Disco glitz met graveyard glamour Friday (Oct. 29) night in Manhattan when Bette Midler’s annual Hulaween party, benefitting the New York Restoration Project, took over Cipriani South Street for its 25th edition. The 2021 Hulaween theme was Boogie Frights, and the charitable fete brought out everyone from Kim Petras (channeling Michael Myers) to Michael Kors (paying homage to Halston) to RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Thorgy Thor (the red carpet correspondent for the event) and Alexis Michelle (dressed up as Liza with a Z).
Keeping true to the Studio 54 vibes of the night, disco legend Gloria Gaynor performed a set for the star-studded crowd, which included a cover of “Killing Me Softly With His Song” (a No. 1 hit for Roberta Flack in 1973) and, of course, her own Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “I Will Survive.”
Founded by Midler in 1995, the New York Restoration Project works to plant trees and restore and renovate parks and gardens, helping to provide open, green spaces for some of New York City’s most densely populated areas, which often lack municipal support. The 2021 edition of Hulaween raised $1.7 million for the non-profit organization. Midler herself was unable to attend this year’s Hulaween, but any attendees who missed her indelible presence can at least take solace in the fact that it was pre-production on the much anticipated Hocus Pocus 2 that kept her busy.