New York, New York

New York City—often referred to as the fifth leading lady in Sex and the City—played a starring role in the after-party for the film’s Canadian premiere at the Toronto School of Circus Arts last night. The Big Apple featured prominently in the party for 650 guests with images of the Manhattan skyline projected onto the bare concrete walls, a yellow cab parked in the middle of the venue, and an ice sculpture of the Empire State Building in the centre of the main martini bar.

“The whole premise of the event is black and pink, and the whole underlying theme is obviously New York,” said Suzanne Turnbull of McNabb Roick Events, who, along with Jeffry Roick, collaborated with Carrie Wolfe of Alliance Films (the movie's Canadian distributor) to create what Turnbull called a "glamourous party in a New York street.”A long pink carpet scattered with thousands of tiny Swarovski crystals ran the length of the alley at the side of the venue. Crystals also hung from the black velvet ropes at the entrance and from the branches of an overhanging tree at the street. Three vehicles from Mercedes-Benz (the luxury brand driven by Kim Cattrall’s character, Samantha Jones, in the New Line Cinema film) sat parked on Wellington Street, with another two parked at the entrance to the venue, where white lighting projected the Sex and the City logo above the main door.

Inside, Westbury National Show Systems, which projected the city scapes onto the walls, provided laser graffiti art on the wall opposite the DJ booth, manned by DJ Richard Blenman. A tall ice sculpture of the Empire State Building, courtesy of Iceculture, stood in the centre of a circular martini bar, where guests had the choice of four martinis created by the Martini Club, each named after one of the film's four leading ladies.

A second bar, created by the Iceman, featured the silhouettes of Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha, along with images inspired by the men in their lives. Male servers dressed in black shirts with pink ties and matching tutus offered martinis to guests upon their arrival and passed hors d’oeuvres like crab cakes and mini cupcakes courtesy of Daniel et Daniel Event Creation & Catering.

Swarovski (a prominent sponsor of the New York premiere and after-party held Wednesday at Radio City Music Hall and the Museum of Modern Art) provided thousands of loose crystals, which surrounded the black vases filled with pink roses, orchids, and gerberas that topped cocktail tables throughout the space. (The company also provided jewelry for the gift bags, which included Mr. Big chocolate bars, condoms, clothing from Mavi, Sarah Jessica Parker’s fragrance, the film's soundtrack, and a book about the series.) Old-fashioned street lamps bearing the names of famous New York thoroughfares and a yellow cab added to the theme.

The Scotiabank Theatre hosted the premiere screening at 6 p.m., with most guests arriving at the party via taxi around 10 p.m. Cattrall, a Canadian native, posed on the pink carpet and stopped to talk with reporters before entering the event. Additional Sex and the City-themed events are set to take place tonight at Satori Supper Club (a sold-out Pink Soiree) and Spice Route (a Fashion & the City event sponsored by Town Shoes). The film opens in theatres Friday.