From the Governors Ball to Elton John's star-studded bash, get ready for a weekend of Hollywood hobnobbing!
The 94th annual Academy Awards are Sunday, which means it's time for some of the swankiest A-list parties of the year!
The fun only begins during the Oscars' star-studded telecast, hosted this year by Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes. Following the announcement of the 2022 Best Picture winner, this year's attendees will be headed to some of the biggest soirees in town -- under COVID protocols, of course.
From the Governors Ball to the Vanity Fair after-party to the Elton John AIDS Foundation's annual bash, ET will be on the scene to see who's rubbing elbows and hear from the night's biggest stars. Here's a look at what to expect from some of the Oscars' biggest parties!
Governors Ball
Traditionally the first stop post-show for all of the night's biggest winners, the Governors Ball is where winners get their Oscar statuettes engraved while rubbing elbows with their fellow attendees and enjoying a bite to eat from some first-class chefs.
Wolfgang Puck returns this year -- following two pandemic-restricted ceremonies -- for his 28th year as the head of the kitchen during the Governors Ball. The celebrity chef spoke with ET ahead of this year's bash, and previewed some of the 40+ dishes he and his team will be preparing for the stars come Sunday night.
"It's so exciting to have the Oscars back to normal," Puck raved as he shared a look at his menu, which will include macaroni and cheese, chicken pot pie, smoked salmon, Kobe burgers, Miyazaki beef, braised beef cheeks, chicken paprikash, and more. "Last year was not the Oscars, really, so we are excited. The whole city is buzzing and everybody is excited. We have a more universal approach, you know, a global approach for the Oscars -- we have food from Turkey, from Hungary, from the Gastro guys, so it's gonna be a lot of fun."
This year, the Governors Ball will also feature food from New York City chef collective Ghetto Gastro. Jon Gray, Lester Walker, and Pierre Serrao also spoke with ET about what they're bringing to the table, which will include a "collision of flavors" in their chicken and waffles, crab and cornbread, and rice and beans-inspired dishes.
They're also making collard green and plantain patties, shaved ice "piraguas," and a Bronx-inspired cocktail with tequila, lime, coconut and mango.
"We really wanted to bring out those tropical summertime flavors that are nostalgic -- shout-out to Lin-Manuel [Miranda], another uptown brother nominated this year," Gray shared. "Wolfgang and his team was super collaborative and open to the ideas. This year's theme is 'Moviegoers Unite,' so they were like, let's unite flavor and have a collision and do something unexpected for the people."
Vanity Fair
Perhaps the party that makes the most headlines on Oscars night, the Vanity Fair after-party is always good for an iconic moment, whether it be a risqué wardrobe change, an appearance by a surprise star, or a new couple making their carpet debut. As Vanity Fair's own Frank DiGiacomo noted in 2013, it's the rare Hollywood soiree where "there is no VIP section."
Get in on the A-list action by live-streaming the party on the Vanity Fair website and on Twitter, beginning at 8 p.m. PT/11 p.m. E.T. on Oscars night.
Elton John AIDS Foundation
Of course, throughout the night, there are always plenty of stars and festivities at Elton John's annual Academy Awards Viewing Party, which John and husband David Furnish have hosted every year since 1993 to raise money for the singer's namesake foundation.
"It's something that we look forward to every year, because we always have so much fun," John told ET on the red carpet at the 2018 bash. "We get supported by the same people year in and year out, and then we get a few new ones along the way. Also we have music, which is great, so it's a fun evening. It's hard work, but it's fun."
"We're so lucky that people continue to support and share our vision for ending a world with AIDS," Furnish added. "We're very grateful for that."
The 2022 Oscars air live on Sunday, March 27 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC. In the meantime, stay tuned to ETonline.com for complete Oscars coverage.
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