If you've got a hankering for the pomp and pageantry of an old-school Southern derby, you'll find it at Hastings Racecourse the weekend of August 9.
The event is the Deighton Cup, a whirlwind two and a half days of high fashion, food, bubbly libations, mint juleps, and socializing (with some horse racing thrown in for good measure).
It's a lifestyle festival where socialites, foodies, cocktail enthusiasts, young entrepreneurs and fun-loving Vancouverites don dapper hats and intricate fascinators and converge in one place to see and be seen, says Tyson Villeneuve, who co-produces the Deighton Cup with Dax Droski and Jordan Kallman.
"We really wanted to recreate an old-fashioned day at the races, kind of like the Kentucky Derby used to be before it became a giant tailgate party," said Villeneuve. The Deighton Cup began five years ago with a single dress-up party, and expanded last year into a fully immersive weekend where the emphasis is on elegant dress and fancy fun.
In a city known for an easy-breezy, casual approach to life in general and style in particular, an event steeped in refined elegance might seem like a hard sell, but Villeneuve says Vancouverites are hungry for just this type of experience. "There is a deep yearning in this city for stylish, sophisticated events with a casual chic attitude, especially within the younger demographic," said Villeneuve, who also co-produces the Vancouver edition of the equally fashionable Le Diner en Blanc.
The Deighton Cup kicks off on Friday night with The Big Smoke, an evening of scotch, bourbon and whiskey tastings, cigars, a pig roast dinner, and trackside gaming.
Saturday afternoon is Thoroughbred, the anchor of the Deighton Cup weekend. Party-goers sip champagne and cocktails, enjoy live jazz and funk, peruse vintage luxury automobiles, feast on canapés, and either surreptitiously or unabashedly people-watch — because Thoroughbred is when stylish Vancouverites truly bring it on. "I've come to anticipate that some women have literally flown to London to search for hats to this event," said Villeneuve. "People now understand that there's a standard of, 'we're definitely getting dressed up,' and they're having a lot of fun with it."
Adding Southern-style authenticity to this year's Thoroughbred will be Miss America 2013 Mallory Hogan. Capping off the weekend: The Julep, a mint julep mixology competition in which Vancouver's brightest bartenders present creative twists on an iconic drink that is synonymous with horseracing culture.
The Deighton Cup isnt just about swilling juleps and reveling in throwback fashion; there's also an honest-to-goodness horse race. The actual Deighton Cup is a repurposed vintage 1927 horticultural trophy that Villeneuve and co. salvaged from an antique shop.
The names of two types of winners will be engraved on the cup: the horse and jockey who win on the track, and the party-goer who rises above the others in the style department. "The guests in and of themselves become a large part of the spectacle because everyone is just so into it," said Villeneuve.
Enter to win a one-of-a-kind whimsy from Hive Mind Millinery and two tickets to the Deighton Cup's Thoroughbred Race Day here.
