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Oprah made sure the three-day Maui extravaganza celebrating Ava DuVernay’s 50th turn around the sun was filled with love and loved ones, including Gayle King and Niecy Nash.

Last week, Oprah hosted a three-day celebration in Maui in honor of her dear friend Ava DuVernay’s 50th birthday. Today, we’re taking you inside the first day of festivities. Check back later this week for more!

Reaching another year of life is a big deal at any age—but marking your semi-centennial, as esteemed director and writer Ava DuVernay did last week, is particularly special. Oprah honored the 50th birthday of her dear friend with a three-day celebration that was nothing short of breathtaking.

DuVernay is known for projects like Selma, Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time, and Queen Sugar, which are all projects she collaborated on with Oprah. Their deep friendship began nearly a decade ago. When Oprah was working on the set of Lee Daniels’ The Butler in 2012, her costar David Oyelowo recommended she watch an indie film called Middle of Nowhere, which was directed by DuVernay. “I then googled who directed the movie because I had not heard of Ava DuVernay at the time,” Oprah said. “There was this beautiful photograph of this lovely Black woman who was wearing glasses just like me. I thought, I want to be her friend.”

Oprah was so impressed by her work that she devised a plan to meet DuVernay in person. “I ended up having an entire Mother’s Day brunch at my house that I staged so I could invite her,” Oprah shared. “We then started to work on Selma and actually became friends.”

After nearly a decade of friendship, Oprah wanted to go all out in honor of DuVernay’s milestone birthday. From the gift bags filled with some of Lady O’s favorite items to the touching speech DuVernay gave at the kickoff event, take a peek inside the first day of festivities here.

Oprah always says that love is in the details, and her regard for her friend was evident in the care and attention given to every element of the event, starting with the welcome gifts awaiting guests when they arrived on Tuesday, August 23. Each woman in attendance found a Loro Piana Suitcase Stripe Bag (which is made of linen and cotton and features soft leather handles) filled with some of Oprah’s “most delightful favorite things” on the bed in their respective rooms. In true Maui fashion, the welcome note in each bag began with “Aloha,” then went on to explain the important Covid protocols, including daily testing.

The goodies included products from Dr. Barbara Sturm's skincare line, including a travel kit and a product set. “Their foam cleanser takes off all the makeup, and their enzyme cleanser then deep cleans," Oprah tells us. Lady O added that Dr. Barbara Strum’s products like the glow drops are perfect for days when you want to go without makeup.

Also in the ladies’ totes were Saltee sunscreen and an Olivia Von Halle pink satin sleep mask. The male guests were welcomed with a Paul Smith backpack and a black Olivia Von Halle satin sleep mask. “I love letting the sun wake me up, but when I don’t want that, I like Olivia Von Halle's lovely sleep masks,” says Oprah, who is also a fan of the brands' jumpsuits.

A few of the items were meant to be used during the R&R—recreation and relaxation—that were on the itinerary. Oprah was particularly excited about the Beysis water bottles: “Since we were going to offer hikes to people, I was looking for the perfect water bottle,” she says. She found the “smoothest” one and had the name of each guest engraved on their bottle. Guests who appreciate the perfect blend of fashion and comfort in their lounging and beach apparel were thrilled to find Roam slippers and a multicolored beach sarong from the Natalie Martin Collection in their totes. When Oprah celebrated her own 50th birthday, everyone invited to her luncheon gave her a card with a personalized birthday message. “Words matter, and when you have a thoughtful opportunity to speak what you feel about somebody and then you write it down and give it to them, they always remember,” Oprah has said. She wanted to recreate the heartfelt idea, so each guest received a woven basket containing an envelope and note card on which they could write a personal message to DuVernay.

That evening, the celebration for DuVernay commenced at sunset with cocktails and dinner at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. As guests arrived at the event, they were greeted with intricate leis of assorted colors.

While the attire was technically “island comfortable,” the crowd and, of course, the guest of honor arrived looking especially radiant. DuVernay stunned in a luminous neon yellow ensemble. The close friendship between DuVernay and actress Niecy Nash was made clear during a playful moment when Nash encouraged the director to show more skin.

“I love it, but you didn’t need that tank top on,” Nash said humorously. DuVernay then explained that she tried her yellow ensemble without a tank top but decided against the more bare look. “I looked in the mirror and I was like, no,” DuVernay says, while the guests laughed. “She would love for me to give a lot of leg,” DuVernay tells Oprah Daily. “Whenever I go out with her, she’s like, ‘Oh my God.’”

DuVernay’s family was well-represented at the multi-event soirée with her mother, Darlene, in attendance, as well as her brothers, Kris and Nic, and her sisters, Jina, Laschica, and Tera. Gayle King also joined in on the fun, along with her daughter, Kirby Bumpus.

Director, writer, and actor Colman Domingo, who has made waves on Broadway and will appear in the upcoming The Color Purple film, led everyone in prayer to bless the meal. The delicious menu paid homage to food traditions unique to Maui, and included Honey Kiawe Bread Rolls, Roasted Pineapple and Pipikaula Salad, and decadent Chocolate Tartlets and Macadamia Nut Truffles for dessert.

The memorable evening was made even more joyous when DuVernay addressed her close friends and family, sharing how much their presence meant to her. “I could lose it, so I’m not going to,” DuVernay reflected. “I’m going to keep it all together and say I ask God, 'What did I do to deserve this gathering of people coming from all the places that you did to be with me on these days? And what did I do to deserve a friend who’d create this moment for us all?' So I don’t know what I did, but maybe he’ll tell me. I’m going to be listening, and I’ll be thanking you all throughout the time here, and thanking you forever for this.”

The revelry truly began when guests hit the dance floor to do the Electric Slide and shimmy to a slowed-down version of “This Is How We Do It.” The band was able to give classic songs a perfect Hawaiian twist.

As the night wound down, the sky lit up as fire dancers performed, the perfect finale to night one that promised much more fun to come.

Stay tuned for more exclusive details about the rest of the celebration. Tomorrow, we’re giving you a look inside the exciting party that marked DuVernay’s actual birthday, Oprah’s speech, and what brought the guest of honor to tears.

Cailey Griffin (She/Her) is the Editorial Assistant to Oprah Daily’s General Manager. In addition to assisting the GM, she also writes for Oprah Daily. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Columbia University. She has interned at 60 Minutes, NBC News, and her work has appeared in Foreign Policy magazine. Outside of Oprah Daily, she can be found running around Harlem or listening to the Wicked soundtrack on repeat. 

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