With the El Niño pounding the Los Angeles area with rain, the 73rd annual Golden Globes awards—and the events surrounding it—saw hosts take extra precautions. Tents covered arrivals lines all over town, and flooding contingency plans helped mitigate potential messes. Behind the scenes, production crews worked under wild conditions for days to load in events. Thankfully the skies were mainly dry on the day of the ceremony.
The show, of course, went on: On Sunday night, parties swarmed the Beverly Hilton hotel, which has been the awards' home a total of 45 times, and for the last 41 consecutive years. A sea of 30,000 square feet of red carpeting lined the driveway and entry as 1,300 guests made their way inside to the televised dinner ceremony.
The award show aired live from the property’s International Ballroom, where Mark’s Garden flew in 10,000 vibrant blooms from South American and Holland, and 400 magnums of Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2004 and Moët Impérial Rosé topped tables.
The elite guests of the show, plus 3,000 additional party guests, swirled about the property from afternoon until late into the night, while en route to one or more of the simultaneous viewing and after-parties.
Among the annual post-show affairs were In Style and Warner Brothers, which played with vibrant color and bold texture this year. HBO was back with its splashy indoor-outdoor bash, which this year had a "winter garden" theme. Fox partnered with Hulu on an Art Deco-inspired bash that was filled with lush foliage. And the Weinstein Company and Netflix welcomed well-heeled guests to a glamorous tent that didn't betray the muddy mess—and even a sinkhole—that had challenged event producers during load in.
Here's a look at some of the splashiest parties, suites, and promotions that hit Los Angeles for the Golden Globes.
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HBO’s Cindy Tenner once again oversaw the production of the network’s annual Golden Globes party, working with longtime design partner Billy Butchkavitz. The indoor-outdoor event took place on and around the Beverly Hilton’s pool and within the hotel’s Circa 55 restaurant and Trader Vic’s bar.
Official Golden Globes champagne sponsor Moët & Chandon returned with its Toast for a Cause initiative on the red carpet, inviting celebrities in the arrivals line to raise Moët & Chandon Impérial minis. For each toast, the brand will donate $1,000 to the celebrity’s charity of choice in his or her name. New to the program this year, Moët & Chandon will also donate another $1,000 to fund next year’s Moët Moment Film Festival, which supports young filmmakers and artists.
For In Style’s buzzy annual party with Warner Brothers, Thomas Ford of Tom Ford Designs constructed a tent that completely covered the Beverly Hilton fountain, turning the venue into a modern and sophisticated space filled with bold colors.
The focal point of the party space was a center light installation, a modern take on a deconstructed lantern. In Style's bash took over the hotel's Oasis Courtyard.
The setting for In Style's event included a variety of materials including silk, gold leather, brass, and glossy lacquer, while mirrored surfaces added to the party's play on texture.
The space was marked by vibrant colors. Michelle Pesce was the returning DJ for the event, where guests were among the first to try the new Aquafina Sparkling beverage.
This year’s theme was a "winter garden” with a color palette of gold, black, and cream. The centerpiece of the space was a Gothic-style conservatory, which Butchkavitz's team built atop the hotel's iconic swimming pool. It showcased orchids, roses, topiary, and tropical plants. It also served as the social hub of the party area.
The winter garden motif was reflected in patterned linens and carpet.
Arriving against a backdrop that matched the event's design scheme, more than 1,200 guests—including a significant number of A-listers—dined on a buffet including black truffle Caesar salad, seared miso scallion chicken, branzino, and veggie tagine—plus a vast display of desserts, some topped with gold detailing.
For the Weinstein Company and Netflix party, longtime producer Best Events set up a 100- by 240-foot tent in the hotel's back parking lot across from the Fox party. Best Events’ Justin Cohen described the raw location—given the rain—as a mud pit, complete with sinkholes, during production. Prep included the purchase of more than 4,000 pairs of disposable booties for all people entering the setup during load in. "We were prepared this year," Cohen said. “We have so much furniture and carpet in there, we can’t afford to get it dirty by one guy's muddy feet."
The tent included a raised dining area in the back, with its own separate entrance. The party also had a 100-foot press wall.
Moët provided a popular champagne vending machine. Guests picked up tokens to drop into the machine; they could either take their bottles for later or have a staff member pop them open on the spot.
Lindt Chocolates offered a mixology bar, with labor-intensive creations inspired by the brand’s unusual flavors. One cocktail was decorated with an orchid frozen into a sphere.
Sponsor Tiny Prints made a contribution to the Robin Hood Foundation for each guest who wrote a thank-you note to a loved one or anyone else on site; reps from the brand later mailed the letters to the chosen recipients. Additional sponsors this year included DeLeon, Fiji Water, Marie Claire, and Hearts on Fire Jewelry.
Angel City Designs returned to produce and design NBC Universal’s annual rooftop party at the Hilton, working with NBC’s Francine Spray, Universal’s Hollace Davids, and E!’s Wendy Schellinger. Guests arrived to the party in front of a 50-foot-wide step-and-repeat banner, with two vehicles on display from sponsor Chrysler. Inside, guests found a tent with decor inspired by Morocco, with oversize palm fronds, a neutral palette of warm amber tones, and modern black and white accents.
Among the architectural elements in the Moroccan-style space was a sunken water feature that Angel City Designs custom built as the centerpiece of a raised lounge area. The fountain had a faux Moroccan tile bottom with two water sprayers, all accented with white floral petals.
Under pierced metal chandeliers, long communal tables dotted with candlelight were the focus in the middle of the room.
The majority of the lighting in the party utilized LEDs that use less electricity than traditional incandescents, as part of an ongoing environmental effort. Large items such as carpeting and Astroturf will be recycled rather than destroyed, as a way to minimize landfill impact.
Fox hosted its annual bash, this year along with Hulu and sponsor American Airlines, in a structure known as the Fox pavilion, located off the hotel’s driveway and the award’s main red carpet arrivals area. 15/40 Productions produced the event, which had an Art Deco-influenced look and foliage dotted throughout.
Animal catered the event, with a menu from Jon & Vinny’s, and Caffe Luxxe provided a coffee bar for the chilly night. Patrón handled the bars, as well as a popular photo booth that matched decor.
The centerpiece of the Fox party space was a bar strewn with lush, trailing foliage.
The Art of Elysium hosted its ninth annual Heaven Gala on Saturday at 3Labs in Culver City. Vivienne Westwood and husband Andreas Kronthaler oversaw the event’s creative details this year.
Names scrawled on leaves marked seats.
The evening’s experience was divided into two parts: One was a modern art installation by New York-based art director Andrew Ondrejcak and a live performance by the London-based punk band Wild Daughter. The second portion of the evening transformed into what organizers billed as a “post-apocalyptic rain forest,” with Detroit-based soprano Shara Worden providing musical entertainment alongside ballet dancers dressed in Westwood couture.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles hosted its annual Tea Party on Saturday at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. The event included a “selfie-free zone,” where guests were encouraged—actually required—to put away their ubiquitous devices.
At the HBO Luxury Lounge at the Four Seasons, sponsor DSW gifted Converse sneakers, personalized on the spot by graffiti artists at AM Style Entertainment with Los Angeles themes or custom art of guests' choosing.
Caravents built out a pop-up salon within a Four Seasons suite for makeup and nail services, plus giveaways, from Marc Jacobs Beauty.
