Through no fault of its own, last Sunday’s highly anticipated Gatsby Garden Party at the Spadina Museum was somewhat anti-climatic. The event’s Facebook page had reached preposterous heights of web circulation — hitting 50,000 online “attendees” by the time June 28 finally rolled around.
Needless to say, the turnout was significantly lower than the event page had anticipated. Apart from lousy weather, the date in question was stacked with various other events taking place across the city, ranging from the annual Pride Parade to a stressful Game of Thrones cosplay battle and a Gatsby party doppelganger happening in Trinity Bellwoods park. Thankfully, those who actually did make it out for the Spadina House’s 20s themed party were greeted with a lovely, if slightly soggy, jazz-age bash.
On the outside, the Spadina House grounds were sprinkled with men in tuxedos and women in dresses casually strolling about the lavishly decorated courtyard. Against the period backdrop, the sights and sounds of the garden party consisted mainly of poorly executed New York accents, and a profusion of group selfies.
The inside of the Spadina House was more reminiscent of a high-school house jam; the stairs were packed with people pushing and shoving their way to the top or bottom, while occasionally a vaguely-familiar face would pop out of the crowd as you tried frantically to put a name to it. Like any good house party, the vibe led to an all-around enjoyable time, despite sweeping bouts of claustrophobia and the sporadic desire for a glass of water.
Benefitting from the smaller turnout then had initially been anticipated, the Gatsby Garden Party was a victory for history-buffs hoping to relive the glory days in ‘20s fashion.
Sandy Ma/THE VARSITY
By the numbers:
Attendees on the Facebook event: 50,103
Tickets sold: 1,600 (at capacity)
Actual turnout: 1,042
Food trucks serving poutine: 2
