Washington’s Hard Rock Cafe played host to the third annual Oscar Night D.C., a Red Cross of the National Capital Area benefit and the city’s only Oscar event sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. One of 52 "Oscar Night America" parties endorsed by the academy to take place across the country on Sunday night, the fete drew 400 guests (at $85 per ticket), with Red Cross volunteers serving as faux paparazzi on the miniature red carpet.
Co-host and society blogger Pamela Sorensen (of Pamela’s Punch) said the Red Cross chose the Hard Rock because little extra decor would be needed. For the 7 p.m. to midnight event, Red Cross volunteers moved chairs into individual seating areas (decorated with tulips in bud vases) near flat- screen TVs for the red carpet and Oscar footage live from Los Angeles. One area on the ground level featured an extensive silent auction of a Gibson Les Paul guitar autographed by rock band O.A.R., which sold for $1,150.
House caterers presented the food in buffet format, including chili-cheese hot dogs on the ground level, and spinach dip, fried ravioli, and miniature crab cakes on the V.I.P. floor. Drink options included tequila tastings by Casa Nobles, including shooters and pomegranate-cranberry margaritas. In the V.I.P. area, guests sipped Moët & Chandon champagne, the official champagne of the 2009 Oscars.
![For the after-party, Event Eleven built three 30-foot pagodas and hung 300 lanterns from the ceiling. They also brought in a 20-foot-tall bonsai tree and a variety of 30-foot red maples, along with other greenery and foliage. '[It all] helped create the organic atmosphere and helped transport guests into a gardenlike room,' said Schubert.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2024/02/Shogun.41_f.65dba8f23433b.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
