Oscars 2019: Glamorous Party Highlights From the Week's Biggest Events

The academy’s annual Governors Ball took place at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland immediately following the Oscars on Sunday. This year’s event—which drew 1,500 winners, nominees, presenters, and other industry types—was an homage to global cinema, featuring a presentation of iconic movie moments plus ballroom decor that evoked old movie-theater designs. Lois Burnwell, a makeup artist and chair of the academy's awards and events committee, oversaw the event for the second year. She worked with Cheryl Cecchetto of Los Angeles-based Sequoia Productions on the ball's decor and production. (Cecchetto and her team have been producing the Governors Ball for 30 consecutive years.) Photo: Jerry Hayes PhotographyDespite months of controversy, Sunday night's 91st Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre were ultimately a success according to event professionals, due to a unique proscenium by set designer David Korins, engaging musical numbers, a diverse group of presenters, and passionate speeches from winners.

For many industry insiders, though, the real draw of Oscars week is the pre- and post-ceremony parties, dinners, and cocktail receptions. While most award-season events have tight security offering celebrities some semblance of privacy, the Oscars take it a bit further: Some of the night's most high-profile events have complete bans on social media posts and other press.

The biggest example this year was Jay-Z and Beyoncé's uber-exclusive Oscars party at the Chateau Marmont. The couple reportedly personally approves every name on the guest list, and attendees are asked not to take any photos. Though only in its second year, the Hollywood Reporter recently described the event as "the hottest Oscar party in town." Similarly, Madonna's post-Oscars bash, held annually at the home of her manager, Guy Oseary, also had a strict ban on photos.

But plenty of buzzy after-parties did still allow press coverage, including Vanity Fair's long-running Oscars party—complete with the traditional In-N-Out Burgers—plus the Elton John AIDS Foundation's elegant viewing party, which raised a whopping $6.3 million in one evening.

And, of course, the Academy's own Governors Ball remains the night's first stop for the industry's elite. Produced by Sequoia Productions for the 30th consecutive year, the gathering took on an elegant theater-inspired design with plenty of sparkling gold touches—plus 400 distinct floral arrangements.

Click through the slide show to see inside these and other Oscars week events, including Essence's art-inspired Black Women in Hollywood luncheon, Cadillac's upscale dinner party, Icon Mann's costume exhibit, and more.