Flashback to F1 - Parties
The festivities surrounding Formula 1 reached new heights this year as brands invested in talent and production to host the best parties – and tested Austinites’ stamina racing around to all of them during one Saturday night. The first stop was CLARINS golden hour lakeside soiree where more than 300 guests celebrated at the Waller Creek Boathouse. Next up, Jack Daniel’s and the McLaren Formula 1 Team hosted another unforgettable Jack’s Garage at The Sunset Room. This year featured intimate performances from Canadian star Josh Ross, Nashville favorite Hannah McFarland and multi-platinum country artist Chase Rice.
Then, The One Party by Uber, an over-the-top extravaganza with a rodeo opening for Grammy award-winning group Zac Brown Band, who performed to a rapt audience of Uber One members who also enjoyed bites from Terry Black’s BBQ and Torchy’s Tacos. And finally, SofiTukker and Xandra Pohl kept guests awake at the late night Sports Illustrated Circuit Series party.
Fun for a Good Cause
In Austin, philanthropic-filled social calendars run deep, even during busy months like with ACL, F1 and AFF, people turn out to help. Helping Hand Home for Children hosted their annual Champions for Children luncheon presented by Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick, which this year featured Connie Britton as a keynote speaker talking about her adoption journey and Coach Mack Brown accepting the Philanthropic Honoree honors on behalf of the Mack, Jack & McConaughey (MJ&M) Foundation…Lauren Zima and Chris Harrison hosted the first annual Experience Camps Gala at Ranch Austin, where they were married two years ago! It raised over $800,000 for Experience Camps coming to Texas to help grieving kids who have lost a parent or sibling – and it brought Bachelor Nation to Austin to support… Nearly 1000 people turned out for Contemporary Austin’s annual Very ‘Rary at Laguna Gloria with all proceeds benefiting the Contemporary’s K-12 education programs…The 22nd annual PlayBingo luncheon hosted by the Friends of Christoper Guild to benefit the Center for Child Protection was Shonnery Petit’s last as president before passing the torch, but it was a huge success, raising over $1.4 million for CPP! And, The Trail Conservancy hosted Twilight on the Trail on the gorgeous lawn of the Four Seasons Hotel. Guests arrived in green, played with baby goats and helped raised over $650,000 to continue protecting and enhancing the beautiful Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail.
Austin Film Festival
The 32nd annual Austin Film Festival and Writers Conference showcased over 180 films at five local theaters and hosted over 150 panels. Rian Johnson, directed “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery," which had a red carpet screening opening night (he’s also directed "Glass Onion,” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”). We asked him how he creates worlds within his films that people believe in and he said, “The first step is for you to believe in the world you’re creating and you to kind of live inside it while you're writing it, and then you do a lot of rewriting until it works.”
This year’s lineup includes “The Long Shot,” set in Austin and directed by Austin’s own Austin Nichols, “Not Without Hope,” starring local Zachary Levi, who also lives in the Austin area, “Christy,” starring Sydney Sweeney as boxer Christy Martin (pictured), “Sell Out,” “Forelock” and more.