I had the privilege of attending this year’s District Holiday Gala held at Blind Whino, art gallery, dressed in a Free People dress, thrift store boots, and a meteorite necklace from Roswell, New Mexico. I normally don’t name drop what I wear but this event was uber fancy so I kinda felt the need to. Although I wasn’t in gala-attire, the night reflected my unique outfit and inner spirit.
So the eclectic modern art comprised of, for example, a squeezed out Budweiser beer bottle painting, candy-colored geisha girl portrait, and Lisa Frank inspired kittens frolicking in the cotton candy sky landscape — juxtaposed with a cognac tasting area; an aerial acrobatic artist bending in circles; an array of gourmet accouterments you can only find a 5 star restaurants, and a paper machete sculpture of Old Dirty Bastard from the Wu Tang Clan, brought out my whimsical side.
. Not only that but what I love most about this unique gala is that 100% of all proceeds benefit Horton’s Kids, a community based non profit in Washington DC that empowers at-risk children in grades K through 12 and prepares them for college, career, and life. It’s not everyday a gala supports a charity, 100 percent of the way. But this gala does.
This gala was one-of-a-kind. I can go on about how this gala was unique but you really needed to see it to believe it. From my eye witness account, apparently, there was a roving, inflatable dinosaur hovering the dance floor; a large, but sprawling cherry tree made from pink tissue paper; a paper machete santa (with a vengeance) by the DJ corner; a random dude dressed as Santa Clause dancing like it was 1999, and some of the most best dressed folks in D.C representing all major industries. I almost felt like I was dreaming, especially when I was inside the pink-tinted dance floor.
Around 400 party-goers saw what I saw–probably drank the same 20 year, $100.00, Remy Martin cognac I had.
This was the first time I ever drank cognac, and I was fortunate enough to have the best of the best at THE best gala in Washington D.C. I think I was way too lucky this year. Remy Martin makes insanely good cognac. I had the 1738, and I do appreciate the cognac’s smooth taste, with the sharp conclusion at the end.
Along with drinking some fine cognac, I ate delicious treats, fyi. The meatballs, cocktail shrimp, cucumbers with salmon, and beyond impressed me. I shouldn’t be too surprised considering that Yelp, Whistelpig, Think Food Group by José Andrés, Georgetown cupcake, and many others contributed to my gastronomical experience.
After stuffing my face, I was enamored by the pink room. I have never seen a room get completely pink like that. The night would’ve been more perfect if the DJ played songs by Pink all night but, then again, the mash-up of 90’s hip hop with trippy christmas music actually made up for the lack of Pink songs playing that night. I laughed so hard when I heard the DJ spinning a track of DMX singing Rudolph the Red nosed reindeer. I didn’t even know that was real.
I definitely want to make District Gala a yearly thing for me. There’s too many amazing moments, experiences, and sensations rolled up into one night.
