After a couple of seasons of fits and starts, remote events and small gatherings, and all kinds of creatively distanced takes on the mammoth summer soirees for arts and cultural institutions, Hamptons benefits are back -- for better or worse, for richer or even richer.
Returning in their more familiar forms are behemoths like the Water Mill Center gala, the Parrish's Midsummer Party, Guild Hall's semi-regular takeover of Mulford Farm, and LongHouse Reserve's creatively themed cocktails and dinner under the stars. Much Ado About Madoo's cocktails and garden market returns with splashy vendors like Orangerie and Object and Thing. Plus bibliophiles can rejoice at the full-fledged return of the East Hampton Library's Authors Night, complete with a big tent in Herrick Park for book signings and private dinners following, at which individual writers hold court.
The cultural benefit calendar really kicks off next weekend with the Neo-Political Cowgirls' sixth annual Andromeda's Sisters Arts and Advocacy Gala, which will not only raise money for the dance theater company but also focus on the crisis in women's health care.
Set for Friday, June 17, at the Leiber Collection in Springs, the evening will begin at 5:30 with cocktails in the garden and music by Inda Eaton. A reading of "The Yellow Wallpaper 2.0 2020," a one-act play starring Emma Ramos, will follow at 6:15.
The play was adapted by Jennifer Maisel from an 1892 story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman about a woman driven mad by a rest cure for postpartum depression. A panel discussion about women's health and accessibility will follow the performance.
Tickets start at $150, $250 for couples.
The Church in Sag Harbor's first annual summer benefit promises to be unlike any other, as it will include a seance, led by Monte Farber, a psychic, that promises to connect Iris Smyles, a writer, with "the immortal spirit" of Marcel Proust.
The benefit is called the Droll Ball in honor of Ms. Smyles's new book, "Droll Tales." Beginning at 8 p.m. on June 25, guests will eat and drink as their fortunes are told by roaming psalmists. At 9, those eager to "pierce the veil" will join Mr. Farber and Ms. Smyles on the second floor. Dancing and music by the HooDoo Loungers are also on the evening's menu.
All guests will receive a signed copy of "Droll Tales." Other items on offer are rings by Laura Lobdell, a "Droll Tales"-inspired painting by the artist and writer Frederic Tuten, and private psychic readings by Mr. Farber and Amy Zerner.
Tiered tickets start at $333, a number chosen for its own spiritual connotations (but don't ask).
Much Ado About Madoo, the Sagaponack conservancy's annual benefit, will take place on June 18, starting with a free garden market from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The vendors include Abigail Vogel, Fete Home, Gretchen Comly Design, Jennifer Creel, Lily Eve, Object & Thing, and Orangerie x Christopher Spitzmiller.
A cocktail party and market will follow in the garden from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets start at $270.
Whimsy: A Garden Soiree will lure revelers to the sculpture garden of the Southampton Arts Center on June 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. The party will be catered by Acquolina, with swing jazz courtesy of the Frank Vignola Trio. Tickets start at $300.
The East End Hospice will hold A Night Under the Stars in Quogue, also on June 25, with cocktails, dinner, dancing, a silent auction, and casino gaming. Tickets are $350, $250 for those under 35.
As it did last year, the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill will divide its midsummer benefit into a dance, which will happen on July 8 from 8 to 11 p.m., and a dinner on July 9, starting at 6:30 with cocktails outdoors and continuing with dinner on the museum's terrace.
The honorees at the dinner will be Racquel Chevremont and Mickalene Thomas, curators of the current exhibition "Set It Off," Jasper Johns, whose exhibition "Art of Changes" will close on July 10, and Miyoung Lee, an art collector and Whitney Museum trustee.
Dance tickets start at $250, dinner tickets at $1,500.
LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton will celebrate artists during its benefit, which will include music, cocktails, dinner, and an art auction. The creators of this season's new artworks will be on hand, among them Steve and William Ladd, Cheng Tsung Feng, Moko Fukuyama, Fitzhugh Karol, and Bjorn Amelan.
The benefit will take place on July 23. Tickets start at $1,250, $500 for those under 40.
The Watermill Center will celebrate its 30th anniversary on July 30 with cocktails, food by Colin Ambrose of Estia's Little Kitchen, and shows by the artists Christopher Knowles and Robert Nava, sculpture by Liz Glynn, works from Adam Parker Smith's "Sarcophagi" series, Tsubasa Kato's "Pull and Raise" installation, and other performances and installations.
Tickets start at $1,000, $750 for those 40 and under or for tickets purchased by midnight on July 24.
The East Hampton Library's Authors Night will unfold beneath a tent in Herrick Park on Aug. 13. It will begin at 5 with a reception, where guests can sample hors d'oeuvres and wine and meet 100 authors, buy their books, and have them personally inscribed.
After the reception, at 8, guests can repair to dinner parties at private homes with one or more of the writers. Ticket sales will begin shortly.
While Guild Hall is closed for renovations, its summer fund-raiser will happen on Aug. 19 from 6 to 11 under the stars at Mulford Farm in East Hampton. Individual tickets are $1,400, $500 for young patrons.
As usual, the Box Art Auction benefiting East End Hospice will close out the summer benefit season. The reception and silent auction will take place at St. Luke's Hoie Hall in East Hampton on Aug. 27 at 4:30; a live auction will follow. Tickets are $100 and include wine and hors d'oeuvres.
Long after summer's dust has settled, on Oct. 16, the Southampton Cultural Center will hold its annual Evening of Wine and Roses, which will include food, wine, cocktails, live entertainment, and a silent auction. Admission is $125, $75 for those under 35.
In addition to the area's cultural venues, numerous charitable organizations will hold benefits throughout the summer. Readers can check the Villages pages in the news section of The Star for the latest information.
