About 35 guests — including Donald Trump Jr. and some of the Republican Party’s rising… Read More →
The Hampton Classic returns to Bridgehampton Aug. 23-30 with eight days of world-class riding, more… Read More →
Christie Brinkley threw the first pitch, Katie Couric stepped up to bat and artists, writers… Read More →
The 78th annual East Hampton summer tradition returned to Herrick Park with artists, writers and… Read More →
The Bridgehampton event turns the tables on the Hamptons pop-up circuit Aug. 21 with more… Read More →
From the Hamptons to Venice, Enrique “MAGO” Martinez has built a career on an eye… Read More →
From the opening of the Hampton Classic and Broadway powerhouse Megan Hilty to art openings,… Read More →
The nearly 10,000-square-foot Wainscott waterfront estate on Georgica Pond, known as Goose Creek, returns to… Read More →
The East Hampton Historical Society celebrated its 10th annual Design Luncheon Benefit on Aug. 6… Read More →
Top Hamptons Event Picks This Week: Aug. 20-27, 2026
From the opening of the Hampton Classic and Broadway powerhouse Megan Hilty to art openings, comedy, live music and some of the biggest names hitting Hamptons stages, here’s what’s making sparks on this week’s calendar. Don’t miss these outstanding performers, artists and notable talks — lots of spark makers hitting the Hamptons this week!
Editor’s Top 5 Picks
Hampton Classic Horse Show 2026 i Bridgehampton
Megan Hilty at WHBPAC
Summer Fest Gala at Southampton Arts Center
The 24 Hour Plays at Guild Hall in East Hampton
Rewritten Histories: Peter McGough and Clintel Steed at Keyes Gallery in Sag Harbor
THE HAMPTON CLASSIC
Hampton Classic Horse Show 2026
Sunday, Aug. 23-Sunday, Aug. 30
Gates open at 8 a.m. daily
Hampton Classic Horse Show, 240 Snake Hollow Road, Bridgehampton
General admission: $25 per carload; free Monday
One of the signature events of the Hamptons summer kicks off Sunday with Opening Day and Local Day, including the beloved Leadline for young riders and the $30,000 1.40m Jumper Challenge. The week builds with Animal Adoption Day Monday, the $40,000 National Grand Prix Wednesday and the start of international FEI competition Thursday. Five-star competition continues through the weekend before the $400,000 Longines Hampton Classic 5* Grand Prix closes out the show Sunday, Aug. 30.
See more details/info on the Hampton Classic 2026 in our feature story, here.
TALKS + CONVERSATIONS
Michael J. Norton Book Signing and Conversation
Thursday, Aug. 20, 5:30-7 p.m.
WAVE Social Wellness
Meet author Michael J. Norton for a signing and conversation about his book, The S@#t I Learned at Yoga. Norton will greet readers and talk about the lessons — expected and otherwise — behind the book.
Read Michael J. Norton’s essay for Spark Hamptons, The S@#t I’ve Heard in the Hamptons, here.
Don’t Be Scared That It’s Queer or Poetry: J Brooke
Thursday, Aug. 20, 5-6 p.m.
Nathaniel Rogers House, Bridgehampton
Free
Author J Brooke discusses the bestselling poetry collection I Can Tell You the Version That Will Make You Take My Side with Almond co-founder Eric Lemonides. The conversation explores Brooke’s experience as a queer, trans and nonbinary person — with humor firmly in the mix.
Tory Burch in Conversation
Sunday, Aug. 23, 4 p.m.
Southampton Playhouse
Sold out; waitlist available
Designer and entrepreneur Tory Burch joins moderator Perri Peltz for an intimate conversation about building her global fashion company, the work of the Tory Burch Foundation and what she sees ahead for the fashion industry.
Read our story about the Southampton Playhouse Parlour Series here.
Neil deGrasse Tyson: StarTalk Live!
Sunday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m.
Guild Hall, East Hampton
Sold out; waitlist available
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson brings StarTalk Live! to East Hampton, mixing science, comedy and some of the universe’s biggest questions with a panel of experts and comedians.
Hamptons Institute: America in the World as We Celebrate 250 Years
Monday, Aug. 24, 7 p.m.
Guild Hall, East Hampton
Sold out; waitlist available
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton joins Council on Foreign Relations President Michael Froman for a wide-ranging conversation on diplomacy, war and peace, shifting alliances and America’s place in a changing world. Presented by Guild Hall and The Common Good.
FUNDRAISERS + PHILANTHROPY
Southampton Arts Center SummerFest Gala
Saturday, Aug. 22, 6 p.m.
Southampton Arts Center, 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton
Southampton Arts Center’s annual SummerFest Gala returns to its Jobs Lane grounds for an evening of dinner and music benefiting SAC’s year-round arts and cultural programming. This year’s gala honors John Paulson and Alina de Almeida with the 2026 Champions of the Arts Award, recognizing their contributions to the arts. Proceeds support Southampton Arts Center and its programming.
The Art of Possibility: The HUB x Artistic Dreams Fundraiser
Thursday, Aug. 20, 6-8 p.m.
The HUB, Bridgehampton
Free with RSVP
Artistic Dreams International marks 15 years of providing visual arts education to children and young people with an evening of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction and stories of the organization’s impact, along with a look at its plans to expand programming on the East End.
NYC Second Chance Rescue’s 5th Annual Concert for a Cause
Friday, Aug. 21
Private estate, Bridgehampton
Ashanti and Fabolous headline NYC Second Chance Rescue’s fifth annual Concert for a Cause, with Celina Savage opening. Entrepreneur and philanthropist John Paul DeJoria will be honored at the benefit supporting the animal rescue organization.
26th Annual Box Art Auction to benefit East End Hospice
Saturday, Aug. 22, 4:30-7 p.m.
Hoie Hall at St. Luke’s Church, East Hampton
$100
More than 70 East End artists have transformed boxes into one-of-a-kind works of art for East End Hospice’s annual Box Art Auction. Tickets include wine and hors d’oeuvres, with proceeds benefiting the organization.
Kites for Kids 2026
Saturday, Aug. 22, 2-5 p.m.
Main Beach, East Hampton
** NOTE THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER FORECAST.
ART
First There Was Light
Friday, Aug. 21, 5-8 p.m.
The Gallery at Hans Van de Bovenkamp Studio, 93 Merchant Path, Sagaponack
Free
Paintings by Anahi DeCanio and Chris Lucore go on view amid the seven-acre grounds and sculpture gardens of Hans Van de Bovenkamp’s Sagaponack studio. Friday’s opening reception offers a chance to see the work in the setting where art is made.
Read our feature story on artist Anahi DeCanio and why creativity matters, here.
Rewritten Histories: Peter McGough and Clintel Steed
Saturday, Aug. 22, 6-8 p.m.
Keyes Art, 45 Main St., Sag Harbor
Free
Keyes Art presents a two-person exhibition pairing Peter McGough and Clintel Steed, two artists who draw on art history while filtering familiar imagery and narratives through their own experiences and perspectives.
Presence: The Photography Collection of Judy Glickman Lauder
Through the season
Southampton Arts Center, Southampton
Museum of Art, Maine, and the American Federation of Arts. This exhibition is generously supported by an anonymous donor with additional support by Ellen and Robert Grimes. AFA exhibitions are made possible by the generosity of Monique Schoen Warshaw. The exhibition is curated by Anjuli Lebowitz, PhD, Judy Glickman Lauder Curator of Photography, Portland Museum of Art.
Approximately 100 photographs by more than 50 artists explore portraiture, landscape, photojournalism and city life through the collection of photographer and humanitarian Judy Glickman Lauder. Artists represented include Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Gordon Parks, Imogen Cunningham and James Van Der Zee.
Read our feature on Judy Lauder’s Photography Collection at the Southampton Arts Center, here.
MUSIC + PERFORMANCE
The 24 Hour Plays
Friday, Aug. 21, 8 p.m.
Guild Hall, East Hampton
Neil Patrick Harris is among the directors as The 24 Hour Plays brings its theatrical pressure cooker to East Hampton: writers, directors and actors have just 24 hours to create, rehearse and perform brand-new plays. The Guild Hall edition features actors Tovah Feldshuh, David Burtka, Howard McGillin, Lois Robbins, Ronald Guttman, Sophie Sumner and James Wilkie Broderick, with playwrights Amanda Green, Josh Koenigsberg, Sofia Alvarez and Ron Carlivati. Pippin Parker, Thomas Caruso and Jennifer Holmes also direct, with additional cast members to be announced.
Rachel Lee Priday Alumni Recital
Friday, Aug. 21, 7 p.m.
The Perlman Music Program, Shelter Island Heights
$35
Violinist Rachel Lee Priday and pianist Kevin Ahfat perform works by Schubert, Strauss and Stravinsky as part of The Perlman Music Program’s alumni recital series.
Megan Hilty
Saturday, Aug. 22, 8 p.m.
Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center
$110-$150
Broadway powerhouse Megan Hilty heads east. Best known for Smash and her star turns in Wicked and 9 to 5: The Musical, Hilty most recently earned a Tony nomination for Death Becomes Her.
THEATER
Through Saturday, Aug. 29
Bay Street Theater, Sag Harbor
Recommended for ages 12 and older
The Tony Award-winning Dear Evan Hansen continues its run at Bay Street Theater in an intimate new production directed by Artistic Director Scott Schwartz. With a book by Steven Levenson and music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the musical follows a high school student whose private letter is mistakenly believed to be the final message of a classmate, setting off consequences for two families and an entire community. Kenny Lee stars as Evan Hansen, alongside Maya Days, Olivia Foght, Erik Houck, Heather Ayers, Gil Brady, Josh Hoyt and Amaya White. A Talkback Tuesday follows the Aug. 25 performance with members of the cast and creative team.
Whatever Lola Wants: The American Musical Theater Landscape
Saturday, Aug. 22, 6 p.m.
The Church, Sag Harbor
$25-$35
Lola Lama and the band Whatever Lola Wants take audiences through the American musical theater landscape, pairing classic show tunes with the stories behind them in a performance created in response to The Church’s summer exhibition, This Land: Considering the American Landscape.
A Special Evening With Nancy Atlas & Inda Eaton
Saturday, Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m.
Montauk Playhouse
$50
Two longtime East End singer-songwriters share the stage at the Montauk Playhouse for an evening of original music, harmonies and storytelling. Tickets include beer, wine and soft drinks.
Website: Montauk Playhouse
G.E. Smith’s Portraits: Patty Smyth & John McEnroe
Saturday, Aug. 22, 8 p.m.
Guild Hall, East Hampton
G.E. Smith returns to Guild Hall with rocker Patty Smyth and tennis legend — and serious rock fan — John McEnroe for a night combining live music and stories from on and off the stage.
Website: Guild Hall
Hey, Old Friend! A Cabaret Jubilee
Saturday, Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m.
LTV Studios, Wainscott
$85-$250
KT Sullivan and Mark Nadler return to the Hamptons Summer Songbook by the Sea, joined by Christine Pedi and Stephanie Pope for a celebration of cabaret and the American Songbook.
What’s Cooking? With Pamela Morgan
Sunday, Aug. 23, 7:30 p.m.
LTV Studios, Wainscott
$208.10-$413.89
Pamela Morgan mixes cabaret, storytelling, dance and a little kitchen magic in an evening directed by Mark Nadler. Expect Broadway favorites, tales from Morgan’s life and career — and, yes, cake. Tickets include a catered after-party and drinks.
Read our story on LTV’s 2026 Summer Songbook Cabaret Series here.
COMEDY
Olga Namer
Saturday, Aug. 22, 8 p.m.
Sticks & Stones Comedy Club at Southampton Cultural Center
$35-$100
Brooklyn-born comic Olga Namer brings her sharply personal take on family, marriage, religion and life to Southampton. Namer performs regularly at New York comedy clubs and has toured with Chelsea Handler.
STYLE + SHOP
The HUB Men’s Fashion Weekend
Friday, Aug. 21, 6-9 p.m.
The HUB, Bridgehampton
Free with RSVP
Sixteen designers and brands take over The HUB for an evening of menswear, resort style, accessories, eyewear and contemporary fashion, with presentations, cocktails, music and shopping. Admission is free, with donations encouraged for Hamptons Pride.
Website: The HUB
Wainscott Chapel Rummage Sale
Saturday, Aug. 22, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Wainscott Chapel, Wainscott
Free
A longtime Wainscott summer tradition returns with the Wainscott Sewing Society’s annual rummage sale. Hunt for vintage finds, household treasures and unexpected scores while supporting the chapel and the Sewing Society Scholarship Fund. And stick around until the end: Anything remaining after the sale hits the curb and is free to the public beginning at 2 p.m.
FILM
The Last Spy
Tuesday, Aug. 25, 5 p.m.
Southampton Arts Center, 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton
Southampton Arts Center screens The Last Spy, filmmaker Katharina Otto-Bernstein’s documentary tracing the extraordinary life of Peter Sichel, from Jewish refugee to OSS agent and CIA chief in Berlin, Washington and Hong Kong. Drawing on Sichel’s firsthand experiences, the film examines espionage, foreign intervention and great-power rivalry — and their relevance to today’s geopolitical landscape. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with two-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker Otto-Bernstein, moderated by Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of The Gotham Film & Media Institute. The host committee includes Keith and Ann Barish, Peter and Jamee Gregory, Simone and David Levinson, and Richard and Marcia Mishaan.
