—during the cocktail hour.
This year, the Lyric Opera celebrated its newest production with a pre-performance dinner in the theater, as well as an onstage after-party with the cast on May 7. The table decor reflected the Asian setting of the musical with details like gold elephant accents.
Tampa, Florida-based event planner ShoWorks created a winter wonderland based on the Disney hit Frozen for the black-tie gala, which was held May 21 at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel. A large icicle-like chandelier that was hung from the truss framework above the dining space added to the icy atmosphere.
For the deYoung Museum’s Bouquets to Art annual design showcase in San Francisco, florists created arrangements inspired by work in the museum’s permanent collection. The opening night gala, which took place April 4, featured food and cocktails by McCalls Catering & Events.
Northeast D.C.'s Union Market district broke ground on a new Latin marketplace concept from chef Jose Garces on June 13. Putting a unique spin on a traditional groundbreaking, Union Market's From the Ground Up initiative enlisted local artists, sculptors, restaurateurs, and international painters to decorate a number of ceremonial shovels for the event. The shovels were accompanied by paintings of Union Market by artist Brooke Bronner.
The Hospital for Sick Children's 15th annual Scrubs in the City benefit took place June 2 at Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto. Going along with the "London Calling" theme, the event had a selfie station that included an English garden rose wall and tea set built by sponsor Caspar Hayden Design.
The event also featured a larger-than-life pool table that mimicked a game of soccer, one of England's top sports.
The 10th annual Google I/O took place May 18-20 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA. Organizers gave the event a fun, festival-inspired vibe in numerous ways, including dividing the grounds into four zones by stacking shipping containers to create towers that designated each area. Colored smoke wafted from the towers at night.
What organizers dubbed "art cars" were decorative elements during the day that became stages for musical performances at night.
The sixth annual Governors Ball music festival took place June 3-4 at Randall's Island in New York. MAC Presents created the Miller Lite Beer Hall, an interactive fan experience that paid homage to the brand's start in Milwaukee in 1855. The activation included wooden fixtures, beer barrels, and gun-metal enclosures, as well as original artwork including a mural made out of Miller Lite cans.
Thrillist's fourth annual Best Day of Your Life party took place June 18 at various bars in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The event featured a wall of printers from Luster, an Instagram-powered printing company, which automatically printed out custom photos of guests if they used the event's hashtag in an Instagram post.
