Kingfisher set the party standard in Monaco
The mission was to hold the coolest social event of this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. Not easy, considering the competition reads like a who’s who of Formula One racing’s party-throwing cognoscenti. The likes of Red Bull, Steinmetz and Hugo Boss are all well practised in the art of celebrating Monaco-style, but it was Toyota sponsors Kingfisher who stole the show and painted Monte Carlo red on Thursday night.
Hosted by the Indian airline’s CEO Dr Vijay Mallya aboard his 95 metre super yacht, the Indian Empress, Kingfisher’s party certainly had the all the right ingredients to make an impression on the Principality’s glitterati.
Early arrivals scarcely had time to catch their breath and grab some refreshment before a troop of Indian ballerinas and dancers, Lina Dance, stormed the room to perform a routine worthy of any Bollywood movie. Shortly after, DJ Aqueel and his colleagues began to spin their records and as the guests hit the dance floor, a Bono and a Harry Belafonte look-alike were spotted mingling with the crowd.
The entrance of Dr Mallya, complete with some well-known faces from India’s glamorous party scene, added yet more spice to the evening’s proceeding. Bernie Ecclestone, a close friend of the Indian host, also popped in - before discreetly disappearing with Dr Mallya for a quiet chat in one of the yacht’s countless rooms. Toyota’s incoming team principal, Tadashi Yamashina, was another guest of honour.
Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z - not a look-alike this time, but the real thing - also made an appearance. Even when the festivities began to draw to a close, guests from other parties, who had heard on Monaco’s grapevine that the Kingfisher party was the place to be seen, began to arrive onboard.
Apart from the inevitable headaches the next morning, Renault boss Flavio Briatore was the night’s most notable walking wounded, after stepping on a broken glass and cutting the sole of his right foot.
And as the guests left, everyone agreed that the party could not be topped. Chic entertainment? Check. Famous faces? Check. Glamour? Check. Mission accomplished.
