extravaganza

noun

1. An extravagant or eccentric piece of music, literature, or drama, originally associated with Victorian England.

   “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.””

   “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.”

   “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. (broadly)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.”

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

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