The big apple turned a new shade of red as Virgin Hotels New York City celebrated its official opening with a full day of festivities. Of course, Sir Richard Branson was on site to ring in this occasion as opening a hotel in New York City has been a longtime dream of his.

“Virgin Hotels New York City really is magnificent. From Virgin Megastores to Virgin Records to our airlines, New York has always been a special place for the Virgin brand and it’s brilliant we now have a place to call home in the heart of Manhattan. The team has done a terrific job building the hotel from the ground up and it has been wonderful to see our customers enjoying the stellar Virgin experience,” said Sir Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group.

The night commenced with an incredible Chinese Lion Dance in Everdene, the entertainment-anchored culinary space that occupies the hotel’s entire third floor, followed by a lively welcome from Sir Richard Branson and hotel owner John Lam of the Lam Group. Guests including fashion designers LaQuan Smith, Carly Cushnie, Natalie De’Banco, DJ Shaun Ross, Actress Ana Villafañe, Bravo stars Dorinda Medley, Lindsay Hubbard, Carl Radke, Andrea Denver, Chris Leoni and more explored the hotel’s 3rd and 4th floors to find tarot card readers, live painters, stilt walkers, jugglers, and performers in larger-than-life sized martini glasses, a Tyra Banks’ Smize Cream ice cream cart, and signature drinks curated by Tequila Don Julio including a Spicy Blanco Margarita. Party goers were then invited to the 38th floor event space, where they continued to dance the night away against a backdrop featuring spectacular views of Manhattan from the Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty.

Guests were treated to a surprise, exclusive preview performance from the newest Virgin Voyages show, followed by a series of epic DJ sets from the likes of DJ Lovie, DJ Stretch Armstrong, Natasha Diggs, Eli Escobar, and DJ Moma.