Golden Hour Glamour: Inside the Serpentine Summer Party

Cate Blanchett and Bettina Korek. Jack Hall/BFA.com

Last week, as the golden hour lit up London’s Kensington Gardens in that honeyed glow so particular to June, the Serpentine Summer Party returned in all its unfiltered glamour. Marking the 25th anniversary of the Serpentine Pavilion architecture commission, this year’s fête was hosted by arts patron and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, Serpentine CEO Bettina Korek and artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist with Cate Blanchett—the year’s singular star co-host—resplendent in a shell-encrusted Dilara Findikoglu creation. The invite-only event, long considered one of the U.K.’s most art-forward and impeccably dressed parties, proved again why it’s one of the most exclusive tickets of the summer. The dress code? Bold. The guest list? A Venn diagram of creative talents, cultural titans and high-profile disruptors.

The centerpiece, as always, was the pavilion itself: A Capsule in Time, designed by Marina Tabassum and near-ethereal in the late-day sunshine. Also on view was Serpentine South’s Giuseppe Penone exhibition “Thoughts in the Roots,” which showcases the Arte Povera artist’s expansive body of sculpture, drawing, painting, installation art and photography exploring the relationship between humans and nature.

The year’s Who’s Who included London Mayor Sadiq Khan; Skepta, fresh from Paris Fashion Week; Isha Ambani, one of India’s most powerful business leaders; design-world titan Thomas Heatherwick; and artist Lynette Yiadom-Boakye—because where else would you find a mayor, a Turner Prize winner, a billionaire heiress and a Mercury Prize-winning grime artist rubbing elbows? Screen favorites like Oscar winner Alicia Vikander, Marvel’s Gugu Mbatha-Raw, actress-turned-producer Rebel Wilson, comedy’s Isla Fisher, veteran Brit Celia Imrie, breakout Baby Reindeer star Jessica Gunning, Sex Education’s Tanya Reynolds, Heartstopper actor Sebastian Croft and fantasy franchise darling Emily Carey donned their creative best, along with a list of artists that included Anthea Hamilton, Rana Begum, Tomma Abts, Cornelia Parker, Yinka Shonibare and Isaac Julien, among others. Also spotted were Studio 54 legend Bianca Jagger, Bollywood A-lister Sonam Kapoor and Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am.

There were turns from Caroline Polachek, whose live set shimmered beneath the trees, and underground favorite GALLiVANTER, who kept the crowd moving long after the last canapé disappeared. But the true marvel of the night was its precise balance of prestige and play. In a city known for its layered scenes and insular circles, the Serpentine Summer Party remains a rare convergence point where the art feels as alive as the conversation.