Inside HBO's House of the Dragon NYC Premiere, from Dragon-Inspired Cocktails to an Iron Throne: All the Details

Westeros has come to New York City.

On Monday, June 3, stars and fans gathered at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City to celebrate the premiere of season 2 of HBO's House of the Dragon, the long-awaited follow-up to one of the network's most-watched shows ever.

Royalty was everywhere, with Team Green and Team Black showing up in strides to stake their claim to the Iron Throne — and there was a literal one waiting for them at the afterparty!

Emma D'Arcy (Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen), Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen), Harry Collett (Prince Jacaerys), Eve Best (Princess Rhaenys Targaryen) and Steve Toussaint (Lord Corlys Velaryon) were on hand to represent Team Black, while Team Green also showed up in style. Olivia Cooke (Queen Alicent Hightower) and her onscreen children, Tom Glynn-Carney (King Aegon II Targaryen), Ewan Mitchell (Prince Aemond Targaryen) and Phia Saban (Helaena Targaryen), were in attendance, along with her close allies Fabien Frankel (Criston Cole) and Matthew Needham (Lord Larys Strong). 

The stars walked a green carpet as they arrived — with several sharing sweet moments together, like Smith and Frankel who made sure to have their own photo-op moment, and Olivia and Emma who similarly shared a moment on the carpet.

Following the carpet, guests joined the cast for a screening of the premiere episode of season 2 of the Game of Thrones prequel as a violinist performed. As the lights went down, began a rendition of the show's theme song — with composer Ramin Djawadi in the audience to hear it!

All of the cast aside from D'Arcy — who PEOPLE was told was rushed from the red carpet to get to the airport — was in attendance at the screening, where chocolate-covered popcorn was the snack of choice.

Justin Theroux was among the guests gathered for the screening, and he later met the cast at the afterparty. Similarly, You star Victoria Pedretti was mingling with Hoa Xuande and the cast of The Sympathizer, and influencers including Brittany Broski, Zane Hijazi and Heath Hussar made their way over to the cast to say hello.

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Guests entered the ballroom for the afterparty through a path lined with servers offering wine, sparkling water, champagne and the night's signature cocktail: "Feel the Heat," a delicious dragon-inspired take on a spicy margarita.

The center piece of the afterparty was a massive tree that seemed to replicate the red leaf weirwood trees which are all around Westeros — and are featured in both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.

Several stars, including Ewan Mitchell, posed for photos in front of the massive tree decor as they entered the afterparty, where DJs Angel + Dren kept the mood alive with a selection of hits throughout the night.

Along with the night's signature cocktail — and a non-alcoholic option that was equally on theme, an elderflower lemonade drink called "Dragon Fruit Lemonade" — waiters walked around with trays of food including pesto pasta, steak and several vegetarian options, along with a handful of desserts later in the evening.

On each side of the venue there were stations for other food options, too, with opposing pizza vendors — John's of Bleecker provided pizza "for the rightful king," according to a green banner, while Roberta's pizza stayed "loyal to the one true queen" on the opposite side of the table.

There was also an impressive selection of charcuterie at what was called the "Queen's Table" — and the sprawling spread looked fit for Westeros royalty with various cheeses, meats, fruits and bread.

Amongst the night's highlights was the replica of the Iron Throne, which fans queued up to sit in and take a photo. The line for the iconic photo-op was long all night, with fans eager to get their chance to sit the infamous throne.

The stars were mingling about throughout the night, with Mitchell, Frankel and Glynn-Carney making their rounds and greeting friends and guests, while Cooke remained seated at a private booth for the cast for most of the night. Neither D'Arcy nor Smith were seen at the afterparty.

Theroux was similarly tucked away for much of the night in a private area, but was seen chatting to both Cooke and Frankel.

The evening concluded with an opportunity for fans to take home their own monogrammed lighter which, in true Game of Thrones style, featured the classic Westeros font and allowed guests to personalize to with the name of their own "House."

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Season 2 of House of the Dragon premieres on HBO June 16 and season 1 can be streamed in full on HBO Max.