Super Bowl Parties 2016: TheWrap’s Ultimate Guide to Best Invites in San Francisco
Don’t set your GPS for Santa Clara as all the big bashes are in City by the Bay, with Avicii, Nick Jonas, Amy Schumer, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Zac Brown Band
Mikey Glazer | January 29, 2016 @ 6:18 PM
Last Updated: February 5, 2016 @ 2:40 PM
This preview focuses on private, invite-only events aimed at an industry audience.
From CAA’s concierge service to a party on a “Treasure Island,” and one ticketed event hosted by Jeremy Piven that costs 109 times more than a movie ticket to “Entourage,” here are TheWrap’s picks for where and how Hollywood will invade Northern California.
While the big game between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers will played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, the heart of the Super Bowl party scene will be over an hour’s drive north in San Francisco.
Check out all the hottest invites for the weekend of Feb.4-7, 2016, leading up to kick off at 3:30 p.m. PT on Sunday, Feb. 7.
Avicii, Elle King, Travis Scott and DJ Irie Rolling Stone; Saturday, Feb. 6, 9 p.m. The Galleria at the San Francisco Design Center
Known For: As the Washington Post put it, this one is not about being rich. It’s about being famous. Rolling Stone has traditionally thrown solid, tune-packed parties.
Industry Hook: TAO is handling and hosting a VIP area which will stratify the room. For Rolling Stone’s producing partners Talent Resources Sports, it’s a statement event after dropping off the Sundance scene this year in a break from their well-attended gifting suite that ran for almost 10 years.
Insider Tip: DJ Irie democratically elevates every room he touches, he has a midas hand on the tables.
Nick Jonas ESPN The Magazine’s Party; Friday, Feb. 5 Festival Pavilion in Fort Mason
Odell Beckham Jr.
Known For: Large-scale physical production, an endless parade of ESPN sponsors — and lots of male athletes.
Industry Hook: Jonas appears on the DirecTV show “Kingdom,” so we suspect he’ll turn up to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Saturday night too, plus his Sundance film “Goat” just sold this week.
A$AP Rocky and Lil Wayne Maxim Party with Bootsy Bellows and Karma International; Saturday, Feb. 6, 8 p.m. Treasure Island
Known For: A gold-plated legacy in 21st century Super Bowl weekend celebrations for centralizing the worlds of celebrity, pop culture and media movers — from DJ AM to Les Moonves. Traditionally, they have also had a separate check-in line for hundreds of locally-recruited young women to attend, though with the magazine’s recent make-under (like Playboy), it’s unclear if this will continue. For 2016, professional drivers will whip guests along a waterfront driving course in Dodge cars.
Industry Hook: The team behind young Hollywood’s favorite hang, The Nice Guy, bring their Bootsy Bellows brand to the party, hosting a “private” (read: celebrity/VIP and separate access) area within the 50,000 square foot space.
Red Hot Chili Peppers DirecTV Super Saturday Night Co-Hosted by Mark Cuban‘s AXS TV; Saturday, Feb. 6 Pier 70
Chili Peppers played Sean Penn’s “Help Haiti Home” gala night before the Golden Globes (Christopher Polk/Getty Images for J/P Haitian Relief Organization)
Known For: Shock-and-awe firepower in a sea of also-rans. Their last few headliners have almost all been former Super Bowl halftime headliners: Katy Perry, Jay-Z and Beyonce, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna and Kanye West.
Insider Tip: Unlike the Thursday and Friday night concerts with Dave Matthews and Pharrell that are ticketed, this multi-thousand person event is strictly invite-only.
Industry Hook: This is a smart play for Cuban’s AXS, an underwatched music-focused network that in addition to airing Coachella and travel documentaries with DJs, has had high ratings importing the still-highly successful U.K. edition of “The X Factor” day-and-date to the U.S., which has been the only place for audiences to see Simon Cowell scorn hopefuls for the past few TV seasons.
Bottom Line: Although Pharrell would have been a better choice to headline both Friday and Saturday night (and the Super Bowl halftime show itself), this is still a top-tier crowd of media execs and stars in a very big tent.
Known For: The business behind the big game weekend. Steinberg has negotiated $3 billion in player contracts.
Insider Tip: Keep your eyes open at this daytime party, as in addition to having repped names like Troy Aikman and Ben Roethlisberger, then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama once attended.
Industry Hook: Steinberg is alleged to be the inspiration behind “Jerry Maguire” and thus, will be hoping to show top college prospect Paxton Lynch the you-know-what in the upcoming NFL draft. The legend continues …
Future, Mia Moretti andDiplo New Era Party and Style Lounge; Saturday Feb. 6 The Battery Hotel, Battery Street, San Francisco Hip-hop star Future will be the star of the show — and no doubt wearing New Era threads — at New Era’s party Saturday night at the Battery Hotel. Mia Moretti will be the opening DJ and Diplo will close out the celebrity-filled bash. For those on the VIP invite list, the clothing company will also be hosting a Style Lounge with brand announcements throughout the week, Feb. 3-6 at the Parlor Room inside the Battery from 10 a.m.-6 p.m each day Expect to see lots of their products on Super Bowl Sunday too, as NewEra is the official cap of the NFL sidelines.
Bradley Cooper, Amy Schumer and Judd Apatow at GQ’s Men of the Year Party at the Chateau Marmont in December. (Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for GQ)
This Seth & Amy “Weekend Update” is not courtesy of Meyers and Poehler.
Seth Rogen and Amy Schumer are the faces of Bud Light’s new election-year themed campaign that unites them in politics as the “Bud Light Party.” The beer company’s era of multi-night concert bashes is over for now in favor of a large consumer activation in Union Square, plus one private/celebrity night concert on Saturday with a performer to be announced.
Before it opens in the Meatpacking in Manhattan this spring (under the operations of The Metric – guys behind Wayfarer and Gilded Lily), Pepsi is giving a sneak peek of its “Kola House” hospitality and event space at the Super Bowl. Swizz Beatz will soundtrack the private huddle before Pepsi’s big Friday night with DirecTV for the Pharrell concert mentioned above.
Player’s Gala Hosted by Snoop Dogg AKA Snoopadelic, Sunday night, 10 p.m.
Ruby Skye
After the confetti falls down in Santa Clara, and after Bud Light’s event the night before, Snoop brings his DJ cabaret show to the invite-only event that has had a heavy hitting hip-hop guest list in years past.
Known For:Justin Bieber riding a skateboard through the NYC edition a few years ago.
Insider Tip: The all access tickets run at $495 for a limited access “lounge” ticket or a $950 ticket that includes upgrades to “ALL ACCESS” (in bold capitals on the website) and nudge from regular sushi to “speciality” sushi. Ari Gold would approve of this hard bargain, and he should, as this appears to be a paid hosting gig. MGM Grand appropriately sponsors, for an event that drips with “Vegas.”
NFL Connector, Commentator, and Everywhere-Man Jay Glazer Glazerpalooza; Wednesday, Feb. 3 Pier 27 Cruise Ship Terminal
Known For: Appealing to Glazer’s athlete coterie that is in town early. New York Giants star Odell Beckham Jr. hosted last year.
Industry Hook: In addition to his Fox commentating and chirping an endless stream of NFL newsbreaks, Glazer runs a hardcore gym tucked in behind Pink Taco on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood. You can find actors from record-setting movies in there training for upcoming roles. Or Terry Crews (see above.)
This is ticketed, but by invitation to purchase a ticket only.
All You Can Ride/Eat Amusement Park Next to the Super Bowl Stubhub’s Fan Fair; Saturday Feb 6-Sunday Feb. 7 Great America Amusement Park, next to Levi’s Stadium
Historically, up to 6,000 of actual Super Bowl attendees get their tickets via Stubhub each year. This year, when that crew goes to pick up those tickets the drive down to Santa Clara will be rewarded with an open amusement park. The top of the coaster should provide views of the stadium, amidst former NFL players and a carnival atmosphere next to the NFL’s basecamp and the game itself. They tout that guests can walk to the game.
Sundance Party Pictures: Matt Damon, Sting, Nick Jonas, Diplo, Kate Beckinsale (Photos)
The scene on the opening weekend of the Sundance Film Festival 2016 includes Kate Beckinsale, Matt Damon, Chelsea Handler, Sting, Paul Oakenfold, and more at parties, panels, and screenings around Park City.
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What a Cannes move! Kristen Stewart jumped in with the photographers at the "Certain Women" premiere.
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Matt Damon popped in to Park City for the movie he produced, the hot festival title "Manchester By the Sea".
Recent Golden Globe nominee Michael Shannon's band "Corporal" played the basement of Cisero's on Tuesday night on the eve of the "Frank and Lola" premiere.
Annalynne McCrod (Patriots fan) was cheering early as the Ainsworth hosted a day-long football viewing party in the TAO space.
Courtesy of Paige Hospitality
Missi Pyle was making the rounds on Sunday with her four month old baby Zooey, catching a mom space at the Ainsworth football party.
Courtesy of Paige Hospitality
Women In Film gave out $32,000 in cash and grants at its 10th annual brunch on Sunday, continuing to service its mission of achieving gender parity on and off screen.
On hand from the back row: Meera Menon, Clea Duvall, "Tallulah" director Sian Heder, Stacey Wilson Hunt, Sheena Joyce, Maggie Greenwald, and kneeling in the front row, Women In Film Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer, Women In Film President Cathy Schulman and Lucy Webb.
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Snow began falling in Park City on Saturday afternoon.
Mikey Glazer
Paul Oakenfold photobombs Mimi Griswold, Brody Jenner, and Octavia Spencer at Chefdance.
Geoff Stults has been seen on the slopes, at the Nylon/Dream Hotels Apres Ski, and here at the "White Girl" party.
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Craig's came to Sundance: The Melrose avenue restaurant proprietor popped up for a dinner party in honor of "Goat" hosted by Phil McIntyre and V Magazine.
"Birth of a Nation": Gabrielle Union and Nate Parker arrive at Tao on Saturday night upstairs. Downstairs, the Tequila Don Julio farm truck took its rightful place in what is a parking garage the other 362 days of the year. Moet Nectar Imperial Rose Luminous flowed late in to the night.
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IMDb's Emily Glassman buddies up with Hannah Simone.
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Jared Harris popped in to UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television's reception on Saturday.
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John Legend executive produced "Underground", and had a long line down Main Street for their Saturday night party in the Vida Tequila lounge after a sneak peek premiere.
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Executive producer John Legend and Tribune Media CEO and President Peter Liguori at the WGN America "Underground" party
Keegan-Michael Key and Kenneth Lonergan share a laugh at "Manchester by the Sea" on Saturday night.
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Starz is one of many TV companies premiering series at the fest. "The Girlfriend Experience" got a strong reception. Vanity Fair's Krista Smith (left) joined with Starz CEO Chris Albrecht (center) for a party on Saturday night at Wasatch. Star Riley Keough was in the house.
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Hugh Jackman and Director Dexter Fletcher celebrated "Eddie the Eagle" with antioxidant Bai superfood sips at a lunch on Tuesday.
Andrew Toth/Getty Iamges
Meanwhile, media power women lunched together at Mimi Griswold's house at Glamour's "Women Rewriting Hollywood" get together. The crowd included..
Another group of power women in music took the Sundance conclave to huddle together in unity: Power DJ's Mia Moretti, Michelle Pesce (Chief, Nona Entertainment), Daisy O'Dell, and Nona artist Alex Merrell.
Pesce with Jeff Vespa and Jonathan Segal at Vespa's Verge party on January 23.
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Lisa Edelstein and Jeff Baena at the "Joshy" reception in the Stella Artois lounge.
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The same Stella lounge also hosted Molly McCook and Annalynne McCord for "Trash Fire" on Saturday night.
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The losing D.A. in the O.J. Simpson trial, Gil Garcetti, attended ESPN's "30 for 30" premiere of the 7-hour documentary mini-series about O.J at the KIA Supper Suite on Friday. In addition to being L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti's dad, the former D.A. is now a photographer.
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The scene on the opening weekend of the Sundance Film Festival 2016 includes Chelsea Handler, Sting, Sophia Bush, and Elijah Wood at parties, panels, and screenings around Park City.
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Kevin Smith pops in on a Kia Sorento "Celebrity Ride".
Two guys who broke out big in the last 12 months convene at TAO: Nick Jonas and "Fargo's" Jesse Plemmons.
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Sting popped up to sing "Message in a Bottle" with Dave Kushner, Donovan Leitch, Chris Chaney, and the rest of the Hellcat Saints at Cisero's on Friday night. After an exchange of text messages on Friday, the group and the leader of "The Police" synched up.
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At the intersection of film and music, Juliette Lewis also sang with the Hellcat Saints.
Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Sundance Film Festival
"I was talking to a woman who said she was crying tears after the screening of 'Other People' last night," Sundance Institute Executive Director Keri Putnam told TheWrap on Friday. "She went in to the bathroom and it was an entire bathroom of crying women." Putnam and Samsung CMO Marc Mathieu announced a long-term partnership with the Sundance Institute.
"We are making VR more accessible by partnering with the best in the industry to deliver a growing library of engaging, rich content for our Gear VR which is all made possible by our latest Galaxy devices," Mathieu said.
Sophia Bush headed down to Samsung Level's Late Night underground lair at the top of Main Street where Diplo spun for a crowd that mixed lucky consumer winners with agents, executives, and media, like newly minted WhoSay Editor-In-Chief Kirstin Benson who was on scene.
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Life & Style served Svedka concoctions at their Saturday afternoon party, but before they packed up for Park City, a grip of beauties stepped in to host a "Broken Resolutions" party (like eating donuts) at Hyde Sunset: Rita Ora, Emily Ratajkowski, Jamie Chung, and Jessica Szohr.
Michael Simon
Diplo, the man responsible for the resurrection of Justin Bieber. The ceiling in the underground club rattled when songs like "Holy Grail" played.
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Meanwhile at the bottom of Main Street, TAO kicked off it's first night of the hosted nightclub party. "It’s the one real big event we do a year that’s for marketing," Tao Group Director of Entertainment Marketing told TheWRAP. "It’s private, you can’t buy your way in to. It’s for VIPs and celebrities. It’s super different than any of our other stuff." Producer Lawrence Bender is visible in the center.
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After the Samsung gig, Diplo showed up with Vice in the booth. They would not be a duo for long...
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At one point, chart-toppers The Chainsmokers (bottom right), Diplo, Vice, Politik, and South Beach nightlife personality Purple Miami (center in the lumberjack shirt) all crowded in. Elsewhere in the room, Chicago hospitality chief Billy Dec (The Underground, Rockit, Sunda) also checked in at what has become a key summit of the entertainment marketing community.
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While outside... "We’ve gotten to the point in the last two, maybe three years, where we don’t send out an invitation anymore," Fass said. "We don’t send out an evite or a blast or anything. Probably starting in November, people start emailing me about it. Literally...Thanksgiving."
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They pulled partner Tequila Don Julio's farm truck right in to the underground garage.
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Earlier on Friday, Sundance fixture Adrian Grenier samples one of the innumerable VR stations around Park City. He is here talking up his Lonely Whale Foundation, something he discussed with TheWRAP last year:
Good luck boys. There is no time to actually finish this chess match.
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Netflix chiefs Reed Hastings (CEO) and Ted Sarandos (Chief Content Officer) flank the new Netflix talent.
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"Orange is the New Black" writer/producer Sian Heder chats up her project "Tallulah" (with star Ellen Page) at the Samsung Studio on Friday afternoon.
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Elijah Wood goofs around in the Applegate diner on Friday.
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Julie Delpy, Danny DeVito, and Zosia Mamet are three of the many people talking about "Wiener-Dog", which follows the life of a dog moving around the country.
KISS rocker Paul Stanley's knowingly hokey "Rock 'N Roll" themed restaurant at LAX hosted the Delta Festival Shuttle pre-flight brunch. Robin Buss-Kaplan, Paul Stanley, and Delta's Ranjan Goswami.
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Onboard, 160 film industry movers, from Lowercase Capital, Funny or Die, UTA, Awesomeness, Big Frame, and talent like Paul Scheer and May Elizabeth Winstead and more, flew together.
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Craig Robinson, Rena Ronson, and Jay Gasner at altitude. None of them won the round trip first class flights to Shanghai or Sydney that were raffled off.
A continually updating gallery on the social scene in Park City from The Party Report’s Mikey Glazer
The scene on the opening weekend of the Sundance Film Festival 2016 includes Kate Beckinsale, Matt Damon, Chelsea Handler, Sting, Paul Oakenfold, and more at parties, panels, and screenings around Park City.