PHOTOS: Inside the 2026 Serpentine Summer Party

On Tuesday (June 23), as the sun bathed London’s Kensington Gardens in a honeyed glow, the Serpentine Summer Party—one of the UK’s most fashion-forward fashion events—returned in full force. This year’s fête is hosted by an arts patron and former mayor of New York City Michael BloombergCEO of Serpentine Bettina Korek and art director Hans Ulrich Obristand a participating actor Salma Hayek Pinault and filmmakers Alfonso Cuaron again Alejandro González Iñárritu. Patron of the arts and entrepreneur Isha Ambani (looking at Steve O Smith) is back for his second year as chairman of the executive committee.

As always, the recently launched Serpentine Pavilion, a snakeit was the star around which the evening revolved. Designed by the LANZA atelier in Mexico City and built with rows of brick columns that alternately reveal and hide, it places the stone history of the Serpentine South in the long cultural exchange between Europe and the Americas. “The English brick city and the Mexican brick wall speak different languages, but both transform earth, fire, and art into culture,” says González Iñárritu.

Among the crowd were players Michael B. Jordan, Jeff Goldblum, Kyle Maclachlan, Wilson rebelled again Isla Fisher; singers Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Wolfgang Tillmans, Anish Kapoor, Grayson Perry again It’s Shonibare; builder Rain Ghotmeh; socialite Nicky Hilton; and, as usual, a whole host of designers, Aaron Esh, Charles Jeffrey, Look at this, Daisy Knatchbull, Daniel Lee, David Koma, Dilara Findikoglu, Emilia Wickstead, Erdem Moralıoğlu, Harris Reed, Priya Ahluwalia, Robert Wun, Roksanda Ilincic again Wes Gordon among them. When they’re not mixing and mingling, they’re on an artist-led tour through Kensington Gardens showcasing the Serpentine’s summer program, which includes major exhibitions of works by Cecily Brown (“Making a Picture”) and David Hockney (“A Year in Normandy and Other Thoughts on Painting”), as well as a public installation by Jesús Rafael Soto. Pénétrable BBL Jaune (1999; 2023 Edition).

In what we understand to be a brand new way of Summer Party, the LANZA company has partnered with an Egyptian artist. Laila Gohar to prepare the creative approach of the fête. He created a rotating sequence of culinary experiences including tamales, hibiscus, mango and guava sorbets and chocolate infusions inspired by the Pavillion bricks, and Air Weighta series of interesting textile installations. “The spiral invites movement, and the food follows its path, passed between hands, shared in conversation, eaten and transformed,” she said. “Somewhere between the buildings, the place and the feast, the group becomes a living structure formed by the movement of people.”

A judiciously chosen music program kept the energy high as dusk descended into darkness. DJ Wolfram Amadeus it opened, and it followed DJ Carlitabefore Danny L Harle spun what would have been the most compelling set of the night. But the most exciting notes of the evening were played by Mariachi Las Adelitas, whose acoustic performance brought warmth, humor and an unexpected thread of celebration to a night that was already completely harmonious, by any measure.

Grayson Perry

Michael Bloomberg

Lina Ghotmeh and Salma Hayek

Alice Rawsthorn and Hans Ulrich Obrist

Kyle MacLachlan and Desiree Gruber

Bettina Korek and Maya Martinos

Alfonso Cuaron

Adot Gak

Yinka Shonibare and Sybil Robson Orr

Adwoa Aboah

Simon de Pury and Carol Asscher

Sienna Miller

Isabel Abascal

Rebecca Vallance and Amy Jackson

Isla Fisher

Call Ferreira

Kristin Scott Thomas

Foday Dumbuya

Julie Pelipas

Rocco Iannone and Naomie Harris

Sumayya Vally

Pixie Geldof and Alexa Chung

Celia Imrie

Richard Caring and Stefanie Powers

Pixie Lott

Jessica Gunning

DJ Cuppy and Funmi Fetto

Jordan Grant and Anissa Kermiche

Ikram Abdi-Omar

Emma Thynn

Nicky Hilton

Maya Jama

Gabriella Shteiman, Bettina Korek and Marc Lotenberg

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Lisa Love and Harris Reed

Wilson rebelled

Charlotte Dellal

Caroline Polachek

Anish Kapoor and Oumaima Boumoussaoui

Anoushka Shankar

Jessie Ware and Jenna Coleman

Bettina Korek and Simon de Pury

Aria Mehta and Varun Kaji

Liam Hess, Oliver Lee and Matt Copson

Daniel Lismore

Rosalind Weinberg

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