"There was music from my neighbor's house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and he champagne and the stars. At high tide in the afternoon I watched his guests diving from the tower of his raft, or taking the sun on the hot sand of his beach while his motor-boats slid the waters of the Sound, drawing aquaplanes over cataracts of foam. On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and long past midnight, while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains. And on Mondays eight servants, including an extra gardener, toiled all day with mops and scrubbing-brushes and hammers and garden-shears, repairing the ravages of the night before"-- Nick Caraway, The Great Gatsby by F.Scott FItzgerald
It's been three years since Leonardo DiCaprio graced the big screen as Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. He filled our minds with images of his lavish lifestyle and never-ending parties. Last month, The Kardashian's threw America's favorite 'momager' an extravagant Gatsby themed 60th birthday party that cost an approximated $2 million. But how much does it really cost to throw a Gatsby party? Find out here:
1. The Venue (Mansion):$100 Million
Throughout the novel and the movie, readers and viewers alike are shown vivid images of Gatsby's estate. Though you can't find Gatsby's mansion in the real-life "West Egg," because it was created solely for the film, a look-alike mansion in Long Island was put on the market for an approximate $100 million in 2014. This mansion includes a bowling alley, an indoor pool, and a private pier just like Jay Gatsby's, making it the perfect location to replicate Gatsby's lifestyle. Check out the mansion here. If you're looking for a more cost-effective party option, other homes in the area start at around $8 million.
2. Transportation (Rolls Royce): $250,000
In the novel, Nick Caraway describe's Gatsby dedication to bringing people to his parties by carting them back and forth from the city in his Rolls Royce, "On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and long past midnight," This weekend, "omnibus" comes with a costly price tag: upwards toward $250,000.
3. Decorations (Balloon sculptures): $640+
During the party scenes of the movie, the sole decorations seen throughout the mansion are elaborate balloon sculptures. In order to replicate like sculptures, depending on the vendor you pick, prices will vary.
4.Catering (Food): $3,450
"At least once a fortnight a corps of caterers came down with several hundred feet of canvas and enough colored lights to make a Christmas tree of Gatsby’s enormous garden. On buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors-d’oeuvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold." - Nick Caraway.
Though we are never given an approximate number of how many guests attended a Gatsby party on a given weekend, we can imagine that it was well over 300, so I picked this number for a starting point. Food for 300 people, again depending on which vendor you choose, alone costs approximately $3,450.
5. Drinks (Alcohol): $27,000
" In the main hall a bar with a real brass rail was set up, and stocked with gins and liquors and with cordials so long forgotten that most of his female guests were too young to know one from another." Nick Caraway
A main component of Gatsby's party was the excessive consumption of free alcohol, at the expense of the host. An open bar for 300 people can cost up to $90 a person, which would be approximately $27,000.
6.Entertainment (Aerialists): $3,297.45
During the film's first party scene, aerialists are seen flying through the air, on ropes and trapezes attached to Gatsby's mansion ceiling, entertaining guests throughout the night. Throughout this first party, we see about 6 aerialists, which in total cost for the entire night around $3297.45.
7. Musical Entertainment (DJ): 100,000+
Gatsby's parties are notorious for live entertainment and loud music. When putting a 21st century spin on the musical entertainment, say a celebrity DJ, depending on who you'd want to book can be anywhere from $20,000 to $1,000,000. Most mainstream artists cost over 100,000. (T. Swift is 1,000,000+ and Adele is 750,000+)
8. Fireworks spectacular: $30,000+
Every Gatsby party ends with a Fourth of July-esque fireworks show. The typical fireworks spectacle lasts approximately 15 to 20 minutes which in total will cost around $30,000, because in the typical Gatsby fashion, everything must be over the top.
And the grand total is: $100,414, 386
Of course, that does not factor in on-site wait staff and other necessary extras to clean up after the festivities, but it's a start. A little party never killed nobody right? (Just killed your bank account).
