It has been the society event of the summer since its inception in 2000, and to celebrate its 25th anniversary the Serpentine Galleries have enlisted the help of special guest Cate Blanchett to co-host proceedings, alongside Michael R. Bloomberg, Chairman of Serpentine’s Board of Trustees; Bettina Korek, Serpentine CEO; and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Serpentine Artistic Director. Blanchett will be the first sole artist co-host in the party's 25-year history.
The event, which this year takes place on Tuesday, 24 June in Kensington Gardens, celebrates the Serpentine’s annual pavilion. This year’s will be designed by Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum. It is the gallery’s most important fundraiser of the year, and tickets available through its patron scheme cost thousands.
“Supporting our cultural institutions and their power to illuminate the world at large and our place within it is of paramount importance,” Blanchett, fresh from her five-star stage turn in The Seagull at The Barbican, said in a statement. “I’m honoured to co-chair the Serpentine party and its summer festivities where so many creative forms—architecture, performance, music, science and digital narratives—intersect. To come together around a pavilion created by Marina Tabassum, whose socially driven work particularly in her home country of Bangladesh to meet the challenges faced by Rohingya refugees, is an inspirational opportunity.”
It comes as Blanchett has said she is “serious about giving up acting”. In an interview with the Radio Times this month, she said there were “a lot of other things” she wanted to do with her life.
“We are looking forward to an unforgettable evening, where the elegance of a classic British garden party will meet the energy of a salon attended by global luminaries,” said Bettina Korek and Hans Ulrich Obrist.
They continued: “We are thrilled that Cate Blanchett will co-host this year’s Summer party, and deeply grateful for the opportunity to celebrate our community and artistic programme with a true creative icon.”
The party has long hosted London’s great and good, with familiar faces including Sienna Miller, Kate Moss, Keira Knightley, Alexa Chung, Cara Delevingne as well as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Last year, the event was co-hosted by DJ Peggy Gou and British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw, while A-list attendees included Minnie Driver, Benedict Cumberbatch, Venus Williams and Maya Jama. Particularly starry were the Chanel years between 2017 and 2019, when the French fashion house sponsored the bash.
“The Summer Party is our most important fundraiser of the year—ensuring that our exhibitions and artist projects remain free and open to all,” Korek said. We look forward to seeing Blanchett on the dance floor.
