Nightlife

Life of the Parties

The Hot List: 2013 Holiday Parties

It’s not a question of whether or not you’ll be throwing a holiday party this year. It’s a question of whether you want it to be in the courtyard of a Venetian-style palazzo or a movie theater inside of a hotel. Or any of these other venues primed for seasonal soiree-ing. Nog responsibly.

THE REVELRY BUNKER

The Private Room at Commonwealth

You Require: Fortified entryways and roasted entire-somethings.
You’ll Receive: One long, wooden table sealed away by a pair of nine-foot, fireproof steel doors pulled straight from a Chinatown warehouse. And entire roasted pigs for the table. Those come from the kitchen, not a Chinatown warehouse.

THE THEATER DISTRICT

Theatre 1 at the Revere Hotel

You Require: Catering, gin and A Christmas Story marathon on the big screen.
You’ll Receive: A full-size, private cinema inside a hotel. With movie snacks like short-rib hush puppies and truffled baked potatoes. And gin cocktails from the “refreshment stand” outside. No, they don’t come in refillable buckets.

THE GAME OF THRONES SET

Abbey Room at the Boston Public Library

You Require: Holiday feasting in a quasi-medieval hall.
You’ll Receive: A regal chamber fraught with holiday-themed debauching potential. Hat tip to the enormous red marble fireplace and paintings that depict the quest for the Holy Grail. They’ll even serve you giant turkey legs and flagons of mead. Can’t have mead without flagons.

THE UNDERGROUND WINE LAIR

The Wine Cellar at Mooo

You Require: Old things. Underground things.
You’ll Receive: A subterranean, stone-ceilinged wine cellar where your guests will admire an Italian mosaic from 500 AD and hundreds of vintage bottles. Consider this your chance to drop hints about that ’64 Bordeaux on your list. You can never have too many stocking stuffers.

THE CLIMATE-CONTROLLED GARDEN

The Courtyard at the Gardner Museum

You Require: Plenty of standing room. Proximity to priceless art a plus.
You’ll Receive: The courtyard gardens of an art museum modeled after 15th-century Venice. There may be a string quartet. There may be too much champagne. There may be just enough time for a high-society art heist. Wait...