Burlesque dancer Ray Ray Sunshine took the stage at 11 p.m., sending younger partygoers closer to the stage - and some older ones out the door.

For a good time, call Ikram.

The 600 people who crowded the Art Institute of Chicago’s “Crash the Gala” Friday night would be hard-pressed to disagree. Ikram Goldman, host of the event, put together a late-night bash that offered upscale junk food, free-flowing booze, singalong dance tunes, a burlesque dancer and cross-dressing minstrels, all in a slightly decadent setting.

“Crash the Gala” was held after the Art Institute’s gala opening celebration of its Roy Lichtenstein retrospective, which opens to the public May 22. That earlier party, at $1,500 a plate, drew 600 of the social scene’s usual suspects: c-level executives, hedge fund managers, and the independently wealthy, a few of whom visited the exhibit beforehand to check out Lichtensteins they had loaned.

(Read Crain’s feature about the Roy Lichtenstein exhibit here.)

The Woman’s Board, which was hosting the afterparty, wanted to attract younger people - those not yet able to spend $1,500 for a three-course dinner -- to the event. That’s why Francie Comer, outgoing board president, called Ms. Goldman, owner of Ikram, the upscale boutique on East Huron Street, for help.

“She’s hip, young and she’s in contact with that whole age group,” Ms. Comer said.

The Woman’s Board first held an afterparty in 2010 after the Art Institute’s gala opening of “Radical Invention,” a show highlighting four years of work by Henri Matisse. But that party didn’t quite work. Tickets were $75 and had to be purchased ahead of time. There was food and drink but no music, no minstrels and, as parties go, no people. Only 100 attended.

Still, Ms. Comer wanted to try again. “We thought it had potential,” she said.

Ms. Goldman got the call from Ms. Comer in January. “When she asked, my first reaction was ‘Hell yes,’” said Ms. Goldman. She and the Woman’s Board decided on a “pay more, get more” strategy and upped the ticket price to $100, and allowed guests to pay at the door. Inspired by a Lichtenstein painting of a hot dog, Ms. Goldman decided on a menu of junk food - hot dogs, mac-and-cheese, pizza, ice cream, popcorn. “If it’s called ‘Crash the Gala,’” you don’t have caviar,” Ms. Goldman said. She persuaded vendors to donate all the food and drink.

She also persuaded event planner Tom Kehoe to transform Terzo Piano, the cool, minimalist restaurant on the third floor of the Art Institute’s Modern Wing, into a lavish nightclub. Mr. Kehoe, who offered his services for what Ms. Comer called a drastically reduced fee, created a red-draped tunnel to serve as an entrance to the party. He covered the restaurant’s white walls with opulent silver-lame drapes, then added shiny black-vinyl furniture and gold accessories.

“Can you believe this is Terzo Piano?” Ms. Goldman said as she worked the afterparty, wireless mike in hand, shouting out greetings to friends as Jesse de la Pena, a popular DJ, spun a mix of disco, ‘80s novelty tunes and Motown.

The party began at 9:30 with about 300 people. A half-hour later, after the gala dinner downstairs wound down, elegantly dressed older people began streaming into the room. By 10:30, the room was packed with 600 people spanning three generations. Traditional tuxes and ballgowns mingled with creative black-tie. Josh Goldman, Ikram’s husband, wore a white sequined tux shirt and a Lurex-shot black jacket.

Ms. Comer, elegant in a sequined black-chiffon ball gown, looked on from a spot near the dance floor as Ms. Goldman danced on stage with several of the Chicago women she dresses.

“That woman knows how to throw a party,” Ms. Comer said.