TIFF WEEKEND ROUNDUP: The five hottest parties from the festival’s first few nights

TIFF WEEKEND ROUNDUP: The five hottest parties from the festival’s first few nights

Movie debuts and closed-door distribution deals may be the driving forces behind the Toronto International Film Festival, but it’s the late-night soirées and off-hours socializing that we really wait to see every September. From cute celebrity couples cooing in the corner to a private rendezvous between Jennifer Lawrence and Kristen Stewart to the hot mess that was the Spring Breakers post-premiere party, TIFF is just as much about nonstop star-studded gloss as it is about the, you know, films. With that in mind, we offer a quick roundup of some of the best bashes from the film fest’s opening weekend.

• Best tweenage fantasy (Soho House: Day Three). There were legions of famous faces at Soho House Saturday night, but two young mega-stars acting like BFFs was the highlight for many a party-watcher. Jennifer Lawrence (a.k.a. Katnis Everdeen of Hunger Games fame) and Kristen Stewart (of the Twilight franchise fame) totally hung out, decamping for the uber-private third floor. Click here for more gossip and to see our photo gallery »

• Best non-movie premiere (Soho House: Day One). Despite the mad dash to open in time for the festival, Soho House’s first fête of the festival started with a bang. The cast of Looper—the gentlemanly Bruce Willis, the ubiquitous and adorable Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the stunning Emily Blunt—brought the shindig up to A-list standards. Click here for more gossip and to see our photo gallery »

• Best star count (Soho House: Day Two). The festival hotspot went into overdrive, hosting three parties in one night, for Imogene, The Master and Anna Karenina. Everyone was there: Keira Knightley, Kate Hudson, Julianne Moore, Kristen Wiig, Michael Pitt, Paul Haggis, Amy Adams, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Harvey Weinstein, Rupert Grint, Skrillex and many, many more. Click here for more gossip and to see our photo gallery »

• Best debauchery (Spring Breakers party). Brassaii on King West was in beach mode for the Spring Breakers after-party (complete with beach balls and bikini babes). Sadly, James Franco was a no-show; still, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine all partied the night away (though identical twins Sidney and Thurman Sewell stole the spotlight). Click here for more gossip and to see our photo gallery »

• Best non-King West revelry (The Perks of Being a Wallflower party). TIFF tends to be so focused on King Street that locating the party for The Perks of Being a Wallflower near Trinity-Bellwoods seemed downright adventurous. The soirée was easily one of the most youthful, thanks to the presence of Emma Watson, Nina Dobrev, Mae Whitman, Logan Lerman and Johnny Simmons. Click here for more gossip and to see our photo gallery »