The Secret Of An A-List Party

NW gets the lowdown from the minds behind Hollywoods biggest bashes!

While we may spend our lives on the wrong side of the velvet rope – leaning over for a sneaky peek at a flaming bottle of Grey Goose – for our favourite celebrities, attending extravagant parties is as regular as a slobby night on the sofa for us.

Yep, we’ve spent hours scrolling through all the Instagram stories of the likes of the Hadids or Cara Delevingne, just to get a glimpse of their hedonistic lifestyles. But what actually goes into pulling one of these mega-parties off?

Having planned multiple occasions for Adele, as well as helping Elton John throw a bash for his valet, party planner extraordinaire Steven Duggan knows what he’s doing when it comes to show-stopping events.

“[Elton] was very heavily involved because it meant so much to him,” Steven tells UK Heat magazine. “The team member was one of his best friends. He was very happy with it and a lovely person to work with.”

After starting his event planning career in his early twenties, Steven has seen it all.

“We’ve had a petting zoo in a house before – for a second birthday – with rabbits, chickens, dogs, ponies. It was like Mrs Doubtfire’s house!” he recalls. “I also did a Christmas event that was Charlie And The Chocolate Factory themed. That was magical because we had all the right music and coloured festoon lanterns. The guests walked into something that was totally not something they expected.”

But it all comes at a cost, and sometimes the VIPs forget that.