Toronto’s seven most important parties: an invitation is proof that you’ve arrived

Anyone can throw a party, but throwing a party of the year requires a precise combination of food, luxury, and notable guests. In 2013, these seven soirées struck that balance

Kate Alexander Daniels, publicist, and David Daniels, exec producer of stage company Acting Up

The city’s most devoted arts patrons have a house made for entertaining (hence several major events every year). Last November, they hosted a lavish dinner for 30 as part of the annual Grand Cru fundraiser for the Toronto General and Western Hospital Foundation.

Actor Kim Cattrall, philanthropist Salah Bachir, real estate agent Jimmy Molloy, financier Joseph Shlesinger and Type Books’ Samara Walbohm.

Jorn Weisbrodt, artistic director of Luminato, and Rufus Wainwright, crooner

Last January, the jet-set duo celebrated Weisbrodt’s 40th birthday at their Annex semi. Wainwright presented his hubby with a magic wand sculpture, then performed a Hildegard Knef ditty in German. Smoking was encouraged and the revelry went late.

Music rep Jeffrey Remedios, the COC’s Johannes Debus, Broken Social Scene’s Jason Collett, folk musician Mary Margaret O’Hara, actor Arsinee Khanjian, movie director Atom Egoyan and the AGO’s Matthew Teitelbaum.

Heather Reisman, head tastemaker at Indigo, and Gerald Schwartz, CEO of Onex

A September dinner at Heather and Gerry’s Rosedale mansion benefited the Women’s Brain Health Initiative. Arianna Huffington gave a speech, and at the end of the evening a valet placed white roses in each guest’s car.

Socialites Amanda Blakley and Ashleigh Dempster, Twitter’s Kirstine Stewart, fashion journo Jeanne Beker and financier Michael Burns.

Michael Budman, Roots co-founder, and Diane Bald, architect

Their stadium-size Forest Hill backyard was the scene of TIFF’s most over-the-top event—a shindig for Artists for Peace and Justice to raise money for relief in Haiti. At a live auction, OMERS Ventures CEO John Ruffolo bid $20,000 for the privilege of pushing the actress Maria Bello into the pool (she volunteered).

Hollywood stars Colin Firth, Jason Sudeikis, Olivia Wilde and Adrien Brody, musician Rufus Wainwright, CBCers Jian Ghomeshi and George Stroumboulopoulos, and socialite Cleophée Eaton.

Taylor Thomson, philanthropist

The scion of Ken owns four side-by-side houses on Beaumont in the heart of Rosedale. At her Canada Day bash, her friends snacked on fancy s’mores while a butler lit professional-grade fireworks on the front lawn.

Urbanism guru Richard Florida, self-help writer Rana Florida, philanthropist Victoria Webster, billion-dollar brother David Thomson and architect Bruce Kuwabara.

Markus Anderson, Soho House membership director

Soho House is already a private members’ club, so getting an invite to one of Anderson’s personal events means you’ve reached the next level. Last summer, he invited fashion world heavyweights to toast celebrity shoe designer Christian Louboutin.

Fashion queen Jeanne Beker, actor Sarah Gadon, photographer Caitlin Cronenberg, The Bay’s Bonnie Brooks, designer Jeremy Laing and web personality Graydon Sheppard.

Shinan Govani, society scribe

For his Meatballs Six Ways soirée held at his Annex condo last January, he borrowed recipes from Harry’s Bar in Venice and the legendary American socialite Nan Kempner.

Belinda Stronach, celebri-chef Cory Vitiello, Power Plant director Gaëtane Verna, designer Hunter Tura, optician Josh Josephson, documentary maker Gail Singer and MTV host Aliya Jasmine Sovani.