The Week in Events: The Met Ball Celebrates Schiaparelli and Prada, Prince Harry Comes to Washington, and Companies Flock to Kentucky Derby

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.

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.

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.