Inside Hollywood’s The Dolby Theatre, home to this year’s 96th Academy Awards, parties were underway as soon as celebrity guests pooled within the spectacular venue—just after their red carpet arrivals but long before the start of the ceremony. Three floors with chic corner bars, connected by one grand spiraling stairwell, allowed attendees to toast the evening with a glass of Champagne Fleur de Miraval Exclusivement Rosé. Accompanied by an electric enthusiasm, nominees like Emma Stone (in advance of her Best Actress victory), Christopher Nolan (prior to Oppenheimer's significant haul), Jodie Foster, and Paul Giamatti passed through these pre-parties alongside a roster of cinematic talent that included Anya-Taylor Joy, Willem Dafoe, Eva Longoria, Barbie’s Ncuti Gatwa (wearing an eye-catching Tiffany brooch), Young Royals' Omar Rudberg (in Prada, with glittering Cartier accessories), and The Holdovers’ Dominic Sessa (in sleek Tom Ford). With the ceremony underway, each floor bar acted as a gathering place every commercial break to celebrate, discuss, and predict what would happen next—from Vanity Fair's epic after-party to the official Governors Ball. Below, a roundup of the very best moments from the Oscar after-parties.
The Vanity Fair Oscar Party
Hosted by Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, the guest list was a veritable who’s who of the hottest, coolest, and straight-up most iconic names in the world of film, TV, music, sport, and fashion. At 10pm, the line for the red carpet, which had replaced the usual signature sapphire blue, was still snaking out the door as a high-wattage crowd waited to be photographed before entering the custom-built venue attached to the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.
Outside, Steven Yeun, Chloë Sevigny, Awkwafina, Olivia Wilde, and Greta Lee all gathered around the Funke pizza bar, which was serving up wood-fired, spicy Diavola and Margherita slices. Jack Huston caught up with his uncle Danny as Jeremy O. Harris grabbed Billie Eilish to congratulate her on her second Oscar win. Moments later, the crowd burst into whoops and cheers as the singer was surprised with the gift of a pink crystal encrusted clock necklace by none other than rapper Flavor Flav himself, who wore a matching one bearing his name in the Barbie font. Read the full report here.
Madonna’s After-Party
After Emma Stone won Best Actress and Oppenheimer took Best Picture at the 96th Academy Awards, Hollywood’s finest made for a notoriously exclusive after-party in the Hills. It was the 16th annual edition of what has become known simply as The Party, thrown by talent manager Guy Oseary at his home and supported by Gucci. This year, Lily Gladstone, Jennifer Lawrence, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, and more showed up and showed out at the house party, where, in place of goodie bags, there were custom monogrammed travel duffles from Gucci’s new Valigeria Fluo collectsion.
Just like last year, there was a strict no-cameras policy at the event. Luckily, photographer JR was on hand to capture portraits of some of the A-list guests. Take an exclusive first look at the images below. Read the full report here.
The Governors Ball
The festive nature of the Oscar venue itself is essential to understanding the Governors Ball, the Academy’s official after-party, which commenced this year after host Jimmy Kimmel announced the end of the ceremony. Roughly 1,000 of the 3,400 Oscars attendees—including almost every 2024 winner—stepped out of the theater, corralled onto a series of crisscrossing escalators, and ascended to the decadent Ray Dolby ballroom complete with crystal chandeliers, velvet-rope VIP sections, a sky-high DJ booth, and an oversized Oscar statue in the center of it all. The Governors Ball is a magnet for Oscar winners because it hosts the station where their names are engraved onto their awards. This year’s gala welcomed winners Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who all waited for their customization together.
Nominees Colman Domingo, America Ferrera, and Celine Song passed through, as did Roger Federer, Tim Cook, Sean Ono Lennon, Charlotte Kemp Muhl, and the filmmaking teams behind so many of the night’s honored works—including Poor Things, Anatomy of a Fall, and Zone of Interest. More than 1,000 bottles of Fleur de Miraval Rosé Champagne were popped (for this third year of the partnership between the French maison and the Academy), and bites—from tater tots topped with caviar, wagyu slices, and duck bao to dark chocolate eclairs and strawberry paris-brest—were passed. As the party progressed, attendees in formal attire danced throughout the venue until the lights were turned on, and it was time to go.
Inside Universal’s After-Party
Universal certainly had much to celebrate, with their own hits, such as Oppenheimer and the Holdovers, cleaning up in eight different categories. The honorees descended upon Soho House in West Hollywood to toast alongside many familiar faces in the entertainment industry. Party-goers included winners Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Da'vine Joy Randolph, Christopher Nolan, and Emma Thomas, alongside Dominic Sesa, Steven Speilberg, Keegan-Michael Key, and more.
