Ready for a celebration: Roman Abramovich was spotted
enjoying Boxing Day with his girlfriend Dasha Zhukova on the island
of St Barts as he prepares for his legendary NYE party
Millions have been spent on luxury food and drink, rock
band the Red Hot Chili Peppers will entertain 300 guests and
fireworks are expected to light up the Caribbean sky as midnight
strikes.
It can only be Roman Abramovich’s New Year’s Eve party, a
glittering celebration on which the Russian billionaire is spending
more than £5million with plans to eclipse even last year’s
sparkling event.
Mr Abramovich, 45, is back on the island of St Barts with
his 30-year old partner Dasha Zhukova for the annual bash which is
one of the most sought-after party invitations on New Year’s
Eve.
The party will still be going strong as his Chelsea team
take to the field for their Barclays Premier League match against
Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on January 1.
Last year, Mr Abramovich’s £5m party included a
performance by the Black Eyed Peas and was attended by celebrities
such as Demi Moore, actress and model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley,
model Stephanie Seymour, comedienne Ellen DeGeneres, movie mogul
Harvey Weinstein and Star Wars creator George Lucas.
Joining in: Abramovich was mingling with the locals on
the island and even stopped to light some large candles
In 2009, Mr Abramovich spent £3m treating guests such as
Orlando Bloom and Kanye West to performances by Prince, Gwen
Stefani and Beyonce.
He traditionally cordons off an entire area of the island
and guests can sleep on a number of superyachts owned by his
friends that are moored in the harbour.
It is understood close friends and family will stay at his
estate, which was once owned by the American banking family the
Rockefellers, and boasts a range of swimming pools, pavilions and
Balinese bungalows with ocean views.
The perfect setting: The 45-year-old billionaire
invites 300 guests onto his mega yacht Eclipse to see in the new
year
Ready to party: Abramovich relaxes on his yacht with
several friends
Mr Abramovich and Miss Zhukova, the mother of his
two-year-old son Aaron, celebrated Christmas on the island,
spending time on his super-yacht, the 543ft Eclipse.
The £300m nine-deck vessel boasts accommodation for 12
guests and five bodyguards, and features a cinema, library and
restaurant. It is also reportedly installed with an anti-paparazzi
shield, armed with infra-red lasers.
The party comes at the end of a difficult year for Mr
Abramovich – he was forced to come out in support of Chelsea
manager Andre Villas-Boas after the team’s recent dip in form and
is now looking to refresh the team. He has also been in the High
Court in London to defend himself against a £3.7billion claim by
exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, who alleges he was
cheated out of the true value of his shares in the Russian oil
giant Sibneft and aluminium company Rusal.
Hitting the waves: Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad
Smith was spotted at the beach in St Barts on Christmas day amid
rumours that Abramovich has booked the band to play at his
party
Feeling nervous? Smith enjoyed some quality time with
his son Beckett as they played in the sea
In the ongoing case, Mr Abramovich has been accused of
using blackmail and intimidation to force Mr Berezovsky to sell
shares in the firms well below their worth in deals that took place
in the late
1990s and early 2000s.
Mr Abramovich denies that 65-year-old Mr Berezovsky is
owed anything or ever owned shares in the two companies. He denies
blackmail and intimidation and says Mr Berezovsky was well paid to
the tune of around £1.3bn.
He said he had reimbursed Mr Berezovsky for acting as his
political godfather to get the deals agreed by the Russian
authorities.
Ready to rock: (L-R) John Frusciantea, Flea, Anthony
Kiedis and Chad Smith pictured here at the 49th Annual Grammy
Awards in 2007 are rumoured to be performing at the billionaire's
annual party