extravaganza

From Italian stravaganza under influence from English extravagance.

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪkˌstɹæv.əˈɡæn.zə/

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extravaganza (plural extravaganzas or extravaganze)

1. An extravagant or eccentric piece of music, literature, or drama, originally associated with Victorian England.
   • 1879, James Planché, “The Island of Jewels”, in The Extravaganzas of J. R. Planché, esq., page 8:

     The ingenious method was hit upon of dove-tailing extravaganza and pantomime. A long burlesque, the characters in which have nothing to do with the harlequinade, terminates with one of those elaborate and gorgeous displays which have acquired the name of “Transformation Scenes.”

   • 2018 February 23, Cassie Tongue, “The Empire Strips Back: how a Star Wars parody took the burlesque world by storm”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     It grew out of the Victorian “extravaganza” style, which took serious opera and literature and applied broad comic satire (usually with music) that played to the masses.

   • 2022 June 4, Kitty Empire, “Abba Voyage review – a dazzling retro-futurist extravaganza”, in The Guardian‎^[2], →ISSN:

     It starts with The Visitors, an icy, electronic track in which authoritarian agents hammer on the door of a fearful dissident – not the Abba you expected to come calling in this trailblazing, retro-futurist extravaganza of a show.

2. (by extension) An instance of fantastical, unrestrained, lavish, or chaotic behaviour or conduct.

   The bride had her heart set on a simple wedding, but her parents insisted on a three-hundred-guest extravaganza.

   • 1983 December 24, Nancy A. F. Langer, “The Nuclear Family Holiday Blues”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 23, page 15:

     I find myself on Christmas day with people who are so tedious that a trip to the john appears an extravaganza by comparison.

   • 2025 June 30, Alexandra Petri, “With the Big, Beautiful Bill, You Can Now Sponsor a Billionaire of Your Choosing”, in The Atlantic‎^[3]:

     Maybe he’s throwing a Great Gatsby–themed cocktail hour as part of his wedding extravaganza!

• extravagance

• extravaganza on Wikipedia.Wikipedia