From the August issue: There were live camels, trapeze artists, a 12-minute fireworks display and an enormous birthday cake carved in the shape of a Chinese temple.
Blackstone boss Stephen Schwarzman’s 70th-birthday party, hosted at his Palm Beach mansion in February, drew dozens of high-profile guests including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, art dealer Larry Gagosian and billionaire businessman David Koch. Many of them cheered as Gwen Stefani crooned “Happy Birthday” at the end of the night.
The party, which may have cost upwards of $10 million, per some estimates, was a blatant show of exhibitionism, and not Schwarzman’s first. For his 60th birthday in 2007, he paid to have Rod Stewart — who reportedly commands up to $1 million for a private show — perform at his bash. Gawker cheekily referred to that party as a giant “grown-up bar mitzvah.”
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