Because Rachel Berry deserves two parties! The cast of Glee said goodbye to McKinley High School for the last time after filming its series finale on Saturday, Feb. 21. To commemorate the occasion, the New Directioners first partied at a carnival on their Paramount Pictures TV lot, and then at an L.A. nightclub.
“After the final shot wrapped the entire cast hung out on the set and the studio paid for a big carnival,” an insider tells Us Weekly.
Thank you so much Paramount for throwing us the best goodbye carnival today! ?? pic.twitter.com/ASaai7NpwD
— Lea Michele (@msleamichele) February 22, 2015
“They were chatting about all the memories on that lot,” the source says. “Cory [Monteith] came up, of course, it was a huge part of their lives. Everybody plans on staying in touch.”
Glee premiered in 2009 with original cast members Lea Michele (Berry), Monteith (Finn Hudson), Matthew Morrison (Will Schuester), Amber Riley (Mercedes Jones), Chris Colfer (Kurt Hummel), Kevin McHale (Artie Abrams), Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester), Naya Rivera (Santana Lopez), Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina Cohen-Chang), Heather Morris (Brittany S. Pierce), Mark Salling (Noah “Puck” Puckerman), and Dianna Agron (Quinn Fabray). Following the tragic death of Monteith in July 2013, the Fox network announced that the show’s sixth season would be its last.
Michele, who dated the Canadian star in real life and on the show, shared photos from the carnival day via Twitter. “Thank you so much Paramount for throwing us the best goodbye carnival today!” she wrote. In a second pic, she got silly with her BFF and Glee guest star Jonathan Groff. “Jon and I on the ferris wheel!” Before leaving, she also brought home a special prop from set — Monteith’s Finn football jersey. “One last thing,” she wrote.
One last thing. ?? pic.twitter.com/4X9Ty0RbWA
— Lea Michele (@msleamichele) February 22, 2015
“Everybody was crying and it was a big, celebratory, emotional moment,” Groff told Us at the Paley Center Presents An Evening with HBO’s Looking event in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
“I think the show spreads its wings physically and emotionally in a major way…” he added of the final season. “I know personally for me, when we did the table read of episode 10, I couldn’t get through it without crying because it really resonated.”
After closing McKinley’s doors, the longtime pals turned it up a notch at Elevate Lounge nightclub in L.A. The bash was for everyone: the cast, crew, and wardrobe department.
Jon and I on the ferris wheel! ?? pic.twitter.com/rnJwpN0vxu
— Lea Michele (@msleamichele) February 22, 2015
“It was fun. They cut together a bunch of clips that everyone watched,” the source tells Us. “People were drinking and dancing.” One partygoer who really was having a good time? Darren Criss, who joined the musical comedy in 2010 as Blaine Anderson. (On last week’s episode “A Wedding,” Blaine and Kurt had a double wedding with Santana and Brittany!)
“[He] was having a great time,” the insider says. “He was chatting with everyone who worked on the show and being really nice.”
Before the shindig, Criss gave a shout out to the show’s loyal fans. “Today is my last day of working on #Glee. Along with the entire cast, crew, and production team. It has been the privilege of a lifetime…” he tweeted on Feb. 21. “And to our beloved #Gleeks- you changed our lives as much as you think we changed yours. Thank you for supporting us all these years – We love you.”