A Weekend of Joie de Vivre at Veuve Clicquot’s Club Solaire

By the time the sun began its descent over the Pacific this past Thursday evening, Veuve Clicquot's Club Solaire had already settled into the rhythm that would define the weekend. As my car dropped me off at a home nestled right alongside the Venice Beach Boardwalk, wrapped in Veuve Clicquot’s unmistakable yellow hue, I could hear music and conversation spilling out from inside before I’d even made it through the door. Something was clearly happening. A celebration of what? Joy.

Inside, everything felt like a mix of a beach party and a really good house party (my favorite kind of blend) with the ocean just beyond us and everyone dressed as if they had collectively agreed to let the California sun dictate the dress code. Creams, whites, sandy neutrals, champagne in hand. I was, of course, in all black, but fortunately accessorized with a glass of Yellow Label. Charlize Theron looked especially ethereal in white, almost as if she had stepped straight out of a dream…or ‘The Odyssey.’ Despite the impressive guest list, the night never felt overly stiff. People were talking, wandering between rooms, topping their glass off at the RICH bar, leaning over balconies to take in the view, getting on their knees to Madonna's ‘Like a Prayer,’ and settling into the kind of evening that makes you forget to check the time. Even the waiters were in on the fun.

Before the sun completely set, I had a chance to catch up with Este Haim right as she got behind the decks, and she seemed more than ready for the night ahead. “I’m nervous, but it’s gonna be a great night,” she told me. Once she started playing, that feeling of excitement carried through the entire rooftop. Her mix of throwbacks and hits, like Zara Larsson's ‘Midnight Sun,’ her proclaimed song of the summer, had everyone dancing, beckoning for more champagne to keep the moves going and the conversation flowing.

As the sky turned from gold to pink to deep blue, the rooftop kept filling with little moments that made the evening feel especially alive. I kept finding myself moving between these different versions of the evening — the dancing, the conversations, the champagne, the ocean view — and thinking that perhaps this was exactly what Club Solaire was trying to capture, and it was only the start.

By Friday, the weekend was fully underway, and I found myself slipping into its slower rhythm almost immediately. The morning began with Heather Tierney's Morning Mix, where breakfast came with a soundtrack and a conversation about the way music can hold entire memories. Later, Chef Jordan Kahn and Jessica Yang of the Parisian ice cream sensation Folderol brought everyone together around the open kitchen for lunch, and I enjoyed getting a glimpse into their creative process. Then, having the opportunity to taste their creations was a special type of storytelling. By the evening, we were back at the table for another meal, with the Pacific stretched out in front of us and Veuve Clicquot cuvées, featuring an array of vintages, including the Maison's newly released La Grande Dame Rosé 2018, being poured throughout, rounding out a beautiful day of connection.

Saturday brought a different kind of energy. During the Maker's Brunch, guests sat down with jewelry designer and founder of Don’t Let Disco, Ashley Moubayed to create their own beaded piece, and I loved that everyone left with something they had actually made rather than simply something handed to them at the door. Moubayed expressed how, in times of constant phone use and chronic digital activity, it's important to have tactile moments shared with others in real life. By evening, Club Solaire had transformed again into a house party, with music drifting between rooms and people wandering around to see what they might stumble upon next — maybe a new friend or, most definitely, another glass of Veuve Clicquot.

Sunday was the reset we all probably needed, with a leisurely breakfast overlooking the Pacific and a slower start to the morning. After a weekend of music, food, champagne and plenty of conversation, it felt like the perfect way to come back down to earth.

Outside, the Venice Beach Boardwalk had become an extension of Club Solaire. There was the Regarding Her Champagne Bar, where proceeds from champagne sales supported women entrepreneurs in hospitality; Jessica Yang's exclusive Folderol soft serve, inspired by the tasting notes of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label (where I tried every flavor); the concept store filled with all things Clicquot yellow, and those very tempting yellow bikes available to cruise along the boardwalk. It all felt very Venice Beach.

By the time the weekend came to an end, I had a lot to reflect on. I realized I wasn't really thinking about any one dinner, party, or celebrity sighting. I was thinking about the feeling of it all: hearing the music before I even walked through the door on Thursday night, talking to Este before her set and watching her get ready to make the night her own, the first glass of champagne at sunset, a table full of people talking over lunch, and making jewelry on Saturday afternoon. Club Solaire managed to make joy feel like something you could actually experience, in all of those little, unplanned ways that somehow become the memories you keep.