Together, this odd assortment of 1980s characters sipped pink cocktails, munched on mini-pizza appetizers, and revisited their youth, along with an estimated 350 Day School parents, teachers and friends.

“I think people really enjoyed it,” said Farzam Moustofi, who spearheaded the event. “I think it was a fun, relaxed evening. People were all very complimentary and they said they really enjoyed it.”

In the end, CultureFest was a blast from the past and a kickin’ good time that raised an estimated $192,000. The money goes exclusively toward tuition assistance.

 “For our first online auction, this is an amazing amount of money,” said Dasha Ostrova, the school’s special events coordinator. “People got amazing deals.”

About $60,000 of the total was raised through the online bidding before and after the event, when parents were free to surf the CultureFest site and bid on items at their leisure. Having an online auction allowed parents to kick back and enjoy the party, held May 3 at the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion.

According to Dasha, about 100 people were active bidders online. Not every item got a bid, however. Items that failed to interest buyers online were relocated to Fort Mason on the night of the event to further entice parents.

As parents grow more familiar with bidding online, the numbers should increase. Other schools that have tried an online auction told the Day School it usually takes “a couple of years of training the parents” before results blossom.

Dasha said the school will likely hold an online auction next year, although “we’ll brainstorm a smarter way of doing it.”