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.
2. 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.

• extravagance