Tonight, hundreds of servers, bartenders and barbacks will party like it's seven days ago when DJ Fresh Events & The Khonsari Law Group present the inaugural 2015 New Year's Eve Hospitality Ball at the NOVA Event Space on 535 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street in St. Petersburg.
A week after witnessing a plethora of inebriated patrons attempt some version of Auld Lang Syne, the service industry group get an upscale night of their own, courtesy of a former Best of the Bay winner of Best Local Deejay to Change the Game.
"Last year was the first night I took off on New Year's Eve in over a decade of being an entertainer in the region," said Doug Hensel, who is widely known in the area as DJ Fresh. "I thought about all my friends and supporters who work on New Year's Eve because of work obligations or financial necessities. This event gives them a chance to have a night of their own to bring in the new year while sharing it with significant other or other friends in the industry. They work so hard to take care of everyone else's needs in terms of having a good time. So, I wanted to repay them in a way by creating a night for them."
In addition, Hensel, who recently joined the Development Council for All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, has agreed to donate a portion of the proceeds from the event to the hospital's foundation. Hensel is providing the entertainment for the hospital's 27th VIP Auction on May 2.
The New Year's Hospitality Ball, which Hensel anticipates becoming an annual event, will feature a red carpet entrance, a photo booth, party favors, and a balloon drop when midnight rolls in. Five of the area's most popular deejays will provide the music including Hensel, Mike Rich, John Kid-Unot Bowen, Sebastian Flores and Spindiana Jones.
Cocktail attire is recommended with the night's festivities starting at 9 p.m. and lasting until 3 a.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased either at the door or online by clicking here.
This article appears in Dec 25-31, 2014.