The Toronto International Film Festival wrapped up Saturday with an early evening cocktail party in a tent at Metro Square. Organizers chose the venue due to its proximity to Roy Thomson Hall, where the closing night film, Stone of Destiny, screened following the reception, a departure from the traditional closing-night after-party. "It was time to change it up," said event planner Barbara Hershenhorn of Party Barbara Co.
Hershenhorn opted for simple decor—white bars topped with colour-blocked floral arrangements from Emblem—to set the scene for the 2,000 guests. Unlike the opening-night party, which Hershenhorn also planned, the official closing-night gala did not have a theme tied to the evening's film. (The opening-night party paid tribute to the movie Passchendaele.)
Three LED chandeliers, designed specifically for the event by Westbury National Show Systems, created a focal point in the tent. The lights, inspired by the spiral chandeliers popular during the 1970s, changed colour from blue to purple to pink, red, and orange. "We were hoping for a stunning sunny day with all the tent sides up," Hershenhorn said, noting that Westbury fashioned the chandeliers out of LED lighting "because we assumed it was going to be bright." However, due to the heavy rain, the majority of the tent flaps remained closed.
The menu, courtesy of Culinary Art Catering, featured plated and passed hors d'hoeuvres, including Viet beef salad served in small bamboo dishes, fresh oysters with horseradish foam and red pepper jelly, and lobster-mango summer rolls with lime and mint syrup. Hershenhorn chose to serve small portions in an effort to "get the guests in, feed them, and get them to the theatre on time," she said, noting that the two-hour party had to wrap up at 7 p.m., an hour before TIFF's final screening. DJ Katey Morley spun tunes throughout the evening.
