PARTY LIKE A PREZ!

It’s not every day you turn 60 so Barack Obama went large with three days of festivities – and Oprah, Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Tom Hanks were all there to help him celebrate

- JANE VORSTER

AS PRESIDENT it felt as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders but now as an ordinary citizen, Barack Obama is clearly loving being able to do whatever he pleases.

And when his 60th birthday rolled around this month, it offered the perfect excuse for him to really let his hair down.

It’s not every day you mark this milestone so Obama decided to go large with three days of festivities on the idyllic island of Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where he owns a sprawling waterfront property.

From long, lazy brunches and dinners to the mother of all parties attended by singer Beyoncé, rapper Jay-Z, actor Tom Hanks and film director Steven Spielberg, it was a weekend packed full of fun and entertainment.

But for many the standout was seeing the birthday boy partying like a rock star.

The main event took place in a giant marquee erected on the grounds of the estate, which the former US president purchased for $12 million (R174m) last year. Obama made his grand entrance dressed casually in a patterned shirt and white pants with black beads around his neck to cheers from the assembled guests.

“He never stopped smiling,” a party insider says. “Literally, every time I saw him, he had the biggest smile.”

In a picture leaked on social media Obama could be seen busting out his favourite moves on a raised dancefloor in the centre of the marquee.

TJ Chapman, one of the entertainment crew, was impressed by the former president’s stamina – despite spending the whole day on the golf course with friends he still had the energy to dance all night.