After they weren’t given a table at this year’s White House Correspondentss Association Dinner, Buzzfeed decided to host its own viewing party and broadcast the WHCD live.
Buzzfeed and Geico headlined the party and, due to its proximity to the Hilton Hotel, it was hosted at Jack Rose Dining Saloon. Attendees occupied both levels of the DC favorite drinking establishment. Downstairs was limited entry with a lively DJ, flat screen televisions streaming the dinner and crowds of people dressed to the nines dancing the night away. Upstairs was a bit more low key with party goers sipping drinks and chatting with friends. Neither level was ideal for anyone who came to actually listen to the dinner –it was too loud to hear anything. However, there was an open bar for all, hor d’oeuvres and dessert, which ranged from pigs in a blanket to mini smores and red velvet cupcakes. All were passed around by servers in Buzzfeed garb.
“Basically, the idea behind this party is that a lot of people go to the pre-parties, and they go to the after parties, but not everyone eats dinner. We thought there was a huge audience for this, and it turned out to be true,” said Buzzfeed’s Senior Press Director Ashley McCollum. “It seemed like a new idea, and Buzzfeed has a reputation for coming in and doing things a little differently. “
Around 850 people RSVPed to the event with 300 people at a time being permitted to enter. Flows of people came in and out of the party throughout the evening with the most exciting appearances happening towards the end of the night.
The cast of Netflix’s House of Cards, sans Kevin Spacey, even dropped by the party. They arrived as a group, danced and happily snapped photos with others at the event.
In the beginning of the evening, Buzzfeed handed out their popular stickers with the same words written on them that appear on the site’s border, such as “Fail” and “OMG.” As the evening died down, the stickers could be seen strewn about on the floor of Jack Rose, including ones that read, “Win.” – I think that would sum up Buzzfeed’s event quite well.
