Parties You Will Never Get Into

Think of spending a New Year’s Eve on a yacht packed with an A-list of stars and distinguished figures. For Paul Allen, this is nothing new. Allen, who is the co-founder of Microsoft and the founder and chairman of the private asset management company Vulcan Inc., is known for throwing huge and luxurious parties attended by famous celebrities and friends.

One impressive bash that this billionaire entrepreneur hosted was the New Year’s Eve Party in 2005, as he and his eminent guests welcomed a new year with a big bang aboard Octopus, his mega yacht, at St. Bart’s in the Caribbean.

Prominent guests who were visible at the event included singer-actress Eve, Star Wars and Indiana Jones creator George Lucas, entrepreneur and TV host Martha Stewart, Duran Duran lead singer Simon LeBon, actor Owen Wilson, model Stephanie Seymour and publisher husband Peter Brant, IAC/InterActiveCorp CEO and Chairman Barry Diller and fashion designer wife Diane Von Furstenberg, billionaire businessman Ron Perelman and his then wife Ellen Barkin, music and fashion mogul Russel Simmons and his then wife Kimora Lee Simmons, and film producer Harvey Weinstein and his fashion designer wife Georgina Chapman.

Allen performed alongside his band the whole night while the people sang and danced. At around three in the morning, R&B performer Usher joined Allen and the band as he performed Ray Charles and Johnny Cash songs.

Paul Allen’s $200 million-worth Mega Yacht Octopus was indeed the ideal venue for a New Year’s Eve party considering that the ship could offer all the amenities that guests needed to have fun. Being one of the largest yachts in the world, this 414-foot, 7-decked vessel has a permanent crew of 60 and it has a swimming pool, a private theater, an infirmary, a basketball court, a recording studio, two helipads, two submarines, and a remote controlled vehicle that can crawl on the ocean floor.