The 2025 Golden Globe Awards weekend kicked off not in Los Angeles, but in Palm Springs, with a flurry of pre-ceremony celebrations. Friday night saw the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s Film Awards, honoring notable figures including Nicole Kidman for her role in “Babygirl,” the cast of “Emilia Pérez,” and Ariana Grande for her work in “Wicked.”
The festivities continued Saturday morning with *Variety*’s 10 Directors to Watch and Creative Impact Awards brunch at the Parker Hotel, recognizing Jennifer Lopez, Cynthia Erivo, and ten promising directors.
Throughout the weekend, Los Angeles buzzed with activity. W Magazine hosted its Annual Best Performances Party at the Chateau Marmont, drawing a star-studded guest list including Cynthia Erivo, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, Colman Domingo, Nicole Kidman, Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldana, Angelina Jolie, Pamela Anderson, Jessica Gunning, Kathryn Hahn, Andrew Scott, Richard Gadd, Mikey Madison, Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Kaia Gerber, Yura Borisov, Andrew Garfield, and Sara Moonves. Other notable attendees included Eiza González, Sofia Boutella, and Jared Leto, spotted at the Golden Globe Awards: Golden Eve at the Bird Streets Club. Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Jessica Gunning and Richard Gadd also made appearances at this event.
Further celebrations included *Variety*’s 10 Directors to Watch and Creative Impact Awards in Palm Springs, where Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande shared a laugh, Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes reunited, and Zoë Kravitz, Malcolm Washington, Selena Gomez, and James Sweeney were also in attendance. *Variety*’s Ramin Setoodeh and Marc Malkin themselves were present at the event.
The 2025 Spirit Awards Nominees Brunch at Hotel Casa del Mar in Santa Monica also attracted a number of celebrities, including Ryan Destiny, Michele Austin, Mike Leigh, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Sean Wang, and Joan Chen. Back in Palm Springs, the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s Film Awards also saw appearances by Zahara Jolie, Angelina Jolie, and Jacqueline Bisset, as well as Édgar Ramírez, Zoe Saldana, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Selena Gomez who posed with the Vanguard Award. Jennifer Coolidge and Ariana Grande added to the festivities with a presentation of the Rising Star Award.
The Golden Gala: A Celebration of Excellence at The Beverly Hilton hosted Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Helen Hoehne, Ted Sarandos, Jane Fonda, Carol Burnett, Viola Davis and Matt Friend. Meanwhile, a “The Last Showgirl” Golden Globes Celebration, presented by Utopia and sponsored by El Cristiano Tequila and Peroni, at The Hollywood Roosevelt hotel featured Pamela Anderson, Gia Coppola, Billie Lourd, and Andrew Matarazzo.
The weekend concluded with the WWD Style Awards, Golden Globes at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, attended by Jonathan Simkhai, Wes Gordon, Nicholas Hoult, Jamie Taylor, Quinta Brunson, Iván Pol, and Abigail Spencer.
A *Variety* and iHeartRadio Podcast, “The Business of Entertainment,” further documented the weekend’s events.