At our The Corson Building Bastille Day Fete we welcomed over 350 people into a french village for a night (and day!) The party was bumping from 3 p.m. to the stroke of midnight. Kids, French people, scenesters, foodies, families, chickens, rockers, neighbors, crepe enthusiasts and dreamers all mingled together under a tri-color canopy of tissue-paper bursts playing games and eating delicious foods. The entertainment included Caspar Babypants aka Chris Ballew of The Presidents of the United States of America, Schoolyard Heroes, The Pharmacy and Can Can dancing by The beautiful Atomic Bombshells. Savory Corson crepes, oysters, and stew were eaten en masse and les boozes were enjoyed by all, including French specialties kir and pastis. Someone named Michelle won dinner cooked by Matt Dillon as a reward for supporting The Vera Project through buying some raffle tickets. Young and old alike went nuts in the Mungo Thomson Skyspace Bouncehouse (2007) provided by Western Bridge Gallery. Francosonic DeeDay Jack nee DJ Jacque ran a crazed dance floor while people made bike-powered spin-art, got psychic readings and particpated in chicken races. An epic fete for the ages.

We threw a patriotic bash for more than 1000 community members. The Cal Anderson Park Alliance hired us to produce their signature event to celebrate our nation’s favorite holiday, Independence Day! The event was free to all and featured free cotton candy, free root beer floats, free tie-dye, free spin art, free family portraits and a free root beer tasting garden. Bands played all day on the main stage including kids jammers Recess Monkey, urban Latin beat makers Picoso, Lo-fi pop from Katherine Hepburn’s Voice, and the funky soul sounds of Lady A and the Baby Blues Funk Band. Guests enjoyed pizza from Via Tribunali and dogs from Wandering Wieners. Caffe Vita served coffee and guests were free to participate in a hotly contested pie-eating contest and Pet/human look-alike contest. This was the celebration the founding father’s were waiting for!

7th Annual Capitol Hill Independence Day Community Picnic from Patrick Wright on Vimeo.

We created an awesome Aurora Borealis as witnessed from an Alaskan Lodge for PopCap Games’ annual holiday party. Every detail was authentic from the hundred Stansport red lanterns burning the midnight oil to the hand carved wooden sign. It was a green affair with 20 pairs of free-cycled skis, found deer antlers, family heirloom chainsaw carvings and several vintage toboggans. DJ Whatever spun some clever tunes while guests gambled the night away, sang to karaoke in the Northern Lights Karaoke den, took ice luge shots and blended boozy milkshakes on the bike-powered Adventure blender. All capped off by a midnight snack of good old fashioned grilled cheese sandwiches.

On December 23rd all sorts of rabble-rousers, merrymakers and mischief-bringers gathered together under one roof to dance off the extra holiday calories and trance out to the supersonic tunes to an incontrovertibly danceable conglomeration of DJ’s. Drink specials were of the hot “Holiday” variety and the kids were going nuts as Spencer Moody hocked wares from the Anne Bonny in the back and revelers danced on go-go platforms in front of DJ’s Bring “Em Out, Sam Rousso Soundsystem (of the popular, recently-defunct club night Ruff Gemz), Kendra is Magic of Dreamburger and NYC-based Rezound.

Synapse Product Development held its annual Christmas party in their office this year. The Synapsters arrived to a winter wonderland filled with snowboards, skis, and disco balls. All guests were treated to a walk down a tree-lined aisle culminating in a glowing sculpture of an icy mountain. All twenty-five Christmas trees were purchased from the Dunshee House Christmas Tree sale, with the lion’s share of the proceeds going to their programming, including the Seattle Aids Support Group. A guitarist strummed as Synapsters, friends, families and clients nibbled on tasty morsels from The Boat Street Kitchen and sugary snowballs from Trophy Cupcakes. The elegant affair was punctuated by a skateboard exhibition in the company’s in-office half pipe and a parade led by girls dressed in winter forest ensembles.

All photos by Philip Kramer.

As the clock struck 7 p.m. over 200 people gathered in a lobby for the ZAAZ holiday party. They were surprised when they were whisked upstairs to the their office-com-nightclub replete with stiltwalkers, the larger than life bust of a stallion ice luge, and the two largest black satined and be-ostrich feathered dream catchers the world has ever known. Guests were treated to copious amounts of dim sum, Veuve Cliquot, and video projections as they danced to the sweet beats of the Sam Rousso Soundsystem. Belly dance performances were held on the hour in the hookah village as ZAAZ staff munched on mediterranean tastes from Cedars restaurant. The ZAAZ holiday party was in full David Lynchian effect as a man dressed in a penguin suit and Charlie Chaplin mustache bounced up and down on a bed at the Mayflower Park Hotel across the street holding a moveable light marquee saying, “Something tells me you are having a holiday party”. To cap it off there was a glamorous performance by the gorgeous Atomic Bombshells Burlesque and a raucous CEO birthday honoring cake smashing ceremony. At 12 o’clock no one turned into a pumpkin but hundreds of Dick’s burgers arrived, as well as Neapolitan pizza from Via Tribunali and the taste of childhood smore’s in the body of elegant chocolates by Sculpt. By the end of the party, staffers and guests who weren’t in the karaoke room or dancing on the bar were treated to a performance by the Merce Cunningham duo in the Ice Lounge.

All photos by Philip Kramer.

(photos on flyer courtesy of Joey Elgersma)
On October 31, 2007 over two hundred revelers crowded Seattle’s Baltic Room for a night of DJ’s, drinks and dancing in costumes. Everyone was there from the Super Mario Brothers Mario and Luigi to Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. The event was held near downtown on the hipster frequented oriented pike/pine corridor.

Photos by Lauren Max.

On October 26th, 2007 members of the Maveron team, a leading venture capital firm with a portfolio including eBay, kinetix and TerraPass and their families gathered for a Halloween Bash. Community notables such as former Washington State Governor Gary Locke and Maveron Co-Founder Dan Levitan were in attendance. Everyone was entertained by a mime, a clown and a cupcake decorator while the children participated in story telling, pinata smashing and a rousing rendition of the mummy game. Hosted by Maveron. The event was held at Maveron corporate offices in the NBBJ designed 505 Union Station building in Seattle.