Inside the Best Celebrity Parties, Galas, and Events of the Season

Alex Consani may be known as a downtown fashion darling, but on Friday, April 10, the model traveled to Times Square for a party celebrating the acclaimed artist Tomokazu Matsuyama’s latest work. Along with Lulu Tenney, Hank Willis Thomas, and many more art-world stars, Consani feted Matsuyama’s new piece, Morning Again, with a soirée that began at the Times Square EDITION and ended on the Red Steps—where Consani joined Matsuyama to watch the project illuminate Times Square.

Commissioned by the Times Square Arts Midnight Moment program, Morning Again will screen nightly from April 1-30 from 11:57 PM to midnight, on nearly 100 electronic billboards in Times Square.

In the piece, the Japanese–born, New York–based artist Matsuyama—pictured here with Hank Willis Thomas—traces four symbolic currents that move through New York City: flows of hope, rhythm, self-expression, and transformation.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, March 26, Movado toasted its latest chapter at New York’s King restaurant, where brand president Margot Grinberg hosted a seated lunch along with ambassador Julianne Moore. The gathering marked the debut of three new women’s watch collections—Museum Bangle, Heritage 1917, and Museum Velura—as well as the official launch of Curve, Movado’s newest high-fashion jewelry collection. All were showcased alongside archival designs.

“I’ve always admired Movado for its clean, modern aesthetic and its ability to create pieces that feel both timeless and deeply personal,” said Moore. “These new collections are beautifully crafted and thoughtfully designed—a true reflection of the brand’s artistry and its commitment to celebrating women.”

On Thursday, March 19, guests gathered for an intimate dinner at The Odeon hosted by Loewe and Bergdorf Goodman. The party celebrated Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez’s first collection as Loewe’s new creative directors as well as the house’s takeover of Bergdorf’s famed windows.

American Love Story star Grace Gummer and Mark Ronson joined the exclusive group, carrying his-and-hers Amazona bags.

True Whitaker also joined the event, whose guests included Britt Lower, Michael Stipe, Jayme Lawson, Sandra Bernhard, Morgan Spector, Lucas Hedges, Isaac Powell, Talia Ryder, Tramell Tillman, and more.

Along with the collection launch, McCollough and Hernandez collaborated with Bergdorf Goodman on exclusive custom windows and an interior installation in the brand’s women’s store, bringing their spring 2026 collection to life.

On March 18 in Manhattan’s Union Square neighborhood, Dua Lipa descended upon the new Nespresso flagship boutique on 5th Avenue. Wearing a white minidress and a stunning Serpenti necklace, the singer toasted her status as the coffee brand’s latest global ambassador. Guests sipped on espresso martinis (like DJ Mia Moretti, above) and plucked tuna crispy rice bites from geometric blocks held by the waitstaff. As the sun set outside, the crowd trooped downstairs for more dancing.

Dua Lipa at the Nespresso party.

Meanwhile, farther uptown at The Pool/The Grill, art-world luminaries gathered to celebrate the 16th annual Art Production Fund gala. The event—which supports the organization’s work of commissioning and producing public art projects—raised a record-breaking $1 million. More than 300 guests including Chloe Wise and Brooke Wise, along with gallerista Hannah Traore (shown above) attended, decked out in fashion that reflected the theme of the night: après ski at the “APF Chalet.”

Legendary artists like Marilyn Minter and Sanford Biggers showed up for APF, whose executive director, Casey Fremont, can be seen here with the duo.

Spring brings countless galas to New York City, but we’re pretty sure there’s only one where you’ll find the city’s premiere “experimental clown” performing as one of artist Paul McCarthy’s famed butt plugs and donors will get called “pay pigs.” Welcome to Performance Space New York’s annual spring gala, where this year, the best way to do some good was to be very, very bad.

Playwright Jordan Tannahill, fresh off his off-Broadway success Prince Faggot, stepped into the role of creative director and reimagined a kink-friendly gala with a “Haute Fetish” dress code that that meant black leather was more common than black tie. This year’s gala honored fashion’s Michèle Lamy, artist McCarthy, and writer Samuel R. Delany, all creatives who no one has ever accused of being prudes. Naturally, Tannahill called in former dominatrix Julia Fox and her BFF, the photographer and model Richie Shazam, to cohost. Dressed as a gala table to open the night, Fox reminded the crowd this was a kink-friendly event. She pulled up comedian Julio Torres onstage to interrogate him about his favorite kink. “A memorable, entertaining night supporting the arts,” he demurred.

French singer Yseult, long-known for making a statement on the Cannes red carpet, made her United States performance debut with her new single “Freak” accompanied by a BDSM performance by Mistress Nina, Dahlia Damoiselle, and Tristan Allen.

Moses Sumney performed a multisong tribute to Lamy, including his first performance of his song “Rank & File” in years.

Performance artist and clown Alex Tatarsky’s tribute to Paul McCarthy was undoubtedly one of the evening’s most delightfully weird moments.

Right as the elevator doors were about to close and take us to the fifth floor of the WSA building for Free Arts NYC’s 26th Annual Gala, none other than Rosie Perez slipped in. There’s no better omen for a good night in the city than starting it with an accidental run-in with one of its cultural icons. Once inside, we were greeted with a glass of red wine and gallery walls full of 70 works on paper by a who’s-who of art-world notables, including Tschabalala Self, KAWS, Will Cotton, and Marilyn Minter. They would all be auctioned off that night through an online portal to benefit the nonprofit. Even New York’s new first lady, Rama Duwaji, donated a sketch.

Founded in 1997, Free Arts NYC provides kids from underserved communities with both daylong creative workshops for younger artists and more in-depth mentorship and scholarship programs for teenage artists.

This year’s edition honored three women from three different generations: artists Katherine Bradford and Sasha Gordon, and Jody Quon, creative director of New York magazine. Yet the three didn’t just show up to collect their adoration on gala night. Earlier in the year, the trio stopped by to both offer advice and create alongside Free Arts students. The results—“exquisite corpse”-style drawings—were also on display.

“Free Arts is planting seeds of curiosity that will undeniably make this world more beautiful,” Quon said upon accepting her award. “We are not just investing in children’s art. We are investing in the next generation of thinkers, makers, leaders, and dreamers.”

Stylist and editor Alastair Mckimm and photographer Carin Backoff represented the fashion world.

This was the rare gala for an arts foundation in which the act of creation literally took center stage. Artist Adam Dressner had set up an easel to paint live portraits of guests during both the cocktail hour and after party. At dinner, guests were provided with colored pencils and encouraged to draw on the table by Free Arts founder Liz Hopfan. Paper had been placed over some windows, with crayons provided to encourage guests to leave a doodle. “A sketch is a funny thing,” she told the crowd. “We tend to think of it as lesser, the thing before the thing. But a sketch is where we are all most honestly ourselves. It's a color test, a first instinct, a page that was never meant to be seen. This is where Free Arts lives, too.”

On February 15, Nike closed out All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles with All-Time High, a star-studded after party at the members-only Bird Streets Club on Sunset Boulevard. The event wrapped up the weekend and celebrated the intersection of sports and entertainment, bringing together figures across industries like Teyana Taylor, Travis Scott, Damson Idris, Takashi Murakami, Steve Lacy, Ego Nwodim, and more.

Zack Bia was on deck, DJing for the crowd, followed by a lineup that included Chase B, Coco & Breezy, and Hank Korsan.

The event space had a sprawling setup, where guests could move between three different floors, each with their own unique feel. The layout lent itself to the eclectic crowd that had gathered there, which also included musician Shaboozey.

Eternal beauty was the theme of the night at the Bulgari event held at the luxury jewelry brand’s Rodeo Drive flagship on January 15. VIP clients, celebrities, and creatives came together to celebrate Bulgari Eternal, a new collection breathing new life into archival designs.

Maude Apatow, Phoebe Dynevor, and Ryan Destiny were in attendance on Thursday night, enjoying the conversation and immersive experiences on offer. Apatow and Destiny, specifically, acted as models for the evening, wearing the new collection while enjoying rooftop cocktails and the celebratory atmosphere.

The mood was set by Kaytranada and Kim Gordon, who both delivered DJ sets for the guests, keeping the energy high throughout the evening. It was a true L.A. party, celebrating glitz, glamour, and, of course, Bulgari.