THE Party: An Aptly-Named Event For Organ Donors are Heroes

Story and photos by Tori Radday.

Recently, I attended THE Party at the Hyatt at the Bellevue Philadelphia and within the first couple minutes of arriving at the glamorous event, I discovered why it had earned the title of THE Party. The elegant ballroom glowed with enchanting lights as DJ Eddie Tully spun the hottest tunes. Acrobats high in the air, dolled up showgirls and vocals by Jessy Kyle provided entertainment. Top restaurant food stations lined the ballroom and several open bars kept the guests happy.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with THE Party, THE party is a yearly event presented by Organ Donors Are Heroes. The event supports the Gift of Life Donor Program and aims to increase positive public awareness of being an organ and tissue donor.

Upon arriving at the Hyatt at the Bellevue Philadelphia, guests were directed to the lavish ballroom. Before heading into the ballroom, guests were greeted with the opportunity to have their photos snapped and to play around with the popular Shutterbooth photo booth.

I was wowed before I even entered the ballroom and I’m pretty sure that my jaw dropped upon the sight of the ballroom. Lavish doesn’t even begin to describe the decor and mood of the ballroom. Stylish guests mingled about chatting, sipping on cocktails and showing off their moves on the dancefloor. Immediately, I was enchanted by the event and understood why it was so aptly-named THE party. The yearly event is such a hit that this year, the event even had their own Snapchat geotag filter.

The first thing I checked out at THE Party was all of the different food vendors. Light bites and desserts called my name. Restaurant and caterer partners for the event included Abe Fisher, Urban Farmer, Baskets by Gayle, Moonshine, Morton’s Steakhouse, Bistro Romano, Bistrot La Minette, The Night Kitchen, Bon Appetit, Hard Rock Café, Bredenbeck’s, Little Baby’s Ice Cream, Potito’s Italian American Pastries & Bakery, Rouge, Chocohlat, Viking Bakery, Suppa, Twisted Tail, Vesper, Xochitl, 12 St. Catering, Insomnia Cookies, Ocean Prime, Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar, Pub & Kitchen, Alma de Cuba, Barclay Prime, Parc, the Continental, Corner Bakery Café, Maybe a Cookie will Help, Talula’s Garden, The Dandelion and Buddakan. The open bar at the event was also quite popular as guests almost constantly surrounded the bar.

As the party began to kick into full gear, I headed to the dance floor. Enthusiastic party guests had a fun time showing off their moves on the dance floor as well as the dancing platform. The sense of energy and fun in the air unrivaled that of any other party that I’ve ever attended.

After a few hours of incredible fun, the event began to wind down and guests began to head home, never to forget the glamourous night.