#EventInspo: 15 Stunning Lighting Design Moments We're Still Thinking About

In February, the Boston Winter Ball—often referred to as “Boston’s Biggest Night Out” and held at Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport—raised $2.1 million for underprivileged youth via the Corey C. Griffin Foundation. Produced by AJ Williams of AJ Events, the black-tie fundraiser featured a 60-by-60-foot dance floor with a 40-by-50-foot disco ball/silver orb ceiling treatment, which set the stage for a laser light show.

This year's Dropbox Design Summit, held in Palm Springs, Calif., in February, took on a "Blank Space" theme, embracing reflections, shadows, and empty spaces that served as a metaphor for the creative process. A dinner was held at the Invisible House in Joshua Tree, which has a mirrored exterior that reflects the landscape around it. As the sun set, producers OTHR Agency played up the unique private home's design with dramatic lighting. See more: How Dropbox's Unique Summit Theme Leaned Into the Power of Blank Spaces

Warner Bros. effectively evoked the magic of Tinseltown with its 2023 Oscars event. Drawing 350 guests, the glamorous gathering had an over-the-top event design from JOWY Productions, which leaned into a mix of black and gold with accents of red—and, of course, plenty of sparkle. Over 300 glass hurricane candles filled with black sand flickered throughout the party, juxtaposed with twinkle lights in the trees. As a focal point, a tiered candle installation featured 5-foot crystal and gold chandeliers. Vogue Candles provided the candles, and Candlelight Designs handled lighting. See more: Oscars 2023: Elegant Event Inspiration From Hollywood's Most Glamorous Week

The Creative Collective’s Creative Class Awards celebration recognizes extraordinary creatives of color across industries, including entrepreneurship, entertainment and the arts, fashion and beauty, health and wellness, and social good. The Creative Collective tapped To Be Hosted to turn the annual list into an award celebration and dinner, which was held in February at SECOND in New York. The team leaned into an Afrofuturism theme, juxtaposing black and pops of color reminiscent of the aurora lights. Illuminated moments and bold neon lighting—like tube lights lining the long tables—created a playful glow in person and in photos. To Be Hosted worked with designer Josh Dean and AV and lighting company Stereo Minded Music LLC to bring the look to life.

The Creative Collective’s Creative Class Awards also featured an illuminated DJ booth, bars, and stage logo. Additional partners included flowers from Floriconvento, printing and fabrication from Atlas Printing Solutions, and music programming from DJ Mahogany. (One of our favorite non-lighting-related details? At check-in, guests received six superlative cards they could distribute to the guests they thought best fit the category, with options like "best dressed," "most likely to save the world," and "most likely to start the electric slide.")

The red carpet premiere event for FX’s Shōgun took place in February at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles. Designed and produced by Event Eleven, the event included an after-party featuring 30-foot pagodas, massive bonsai and red maple trees, and 300 lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Lighten Up handled the event's lighting. See more: How This Jaw-Dropping Event Design Transported Guests Into the World of FX's Latest Series

For this year's Grammys, The Recording Academy’s official after-party—which took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center—treated its 5,000 guests to an eclectic, music festival-themed celebration. Producers tapped into a neon theme with light-up trees, hanging floral light fixtures, and laser lighting effects. See more: Grammys 2024: 40+ Trend-Setting Event Ideas From the Week's Star-Packed Parties

Another Recording Academy event that utilized bold neon lighting was the third annual Recording Academy Honors Presented by the Black Music Collective (BMC), held during Grammys week in February. The 1,000-person gala was designed and produced by MVD Inc.; it offered a plethora of eye-catching installations, including a multi-entry intersectional LED tunnel. See more: Grammys 2024: 40+ Trend-Setting Event Ideas From the Week's Star-Packed Parties

For last year's Atlanta Pride—one of the oldest and largest Pride festivals in the United States—organizers wanted to make a splash with the official kickoff event. Designed by YES Event Designs, the October 2023 gathering at the Georgia Aquarium immersed guests in a vibrant, fantasy-like environment that offered a futuristic take on an under-the-sea theme. Inspiration for the look came from the bioluminescence of the ocean, with lighting and video mapping used to evoke an ever-changing ocean floor. Active Production and Design handled the event's lighting and AV. See more: Check Out This Fresh Take on an Under-the-Sea Event Theme

In March, Washington, D.C.'s iconic Union Station went pink for the evening. The busy train station played host to the Pink Tie Party, the annual signature event of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Appropriately pink lighting and floral projections made an impact on the massive space's ceiling. Design Foundry handled decor, while 4Wall Entertainment handled lighting. See more: How D.C.'s Cherry Blossom Festival Took Over the City's Busy Union Station for an Evening

As fashion brand Dynamite shifts its marketing strategy to position itself as a one-stop fashion destination for urban career women ages 25 to 35, the brand wanted to host an event designed to change perceptions. A collaboration with experiential agency The Concierge Club, the September 2023 event at Toronto’s Union Station had a “Style in the City” concept. Decor featured mirrored and reflective elements, enhanced by lighting that caused a crystal-like effect throughout the space.

When you're dreaming up event decor for a hip cocktail party, Nacho Cheese Doritos likely aren't the place you look for inspiration. But a December 2023 event in Brooklyn proved that Doritos-inspired decor can be anything but cheesy. The gathering, presented by Vox Media's Eater, celebrated the launch of Doritos' limited-edition nacho cheese-flavored spirit, created in partnership with Empirical. More than 300 guests were welcomed by glowing, red Doritos-like triangles, made from neon and LED lighting, which hung from the venue's awning. The unique, triangular lighting design continued throughout the entire space. Vox Media worked with creative agency Mythical Creatures on the event's design and production. See more: This Stylish Launch Party Used Doritos as Decor (Yes, Really)

The Luskin Orthopaedic Institute for Children Gala was held in June 2023 at Universal Studios Hollywood. With the design, producer Billy Butchkavitz wanted to evoke the idea of a magical forest, inspired by the studio's Wizarding World of Harry Potter section. In addition to 22-foot-high theatrical scrim trees, a custom leaf-patterned fabric was used on the furniture and tablecloths. Moody lighting from Images by Lighting completed the leaf-filled look.

An oldie but a goodie: San Francisco-based company Got Light used 642 LED tubes to create an eye-catching design at the California Academy of Science's 2017 Big Bang Gala.

Another older favorite comes from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ post-Oscars Governors Ball in 2020, designed and produced by Sequoia Productions. Overhead was a floating chandelier made from 2,000 tubes of light, all constructed from recycled materials in varying finishes and textures. Eighty individual strings of Edison incandescent lightbulbs added to the lighting design. See more: Oscars 2020: Steal-Worthy Event Design Ideas From the Week's Most Stylish Parties

And in 2018, the San Francisco Symphony’s opening night gala, produced by Blueprint Studios, included a reception illuminated by 48 crystal chandeliers. See more: How the San Francisco Symphony Used Design to Convey Peace, Beauty, and Inclusion