Kentucky Derby

Reality TV star Christopher Pfaff of MTV's Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory hosted a "Young & Reckless Does the Derby" party on May 3 to promote his Young & Reckless clothing line.

Held at Prime Lounge, the party was sponsored by Grey Goose and Red Bull.

Building on the success of its renowned annual Super Bowl party, Maxim partnered with Ark Endeavors to throw a pre-Derby, invite-only bash at the Mellwood Arts Center with celebrity guests like Ashton Kutcher and Guy Fieri.

The May 4 event, dubbed the "Filles and Stallions Party at the Derby," had cocktail bars from Bulleit Bourbon and Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka.

Ice sculptures in the shape of giant horseshoes got attendees in the mood for horse racing (and bourbon).

The nonprofit Kentucky Derby Festival throws 70 events leading up to the Derby, including the sold-out Pegasus Parade, which featured Cyndi Lauper as grand marshal this year.

Local sponsors such as Champ's Skating Center featured floats in the May 3 parade, which brought 250,000 spectators to the streets of Louisville.

Two nights before the Derby, on May 3, the Taste of Derby party attracted more than 1,200 guests to Louisville Executive Aviation Hangar at Bowman Field for a foodie event modeled after the popular Taste of the N.F.L., which occurs on the eve of the Super Bowl.

Guests enjoyed bites courtesy of chefs flown in from around the country, and helped raise funds for Louisville charity Blessings in a Backpack.

Stella Artois was presenting sponsor of the event, providing its beer on tap and giving guests a commemorative chalice featuring the Kentucky Derby logo as a take-home gift.

Ram served as official truck of the Kentucky Derby, and the brand's vehicles were on display throughout the Churchill Downs grounds.

The car brand also put up 65 posters across the property, lining everything down to the horse barns.

Horse trailers provided another opportunity for Ram to display its branding in a Derby-centric style. Additionally, Ram offered a dedicated “Horsemen’s Lounge” for owners and jockeys.

At the Galt House Hotel on March 4 and 5, Millennium Events' luxury gifting suite welcomed guests, including celebrities like David Arquette and Ice-T, to peruse an array of new products.

New Era was the suite's presenting sponsor, giving guests an array of headwear options to don for the race.

Pure Leaf iced tea recruited Top Chef judge Gail Simmons to create a tea-based cocktail, samples of which she offered to race-goers at Churchill Downs.

Fans got into the spirit early in the week at the May 2 Jocktails celebrity-bartending event held at Prime Lounge. Hosted by Woodford Reserve and planned by Louisville-based JWagner Group, the evening had some of the sport's best-known jockeys pouring drinks and raising money for the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund.

The high-end vodka brand designed two speciality drinks for the Derby, serving both at the race track and in the area adjacent to the red carpet.

Singer Joey Fatone was among those sampling the "cherry noir" cocktail, which promoted Grey Goose's new Cherry Noir vodka.

In a media area, Grey Goose's on-site mixologists demonstrated how to mix up the brand's specialty cocktails.

This year’s Kentucky Derby not only drew more than 165,000 attendees to Churchill Downs, but a host of brands eager to capture the attention of crowds gathered in Louisville for racing’s big event. Pure Leaf iced tea recruited Top Chef judge Gail Simmons to create a tea-based cocktail, samples of which she offered at the racetrack on Saturday.

In addition to creating a 24-foot-tall installation of red lips from 40,000 roses, the organizers of Monday night’s Met Ball in New York referenced the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new Costume Institute exhibition, “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations,” with the dinner table settings. Chargers hand-painted with surrealist motifs such as lobsters, hearts, and butterflies held dishes, including an appetizer of whole baby lobster that was an homage to Elsa Schiaparelli's famous lobster-print dress.

The Steppenwolf Gala took place in Chicago on May 5, with a performance at the theater and a dinner-dance at Blackhawk on Halsted. Ensemble members acted in a few scenes from current production The March, directed by Frank Galati and based on E.L. Doctorow's novel, which is set against the backdrop of the Civil War. "Using this inspiration, our designer, Jeffrey Foster from Event Creative, transformed the venue into a world honoring the words of E.L. Doctorow and our production," director of special events Kendra Van Kempen said. In the raw reception space, Foster and his team hung giant columns that were meant to look like script pages fanning out over the 550 guests. Text from the play was carved into the structures, and back lighting made the words glow.

At the Institute of Contemporary Art’s dance-party benefit in Boston May 4, Frost’s colorful, patterned lights swirled across the floor as DJs Kiss and M.O.S. spun.

Baby Buggy for Havaianas launched its new collection at the London West Hollywood Hampton Court on May 2, drawing celebs including Brooke Burke, Busy Philipps, Garcelle Beauvais, and Nina Garcia to celebrate at the entirely kid-friendly fete. Little ones played in ball-filled plastic pools done in designs that matched the patterns on the flip-flops. Joe Moller designed and produced the event, with Art Rebel providing the art activations.

Great Britain's Prince Harry made his first trip to Washington as an honoree at the Atlantic Council's annual Distinguished Leadership Awards ceremony and dinner Tuesday at the Ritz-Carlton Washington. He accepted the Humanitarian Award from General Colin Powell on behalf of himself and his brother for their work with the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry that supports those in the military. The 50th anniversary dinner for 900 guests also recognized U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for his success in mobilizing international leaders in regard to global issues, Unilever C.E.O. Paul Polman, violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, and currently enlisted U.S. Armed Forces service members in recognition for their work on global issues. Mutter also performed at the event.

On May 3, two days before Cinco de Mayo, Don Julio turned New York's Studio 450 into a modern-day Mexican courtyard for the second local “Casa de Don Julio” event. The late-night bash was designed to promote the tequila brand's "La Primavera" contest, which will award 10 consumers the chance to visit its original distillery in Mexico. As an added activity, attendees could sign authentic Don Julio barrels with permanent markers.

SunFest, the West Palm Beach music and arts festival, celebrated its 30th anniversary May 2-6 with more than 250,000 people crowding onto its grounds overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. More than 50 sponsors participated including stage sponsors Bank of America, Tire Kingdom, and Florida Power & Light, and Captain Morgan, which hosted three floating barges on the Intracoastal Waterway as well as a pirate ship.

The Toronto Fashion Incubator celebrated its 25th anniversary at the Royal Ontario Museum on May 3. The evening was broken up into two parts: a V.I.P. dinner for 240 and an after-party for an additional 460 guests. The annual New Labels fashion show and competition took place simultaneously in both the V.I.P. and after-party areas.

Organizers set aside one hour of Mashable Connect, May 3 through 5 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Orlando, for breakout sessions. Hollow seating configurations facilitated dialogue among attendees and speakers. The remainder of the two-day education program consisted of more than 20 general sessions held in the main ballroom. Some were as short as 10 minutes and none were longer than 30, based on the belief that shorter presentations are more powerful and force speakers to stay on topic. More than 300 people attended the conference to hear from speakers such as Klout founder and C.E.O. Joe Fernandez; June Cohen, executive producer of TED; Storify co-founder Burt Herman; and Mashable staff.

Kentucky Derby Festival president and C.E.O. Mike Berry