Nowadays, every stylish man about Manhattan is likened to Mr Truman Capote, but how many can lay claim to masterminding the “party of the century”? That’s how the 1966 Black And White Ball, held by the author in honour of the Washington Post’s Ms Kay Graham (but really to celebrate the success of his book In Cold Blood), is still described more than 50 years later. What made the night so memorable was not the “‘fireworks” as such, but rather that Capote had taken great pains to hone the 540-strong guest list, which included Hollywood film stars, the New York literati and his high-society “swans”. His public betrayal of the latter, whose secrets he divulged in an extract from Answered Prayers, eventually cost him his status as the US’s pre-eminent social butterfly. But, as fellow novelist and attendee Mr Norman Mailer later declared, that glitzy November evening in the Plaza Hotel was Capote’s chef d’oeuvre.

By entertainment industry standards, Stormzy is a pretty down-to-earth fellow. Yes, he enjoys a grand gesture – see the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak he gifted fellow rapper Dave – but his legendary birthday bashes are about spreading the love, as opposed to showboating and are, for the most part, easy-going, unpretentious affairs. That means you’re more likely to find free-for-all fast-food trucks at his events than white-gloved waiters, as was the case when he hired an amusement park to celebrate his 28th birthday in July 2021. Better yet, his love for making meaningful connections with his fans (he’s prone to spontaneously popping up at their houses) means they’re often let in on the fun, too. Of the 200 guests he flew out to Menorca on a private #MerkyAirways plane for his 25th birthday, half were his top Spotify listeners.

Like many Geminis, Prince was an enigma – on the one hand, a supremely talented showman, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest performers of all time; on the other, a withdrawn and private person who preferred to keep the press machine at arm’s length. That sense of mystique extended to his legendary parties, which only heightened the magic. In the 2000s, an invitation to his exclusive Academy Awards afterparties was just as coveted as a golden statuette, although it was said to arrive via a mysterious email and could easily be missed. Prince’s love for entertaining was incorporated into the design of his sprawling Paisley Park estate in Minnesota, which was home to a private nightclub with room for 1,000 revellers. Adoring fans were sporadically allowed in – sometimes alerted by a tweet hours before – to party like it was 1999 in the presence of their idol.

Mr Salvador Dalí never realised his childhood dream of becoming a chef – fate rendered him one of the most successful artists of the 20th century – but his passion for gastronomy was channelled into the opulent dinner parties he hosted with his wife. His 1973 cookbook, Les Diners De Gala, offers us a glimpse into these gatherings. It includes more than 100 of his favourite recipes alongside illustrations, anecdotes and maxims on the art of entertaining. For a man who was anything but predictable, Dalí curated menus that were surprisingly old-fashioned – veal cutlets, crayfish and truffles, courtesy of chefs from Paris’s ritziest restaurants. Instead, the surreal could be found in the show-stopping tablescapes, whacky dress codes and, in the case of his 1941 dinner at the Hotel del Monte in California, a few wildlife companions.

There ain’t no party like a Diddy party, it’s said – most often by Mr Sean Combs himself. The hip-hop mogul may be the first to brag about his flair for entertaining, but that’s only because he has the receipts to prove it. Diddy’s reputation as a modern-day Jay Gatsby was cemented in the late 1990s and 2000s with his annual white parties in the Hamptons (he also drew the chatter of his Waspish, well-to-do neighbours). It appears that these, and all the Halloween, New Year and launch parties in between, were merely dress rehearsals for the 50th birthday bash he held at his Beverly Hills home. As you’d expect, he marked the milestone in blowout fashion with a performance from Ms Mary J Blige, the public unveiling of his $21m Mr Kerry James Marshall painting and a bottomless supply of Cîroc vodka. A veritable Forbes list of friends – Jay-Z, Mr Kanye West, Dr Dre – who posed in all their black-tie finery for a spread in Vanity Fair, were in attendance.

As co-owner of the legendary Studio 54 nightclub, Mr Steve Rubell could easily take credit for much of the hedonism and glamour that characterised New York in the late 1970s. Every cultural icon of the disco years (Mr Andy Warhol! Sir Mick Jagger! Mr Yves Saint Laurent!) chose to drink, dance, mingle and more in his establishment on a Friday night. Those who have survived to tell the tales of that ephemeral era attribute the club’s success as much to serendipity – a magical coming-together of time and place that can never be replicated – as the chalk-and-cheese tag team who ran the show. While the more introverted Mr Ian Schrager put in much of the work ahead of opening, he would slip out before the party reached its crescendo. Rubell took great pride in his role as ringmaster, catering to the often outrageous whims of his VIP guests and encouraging them to let loose.

That long-time pals Messrs George Clooney and Rande Gerber elected to go into the business of tequila – not exactly the preferred drink of wallflowers – tells us they’re two guys who are up for a good time. And sure enough, each has built a reputation for being a top-notch entertainer in his own right. Gerber’s public profile might be down to his marriage to supermodel Ms Cindy Crawford, but behind the scenes, he’s a nightlife impresario who oversees a portfolio of upmarket cocktail bars and restaurants. Clooney, meanwhile, is famed for hosting fellow actors and A-listers at his palatial Lake Como property (not to mention that cinematic four-day wedding in Venice) and once gave away suitcases stuffed with cash as dinner-party favours. When the two join forces, most notably for their Casamigos costume party every Halloween, it’s expected most of Hollywood will make an appearance.