As the clock neared midnight on Monday, more than 2,000 ballgoers counted down to a new era in America with more frenzy and goodwill than New Year's Eve revelers in Times Square. The Huffington Post gala was a fitting culmination to the pre-inaugural parties that drew an unprecedented crowd of celebs, designers, politicos, and media types to D.C. this weekend. In an unintended nod to democracy, stars were crushed among the commoners jostling to get into the Newseum. Ben Affleck, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Ashton Kutcher, and Demi Moore all skipped past the red carpet, avoiding the spotlight, but others swapped Obama stories: David Arquette and Teri Hatcher both shared their excitement about bringing their children along. "It's a historic moment," Arquette said, "and I'm honored to be a part of it."

Star offspring were also in attendance at Sunday's The Root Ball thrown by the Washington Post Web site and dedicated to African-American issues. Samuel L. Jackson brought along daughter Zoe, who campaigned for Obama. "When we tell young people that they can grow up to be president or anything they want, it's actually a true statement now," Jackson said before joining Spike Lee, Chris Tucker, and Oprah in the VIP room. The Root's was one of the few balls that actually involved some serious dancing—no surprise with Biz Markie on the decks. Meet the Press host David Gregory got down while other guests lined up to do photo shoots with a surprisingly lifelike cutout of the Prez-Elect. (The HuffPo ball had a similar setup, allowing guests to pose for a faux press conference.)

Stevie Wonder performed at both Saturday's BET Honors and Sunday's free concert on the Mall, honoring Magic Johnson with a performance of "Superstition" at the former, and then joining Usher and Shakira to sing "Higher Ground" on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. An all-star lineup that included U2, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Will.i.am., and Mary J. Blige, among others, joined Beyoncé, who closed out the free concert with a soulful version of "America the Beautiful." In a weekend when the usual snark and star power has been eclipsed by a sort of collective euphoria, the sing-along proved, as Jennifer Beals said, that "the real party is in the streets."

— Colleen Clark