You think the 78th annual Academy Awards show at the Kodak Theater has a hefty price tag? The big bashes for this year’s Academy Awards will cost a combined $150 million for A-list parties, swag suites, and weeks of preparation for Hollywood’s annual Oscar prom.
According to marketing industry mag BizBashLA, over a hundred events take place in the week leading up to Oscar Sunday, from small-scale exec dinners to the full-blown soirees that headline the awards evening. This year, the night of Sunday, March 5 is not only the night of the Academy Awards themselves but also the evening of the Academy’s official bash, The Governor’s Ball; Vanity Fair’s lavish event at Morton’s; benefit parties thrown by Elton John’s AIDS Foundation and AIDS Project LA; and the star-studded Night of 100 Stars viewing dinner, where A-listers not in attendance at the Kodak Theater go for a more low-key, but still lavish, party scene.
In addition to the Oscar parties, businesses set up shop in venues around town to host the infamous celebrity gifting suites, where stars show up to score thousands of dollars worth of free swag. For the lucky Oscar nominees, gift bags are provided worth up to $15,000 each (Victoria’s Secret for the ladies) and even $80,000 (courtesy of professional gift bag company Madison & Mulholland).
Granted, these projected Oscar costs are estimates from industry vendors and professional party planners. Here are some more numbers run by BizBash:
Warner Brothers studio party at the Hotel Bel-Air: $125,000
Gifting suite at the Chateau Marmont: $3,500/day
Booking jazz singer Patti Austin to play the Governor’s Ball: $50,000
Ultrasuede tablecloths for 200 tables: $17,000
One furnished party tent for 400 people: $250,000
Price of a ticket to AIDS Project LA’s benefit dinner: $10,000 per table
