For Saturday evening’s premiere of Warner Brothers’ Speed Racer at the Nokia Theatre, a full-fledged race-car theme revealed itself early: The centerpiece of the horseshoe-shaped red carpet was a Mach 5 car from the movie, displayed on a turntable.
While guests caught the screening, organizers transported the Mach 5 down the street to the outdoor events deck, where it served as the focal point of the after-party’s tented lounge. Warner Brothers’ Courtney Saylor, Chad Hudson, and Troy Williams worked with event producer Travis Jackson of 15/40 Productions to create an activity-packed evening for more than 1,000 guests, many of them grade-schoolers and tweens.
Young guests found an arcade area, side-by-side racing simulators, Wii and Nintendo stations, and a full-size go-kart race track for the 16-and-older group; a mini track let younger tots loop around. Polite in Public created a customized photo booth for the evening, photographing guests so that they appeared to be riding in the Mach 5.
Along Came Mary created the party's varied fare for palates of all ages, with a focus on kids' tastes. Flavored popcorn (classic, cheddar cheese, or caramel) and skewered mini corn dogs were among passed snacks. A sushi station included spicy tuna rolls and steamed edamame; the Baja Cantina station offered grilled flank steak, grilled chicken, and grilled shrimp tacos; a pizza station featured margarita pizzas along with mozzarella and Italian sausage calzones; a Chinese station served crispy orange chicken and beef with broccoli in to-go-style boxes; and a barbecue station featured baby back ribs and beef or vegetarian chili. Pink’s Hot Dogs was also on hand with its signatures.
Dessert offerings included a milkshake area with chocolate and strawberry flavors and chocolate-chip cookies. Crumbs constructed a giant cupcake stand from treats in the bakery’s standard flavors, along with Speed Racer-themed sweets. Carts offered ice cream sandwiches and chocolate-dipped bananas, and the snack-laden evening also featured a churros cart and a funnel-cake station.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the number of guests in attendance.
