About Los Angeles
When most people think of Los Angeles, they think bright lights, Hollywood movie stars, and worldwide pop-stars. While the glamour of Hollywood is very much alive and real, there’s more to the city of LA than what meets the eye. Los Angeles might be one of the few cities in the United States where you can surf, snowboard, and hike (and throw a party) all in the same day.
Moreover, there isn’t one park, sidewalk, or street that isn’t photo-worthy––which makes sense given that the city is jam-packed with influencers, thespians, and creatives alike. Thousands of people from around the globe come to the Los Angeles Arts District because of its diversity and innovation. From the boardwalk of Santa Monica and downtown Long Beach, to Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills right up into the Hollywood Hills, there’s an event space for every event, party, and person out there.
With so many must-see attractions, venues and local talent, it’s no wonder people flock to the City of Angels to host parties of all kinds. Because no matter where you are or what you do, Los Angeles is a great place to have a good time.
Party Options in Los Angeles
World-Class Caterers
Taste of Pace
Premiere food catering service for weddings, launch parties, corporate events, and a large array of other social occasions. They offer vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free dishes that are sure to satisfy anyone's specific appetite. Their people-first approach to cooking is reflected in their exquisite dishes and passionate chefs.
Kogi BBQ
A true Hollywood story: Kogi’s famous Korean short rib taco catapulted their success through the Hollywood nightlife. With several food trucks around LA and OC, their catering service will be the jewel of the party––your own private, personal taco truck at your requested party location.
Wolfgang Puck Catering
World-class chefs that offer unique eating experiences for both large and small events. Featured on MasterClass, their engaging food services, and hospitable staff creates a seamlessly enjoyable party through every season.
Florists
The Bouqs Co.
Sustainable florists that minimize waste with every batch. Founded in 2012 in West LA, their devotion to bringing compassion and kindness to the world through stunning floral arrangements are memorable for all showers, celebrations, and deliveries.
Transportation Services
Crown Limo LA
Need a limousine or luxury sedan to get your party guests to and from the venue? Crown Limo LA is well known for their top-quality drivers and immaculate fleet of sedans, limousines and party buses. You can even customize your ground travel experience by arranging pick and drop off points at various LA locations, including nightclubs, luxury hotels, and more.
Equipment Rental Services
Premiere Party Rents
One of the top equipment and party rental services in LA, Premiere Party Rents is known for their pristine seating, staging, and electrical equipment. Rent it all to make your Los Angeles party a unique and special social event.
Pico Party Rentals
With over 90 years of service, Pico Party Rental will make sure that you’re equipped with the right equipment for the perfect LA party. They rent out furniture, dining equipment and various entertainment equipment (including sound equipment, lighting, and trusses) for LA parties of all kinds.
Event and Party Planning Companies in Los Angeles, California
Kristin Banta Events
Awarded a multitude of times in event planning, design, and production for their attention to detail in all things event-related, Kristin Banta Events has constructed premier Los Angeles parties for the Crazy Rich Asians cast, a company event for Bumble, and a few pop-up parties at BeautyCon LA. Look to them to create an immersive party experience that takes your vision for your event to new levels.
Savvy Events
Prided for extremely detailed design concepts, Savvy Events is known for creating immersive experiences for all their clients’ guests. They’ve produced corporate events for large conferences, influencer product launches and lunches, and stunning baby showers and birthday parties in downtown Los Angeles.
Ella Events
From weddings to non-profit events, Ella and her team have produced events for exclusive Hollywood parties like the Oscars and Emmys, with clients ranging from Nickelodeon, Marc Jacobs, Samsung, Volvo, and even hospitals and law offices in Southern California. They can plan and produce all kinds of LA parties, from branded corporate events to intimate wedding parties.
Pros and Cons of Parties in Los Angeles
Pros:
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Large number of party services
No matter which party service or venue you need, Los Angeles has a service for it. Don’t fret if you need to do last-minute arrangements...you can find help in no time at all.
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Event Spaces of all sizes
If you need a large event space or a more intimate one, Los Angeles will have the right size event space for your party!
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Unique event venues of all kinds
If you are looking for an art deco style or maybe something with high ceilings and natural light for your next event or party, dtla is bound to have exactly the indoor or outdoor space you are looking for!
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Comfortable climate
Los Angeles has a comfortable living climate all year round. Regardless of the season of your event, you can dress comfortably and pack a bit lighter.
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Diverse culture
From food, to arts and culture, Los Angeles is one of the most diverse cities in the U.S.
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Top-notch dining
From local mom and pop shops to Michelin-star restaurants, Los Angeles will make sure your appetite is delighted.
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So many photo shoot opportunities
Los Angeles has so many unique spaces from penthouses to pubs that will be the perfect backdrop for your next dinner party, engagement party or expo
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Nearby theme parks
With Universal Studios, Six Flags, and Disneyland within an hour’s drive away, you have additional options for retreats, event venues and getaways.
Cons:
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Long commutes
Los Angeles is a very spread out city - be sure to include travel time and peak traffic hours beforehand.
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Expensive amenities and services
Beauty comes with a price. Some venues and party rental companies can be pricey. Be progressive with your wants, needs, and budget.
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Lack of parking spaces
Parking can be tough (and also expensive) if you plan to have an event in compact areas of the city (like Downtown L.A. Beverly Hills and Venice Beach).
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Crime
Like any city, be wary of your environment. Larger cities tend to have larger crime rates.
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Too many options
It’s very much possible to become overwhelmed with so many options and activities to do.
Famous Party Locations in Los Angeles
Plan your party venue nearby one of these famous L.A. destinations to keep the party fun going all week or weekend long!
Hollywood Sign
Arguably the most recognizable landmark in Los Angeles, the Hollywood sign is a must-see when visiting L.A.
Disneyland
First opened in 1955, this world-renowned theme park is a “must” for little kids and big kids alike. Featuring attractions, live-shows, restaurants, shops, and plenty of costumed-characters, Disneyland is the perfect way to spend a day with your most favorite party guests.
Manhattan Beach
This L.A. hotspot features a sprawling sand beach and two miles of shoreline to explore. It’s the perfect place to capture a few photos with all your party guests.
Santa Monica Pier
Known for its fun Ferris wheel and oceanside vantage points, Santa Monica Pier is a great event space to explore in Los Angeles to enjoy the amusement park, or grab some coastal cuisine.
Jason Merritt // Getty Images for Blueflame
By Harley Brown
Famous party hubs from LA history
Los Angeles has all the ingredients for a good get-down: great weather, interesting and diverse people, and an abundance of unique venues.
To celebrate legendary hotspots ranging from Vanity Fair's Oscars blowouts to the swinging supper clubs of the 1940s and '50s, Giggster spotlighted five iconic party hubs throughout LA history. Many of them are part of local lore, like the Whisky a Go Go, which exported not only go-go boots but essential '60s acts like Buffalo Springfield and the Doors. Although others no longer exist or are too exclusive for mortals to get into, the indelible imprint they left on our collective consciousness will always be accessible.
There's always been something for revelers in LA, whether you're looking for a backyard function in South LA or a glittering Hollywood gala. Not even Prohibition and Mafia involvement in the 1930s could diminish the glitzy, glamorous clubs that sprang up along the Sunset Strip, setting the stage for later City of Angels parties to become places to see and be seen.
Keep reading to learn more about the hottest nightspots in LA history.
Keystone Hulton Archive // Getty Images
Ciro's in the '40s
William "Billy" Wilkerson, founder of renowned industry publication The Hollywood Reporter, was no stranger to luring the rich and famous to his nightclubs on LA's Sunset Strip.
In 1934 he established the Trocadero, a swanky hangout for mobsters and actors alike, with a back room for Wilkerson's gambling habit. He was soon bored with "the Troc," however, and after a dubious kitchen blaze demolished the place, Wilkerson founded Ciro's in 1940. Once "the most glamorous spot on the Sunset Strip," the silk-adorned supper club was frequented by Hollywood lodestars including Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, and Frank Sinatra (who kept getting into fistfights despite the club's "three strikes" rule). And that was just in the audience; clubgoers could expect to groove to live music from Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, Dean Martin, and more.
After Wilkerson set his sights on Las Vegas and another fire decimated Ciro's in 1942, his associate Herman Hoover ran it under the extortionist eye of notorious gangster Mickey Cohen until 1959.
Los Angeles Examiner/USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images
Mocambo in the '40s and '50s
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz reportedly adored Mocambo so much that it inspired the Tropicana Club in "I Love Lucy." Founded by a former talent agent and an entrepreneur, the Sunset Boulevard supper club featured decor that was a nod to imperial Rome and Salvador Dalí and included an aviary of macaws, parakeets, and a cockatoo—much to the chagrin of animal rights activists at the time.
Mocambo's over-the-top design couldn't overshadow the significant, on-stage events. In 1953, Eartha Kitt performed for three sold-out nights in a row after LA officials charged her music with being "too sexy." A couple of years later, Ella Fitzgerald debuted on the Mocambo stage; Marilyn Monroe was allegedly the one who persuaded the venue proprietors to take a chance on the First Lady of Song. Mocambo also hosted performances by members of the "Jet" set in the mid-'50s, including Western star Herb Jeffries and theater and nightclub luminary Joyce Bryant.
Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives // Getty Images
Whisky a Go Go in the '60s
It's hard to overstate Whisky a Go Go's importance to rock 'n' roll in the '60s.
The Whisky's first stamp on the culture was go-go girls: When it opened in 1964 as a disco—inspired by co-founder Elmer Valentine's visit to a Parisian club of the same name—DJ Joanie Labine was one of the women who danced for the audience while spinning records and designed the famous outfit of white boots and a fringed miniskirt. Known for 1966's "Secret Agent Man," singer Johnny Rivers was the first regular act to play at the Whisky and contributed to drawing huge crowds that frequently included LA legends Steve McQueen and Jayne Mansfield.
After the Byrds migrated less than a mile down the strip from Ciro's to the Whisky, the counterculture was in full bloom. Valentine and his oft-associate Lou Adler incubated Buffalo Springfield and the Mamas & the Papas, and many of the artists who defined '60s music—Led Zeppelin, the Who, the Kinks, Jimi Hendrix, and Neil Young—played there.
The Whisky's first house band was the Doors, but bandmates were relieved of that title after management deemed Jim Morrison's Oedipal lyrics to "The End" inappropriate, despite their intoxicating effect on the crowd.
Jason Merritt // Getty Images for Blueflame
P Diddy's annual White Party
Flush with the success of his Bad Boy record label and his 1997 debut album "No Way Out," the multi-hyphenate Sean John Combs, aka P. Diddy (then Puffy, then Love, then—finally—Diddy again), purchased an East Hampton property in 1998.
To introduce himself to the neighborhood, he threw a Fourth of July party with a strict white dress code, barbecue, and 1,000 of his closest friends from Aretha Franklin and Al Sharpton to Tommy Lee and Kim Kardashian. For 11 years, Diddy's annual White Party hopped to different locales that were always the place to be: He made "Hypnotize" with Biggie Smalls at one of them, and in 2004, TV producer Normal Lear lent the hip-hop mogul an original copy of the Declaration of Independence to display.
Diddy co-hosted the final White Party in 2009 with Ashton Kutcher in Beverly Hills, California, an event to promote and benefit the nonprofit Malaria No More. Even if Diddy's promised return of the White Party never materializes, the priceless photographs and unforgettable stories will live on forever.
Billy Farrell/Patrick McMullen via Getty Images
Vanity Fair Oscar parties
Vanity Fair's former editor-in-chief Graydon Carter hosted the magazine's first Oscars party in 1994 to fill a void left by the death of talent agent Irving "Swifty" Lazar and his own Academy Awards soirée.
Attendees included Prince, Nancy Reagan, Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise, and Anthony Hopkins, to name a few. Throughout the rest of the '90s and the 2000s, those who managed to score an invite could witness Dennis Rodman rubbing elbows with Billy Crystal, Goldie Hawn goofing off with Steve Martin, and Whitney Houston entering in a vibrant purple stole with Bobby Brown.
Since Radhika Jones took over for Carter in 2018, the star-studded event has received criticism for its corporate sponsorships and more inclusive guest list, and now competes with events hosted by the likes of Jay-Z and Madonna. But by other accounts the magazine's Oscars parties are thriving: In response to the criticism, director Ava Duvernay tweeted, "Funny how now it's suddenly 'lost its luster.' Luster for some. Closed doors now open for others."