Southampton Arts Center SummerFest Gala Raises Record $1 Million

John Paulson and Alina de Almeida were honored with the 2026 Champion of the Arts Award as more than 400 guests gathered in the newly transformed Paulson Family Gardens.

Southampton Arts Center celebrated its annual SummerFest Gala on August 22, raising a record $1 million to support the center’s exhibitions and year-round programming.

More than 400 guests gathered in the newly transformed Paulson Family Gardens for the summer benefit, which honored John Paulson and Alina de Almeida with SAC’s 2026 Champion of the Arts Award.

The honor followed the couple’s recent gift through the Paulson Family Foundation to transform the grounds surrounding the Southampton cultural center.

Among those attending were Hilary and Wilbur Ross, Cristina and Chris Cuomo, Fern Mallis, Jane Holzer, Pepe Fanjul, Julie and Billy Macklowe, Katharina Otto-Bernstein and Kim Heirston.

Proceeds from SummerFest will support Southampton Arts Center’s exhibitions and programming throughout the year. The center welcomes more than 50,000 visitors annually.

Scroll through the photos for a look at who came out for Southampton Arts Center’s record-setting SummerFest Gala.

Photos by BFA

Angela LaGreca

Editor, Co-Founder/Publisher

Angela LaGreca, Editor-in-chief and co-Founder/Publisher of Spark Hamptons, is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, producer, writer and comedian/host. Her TV credits include NBC’s “Today,” ABC’s “The View,” and, most recently, the primetime cable news program “Cuomo” on NewsNation. On the East End, she was the Creative Director at LTV, VP Features/Events/Photo Editor at Dan’s Papers, and has performed at Guild Hall, Bay Street Theater and the WHBPAC. Her publishing career began at Modern Photography, where she was managing editor. LaGreca lives in Manhattan and East Hampton and can be reached at angelatvmedia@gmail.com and angela@sparkhamptons.com .