I Scored A Ticket to the 96th Academy Awards—Here’s My Experience

Most people only dream about attending the Oscars: being inside the Dolby Theatre to rub shoulders with A-list celebrities and the select handful about to win that golden statue. Well, I had a seat at the Oscars to witness it all.

It started with a personal invitation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to attend the live broadcast of the 96th Academy Awards. After completing all the official paperwork and confirming my flights, I was off to the biggest question of the night: what would I wear?  It was a toss-up between a classy and elegant silk evening gown in muted champagne tones or a sparkly silvery strapless number with a revealing slit at the side. Like any respectable fashionista, I decided to take both with me.

I arrived in Los Angeles at 2 a.m. Sunday morning, thanks to a four-hour delay from my destination on the East Coast. Luckily, the Kimpton Everly Hotel in Hollywood, California, had my one-broom suite primed and ready (with fresh flowers!), which provided me with a few hours of rest before my glam squad arrived at 9:45 a.m. I had to be in my theater seat by 3:30 p.m., but there was an opportunity to arrive at the show as early as 12:30 p.m. for the pre-champagne reception at the theater.

After a full transformation, slipping into the sparkly silver gown felt befitting. That would turn out to be a very wise decision. On the afternoon of the Oscars broadcast, pro-Palestine protesters filled the streets, making it impossible for my driver to get to the location. After hitting another 10-foot wire fence erected around the perimeter of the Dolby Theatre and surrounding streets, a security measurement that happens for the ceremony, I told him I’d get out and walk. Like a good New Yorker, I had my flip-flops in tow.

I finally made my way to the Oscars entrance, and after showing my digital ticket (and slipping on my heels), I was in. My heart pounded with joy as I walked the second red carpet. Yes, behind the main carpet where nominees, celebrities and other photo-worthy people walk, there’s an adjacent second red carpet where esteemed guests enter. I snapped a few photos before approaching the large staircase that would take me into the theater. The room was abuzz with Oscar hopefuls, like Bobi Wine, the musician turned political activist whose run for office is documented in the Oscar-nominated film Bobi Wine: The People’s President.

After a pre-show glass of champagne and some quick nibbles from the same company that caters for the post-Oscar Governors Ball, I made my way to my seat in the second-tier mezzanine. Under my chair was a snack box from this year’s Oscar host, Jimmy Kimmel, complete with a pretzel, mustard, a bottle of water and a box of Swedish Fish. The ceremony’s announcer, David Alan Grier, addressed the audience with a few broadcast notes right before the start of the show, which started 5 minutes late due to the protests. I learned that we would only be permitted to move in and out of our seats during commercial breaks. If we missed returning to our seat before the live broadcast returned we’d have to wait until that segment finished airing. That turned out to be fine since a lot of the action took place in the lobbies of the Dolby Theatre.

After exploring all four floors, I went to the first-floor lobby, where many stars mingled among the crowd. I spotted Oscar nominee Sterling K. Brown smiling and chatting among friends. After the performance of the Oscar-nominated song “I’m Just Ken,” numerous tuxedo dancers charged into the lobby, jumping up and down and chanting “Ken, Ken, Ken,” a perfect analogy for the Oscar-nominated film. 

As the night wound down, so did the footwear. I chatted with Oscar nominee Danielle Brooks in the Dolby Lounge who had traded in her strappy stilettos for a sweet pair of studded black sneakers. The award for Best Picture was announced and the night was over by 7:30 p.m., thanks to the hour earlier start time of this year’s broadcast.

I returned to the Kimpton Everly to join a few friends for a light bite and celebratory drink in its Ever Bar and toasted my first Oscars experience. And I can’t wait to do it again in 2025.

The post I Scored A Ticket to the 96th Academy Awards—Here’s My Experience appeared first on EBONY.