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BETTE MIDLER’S NEW YORK RESTORATION PROJECT THROWS
21ST ANNUAL HULAWEEN BASH AT NYC’s WALDORF ASTORIA!
BETTE BROUGHT WINIFRED SANDERSON, HER ICONIC CHARACTER FROM HOCUS POCUS, TO LIFE
AND WAS JOINED BY HOST KATHY GRIFFIN, MUSICAL GUEST DARLENE LOVE, COSTUME JUDGE MARC JACOBS AND MANY,
MANY MORE Evening Also Honored Bobby Kennedy Jr. and Dan & Adrienne Lufkin
    Photo Credit: Mia McDonald |
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NEW YORK, NY – October 29, 2016 – New York Restoration Project (NYRP), founded by award-winning singer, entertainer, actress and green activist Bette Midler, celebrated over two decades of transforming and beautifying New York’s urban environment last night with its annual party, Hulaween. Held at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria, the iconic hotel was transformed into The Witches, Wizards & Warlocks Ball at The Haunted Hotel – complete with zombie bellhops and witches on stilts greeting guests as they arrived for cocktail hour.
Bette thrilled attendees by bringing Winifred Sanderson, her iconic character from the 1993 cult classic Hocus Pocus, to life. At one point, she also surprised the crowd by joining the legendary Darlene Love on stage to perform “He’s Sure The Boy I Love” during Love’s set to close out the spectacular night. Darlene also performed several of her hits and had everyone on their feet dancing the night away to songs including “He’s A “Da Doo Ron Ron.” The evening’s host, comedian Kathy Griffin, dressed as a Snapchat filter, enthralled guests with her hilarious Donald Trump experience involving Liza Minelli, a cashmere Halston jumpsuit and a speeding golf cart.
The night’s honorees included Bobby Kennedy Jr. — who attended with his wife, actress Cheryl Hines — and Dan & Adrienne Lufkin. This year’s costume judge, fashion designer Marc Jacobs – who “when Bette told [him] the theme was witches, [he] heard bitches” — showed up as a spellbinding female bodybuilder with his muscular male bodybuilding counterpart, Charly DeFrancesco. Bette commented that had Marc and Charly not been the costume judges, they surely would have won the contest.
Marc Jacobs judged the star-studded crowd for best costume winners, and the incredible handmade costumes were out of this world. Notable winners included Glinda The Good Witch, and a Disco Ball Witch who took home the coveted “How The Hell Did You Do That” prize.
This year’s theme was brought to life by master of visual communication and storytelling, Douglas Little. The artist transformed the Waldorf’s Grand Ballroom into a landing pad for witches in flight. Each table showcased a pair of colorful witch legs that had crash-landed into them just before the event began. Guests indulged in specialty spooktails that included Eye of Newt Gingrich and Love Potion #9. Pre-dinner salads were served up in a carved pumpkin, and event-goers received a bubbling chocolate cauldron for dessert. The main corpse was a spooky Graveyard Meatloaf, complete with blood orange sauce.
Among the hundreds of NYRP supporters also attending the spooky bash were Debbie Harry, Sandra Bernhard, Gloria Steinhem, Alan Alda, Sophie Von Halsenberg, Cheryl Hines, David Rockwell, Rajiv Surendra, Marlo Thomas, Catherine Curtin, Ryan Serhant, Emilia Serhant, Margo and Jimmy Nederlander Jr., Tali Lennox, Pat McGrath
and many, many more!
  ABOUT NEW YORK RESTORATION PROJECT
New York Restoration Project (NYRP) is a non-profit organization driven by the conviction that all New Yorkers deserve beautiful, high-quality public space within ready walking distance of their homes. Since our founding in 1995 by Bette Midler, NYRP has planted trees, renovated gardens, restored parks, and transformed open space for communities throughout New York City’s five boroughs. As New York’s only citywide conservancy, we bring private resources to spaces that lack adequate municipal support, fortifying the City’s aging infrastructure and creating a healthier environment for those who live in the most densely populated and least green neighborhoods. To learn more, please visit http://www.nyrp.org.
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