Thank you Aspen! We had an incredible inaugural New Years Eve celebration with Bovet 1822 at the beautiful St. Regis Aspen Hotel. Co-hosts included Academy Award® winner Susan Sarandon, star polo player and model Nacho Figueras and wife Delfina Blaquier, owner of the St. Regis Aspen Stephane De Baets, owner of Bovet 1822 Pascal Raffy, and Amy Sacco. Event guests included the evening’s performers, Win Butler and Régine Chassagne of Arcade Fire, musician Rufus Wainwright, actress and model Madalina Ghenea, and front man of The National Matt Berninger.
Click here for photos from the celebration.
The spectacular night featured hors d’oeuvres and a four course culinary experience from Chefs Club by Food & Wine Magazine, including Petrossian Caviar, agnolotti with shaved white truffle, and a Waygu beef duo. The open bar featured Billecart-Salmon Champagne, Aspen Brewing Company Beer, and cocktails furnished by Woody Creek Distillery. Guests wore special Masquerade Masks hand painted by Broadway makeup designer Joe Dulude II.
Highlights of the evening included a lively and fun auction, where a Zoolander 2 experience brought home over $50,000, and a special live performance by Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, who played classics such as “Haiti”, “The Suburbs,” and were joined onstage by Matt Berninger from The National for a beautiful version of “Wake Up.” Katharine McPhee, American Idol contestant and star of hit television show ‘Smash’, sang the classic “What Are You Doing New Years” to start off the party.
“I couldn’t think of a better way to start 2016 than with our friend Stephane and the St Regis family. Artists for Peace and Justice has always benefited from our extraordinary, ever-growing, committed friends who are all dedicated to achieving meaningful results for the children of Haiti. The Midnight Masquerade brought together old friends and an opportunity to make new friends and continue to build on our fantastic achievements. In the coming year, we will be prepared for new challenges but also a bright beginning for our first-ever graduating high school class. Because of you, these children will have a chance at a better tomorrow. Because of you, we are beginning to break the cycle of poverty and lack of education in Haiti. And because of you, and your amazing support, we can ring in the New Year with a message of hope and progress for our students. We’re grateful to the Aspen community, our incredible partners and friends Bovet 1822, Stephane De Baets, Chefs Club by Food&Wine and the St. Regis Aspen for the warm welcome to your beautiful town.”
We came to Aspen with our strategic partner, Bovet 1822, as the 2015 New Years Eve gala’s title sponsor, with Owner Pascal Raffy joining the roster of co-hosts for the evening. Bovet 1822 ensures APJ is able to give 100 percent of every dollar raised directly to Haiti.
Guests looking to wear this season’s hottest new looks visited The Armarium Chalet, a luxury pop-up retail styling concept where guests have access to high fashion pieces on a borrowed basis, as well as access to the fashion industry’s top stylists. Esteemed guests of the Midnight Masquerade Susan Sarandon, Delfina Blaquier, APJ COO Kathryn Everett, and more were all dressed by The Armarium Chalet.
The highlight of the evening was the countdown to midnight, with Win Butler and Régine Chassagne taking the stage with Zing Experience (Paul Beaubrun, Morgan Zwerlein and Yves Boyer) to play Arcade Fire’s hit “Here Comes the Night Time” as the fireworks display was above them and the beautiful Aspen mountains. It was a truly special way to ring in the New Year.
All in all, over $500,000 was raised for our programs in Haiti. The Midnight Masquerade was a party for our guests to do good, and have fun!
