Happy new year! DDW is here to help you start 2021 on the right foot by helping the less fortunate and the environment whilst keeping your diary filled with glamorous entertainment.
To that end, have compiled a list of the most sought-after charitable galas of the year to pencil in your calendar; start planning your outfits, find the hottest ‘plus-one’ you can for the red carpet and alert your PJ/travel provider:
amfAR – A Gala For Our Time
Wednesday – 10th of February, Online
The ‘Grand Dame’ of all charity galas is and will always be amfAR; whether it takes place in Cannes on the French Riviera or in the Big Apple, this is an event sure to draw in the a-list. Set up by Elizabeth Taylor in NYC in 1985, the American Foundation for AIDS Research galas have hosted every major name under the sun and have contributed to enormous progress (and hundreds of millions of dollars) in the fight against one of the world’s deadliest diseases.
This year amfAR plans to return with a bang and its coveted series of live galas but in the meantime, it kicks off the year with A Gala For Our Time an interactive and virtual event on the 10th of February.
True to its name, this will be a somewhat different gala to the norm and will feature an interactive cocktail hour and live auction, top DJs, celebrity hosts (last few years have seen star like Katy Perry & Rhianna perform and Leonardo di Caprio host), special guests, and A-list entertainment – all online and this time in benefit of the amfAR Fund to Fight COVID-19.
Elton John Academy Awards Viewing Party 2021
Sunday – 25th of April, Los Angeles
Sir Elton John has been at the forefront of the fight against AIDS for decades through the Elton John Foundation and his celebrity friends have followed. Indeed the list of celebrities is so long it would be impossible to list it here however som notable names include Bono, Ben Kingsley, Matt Damon, Donatella Versace, Elizabeth Hurley, Elle Macpherson, P. Diddy, Hanley Bieber, Trudie Styler, Tyler Perry, Jon Bon Jovi… among many others.
One of the key events for the Foundation is Sir Elton’s Academy Awards (Oscar’s) Viewing Party. This year it has been pushed to April due to the Covid-led shift in the Oscar’s date but it promises to be grander than ever on the 25th of April in Los Angeles – especially since Elton decided to call it quits on his famous ‘White Tie & Tiara’ gala after 15 successful years.
Monte-Carlo Gala for the Global Ocean
Thursday – 23rd of September, Monte-Carlo
Anyone who knows Prince Albert II of Monaco knows that he is an eco-warrior in royal disguise. A few years back, the Prince linked up with actor Leonardo di Caprio during the Cannes Film Festival and the two of them discussed conservation, the planet and how to host one mega gala to end all galas. The result was Leo taking a back step with his own Leonardo di Caprio Foundation gala in St. Tropez and combining his efforts with those of Prince Albert.
Since then, the Monte-Carlo Gala for the Global Ocean has gone to new heights, embracing the glitz of Hollywood alongside the high society pull of the Monaco royals family.
The gala raises funds and pays tribute to leading figures and organisations with deep commitment to preserving our planet, in each of the Foundation’s three priority areas: limiting the effects of climate change, preserving biodiversity, managing water resources and fighting against desertification.
This year, the gala will take place on the terraces of the Monaco Opera House on the 23rd of September in Monaco and mark the 15th anniversary of the Prince’s namesake Foundation making it the must-attend event of the social season (Johnny Depp, Helen Mirren, Kate Beckinsale, Sienna Miller, Rebel Wilson and Andy Garcia all attended last year with a surprise performance by Sting).
UNICEF Summer Gala
Saturday – 28th of August, Capri
Unicef is known throughout the world for its charitable work and now – thanks to the monumental efforts by its supporters, it is also known for its glamorous galas. This August marks the 3rd anniversary of the UNICEF Summer Gala, presented by LUISAVIAROMA.
As per last year’s celebrity-fuelled bash, it will take place on August 29th in Capri, starting with a languorous cocktail hour on the highest point of the island, followed by a gala dinner, and a live auction under the stars while raising funds for UNICEF’s programs helping children in need.
If there ever was a magical summer gala to attend, this is it. Last year Event Chairs included Adrian Brody, Adriana Lima, Alexander Gilkes, Alicia Silverstone, Andrea Panconesi, Austin Bulter, Caroline Scheufele, Christopher Walken, Claire Foy, Devon Windsor, Elsa Hosk, Ellie Goulding, Emily Ratajkowski, Georgia Fowler, Georgia Gibbs, Halima Aden, Heidi Klum, Jasmine Sanders, Jordan Barrett, Leonardo Del Vecchio, Lily Aldridge, Martha Hunt, Noel Capri Berry, Ricky Martin, Shanina Shaik, Vanessa Hudgens, and Zoe Saldana.
The MET Gala
Monday – 3rd of May, New York City
The Met Gala is an annual fundraising event to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City, it is also hand’s down, the world’s most exclusive event. As anyone who has watched ‘The Devil Wear’s Prada’ will tell you Vogue editor Anna Wintour hosts the event personally “on the first Monday in May” and approves each and every guest in attendance.
Wintour also selects the theme of the Gala each year, alas the 2020 one was postponed until 2021 but the 2019 theme was “Camp: Notes on Fashion” and it had some of the world’s most recognisable faces wearing everything from drag through to 10 foot train ball gowns. No one can match the Met Gala for celebrity names or press column inches.
The event itself includes a cocktail hour during which the red carpet arrivals are the main feature and later, a formal seated dinner with performances from the hottest entertainers of the year.
Green Carpet Fashion Awards
Saturday – 9th of October, Milan
Held at the world-famous Scala theatre in Milan, The Green Carpet Fashion Awards is one of the most important events of Milan’s autumnal Fashion Week. The event, co-hosted by Livia Firth (the Award’s founder and Colin’s ex wife), Cate Blanchett and the Camera della Moda, draws in some of the fashion world’s most influential people including: Giorgio Armani, Tom Ford, Valentino, Donatella Versace, Miuccia Prada, Nino Cerrutti, Angela Missoni, Brunello Cuccinelli, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Giselle Bündchen, Anna Wintour, Julianne Moore, Dakota Johnson, Anna Wintour, Naomi Campbell, Shailene Woodley, Caroline Scheufele of Chopard and many many more.
The Awards celebrate and recognises the commitment of individuals and Italian fashion houses making the move towards a more sustainable future. The Awards are innovative in their own right with even the ‘red’ carpet (although in this instance it is actually green) being made from recycled fishing nets taken out of the world’s oceans.
2021 will be the fifth year in a raw of this amazing event founded by Livia Firth, one not to be missed.
Natalia Vodianova’s Halloween Fabulous Fund Fair
Tuesday – 23rd of October, New York City
Natalia ‘Supernova’ Vodianova is no ordinary super-model; not only is she a fashion icon, successful entrepreneur and wife of LVMH scion Antoine Arnault, her Naked Heart Foundation has raised millions for children’s programmes in her native Russia and across the world.
At the core of the Naked Heart Foundation is Vodianova’s Fabulous Fund Fair, an incredible fundraiser that incorporates fair-like games designed by LVMH brands like Louis Vuitton, Hermès and Dior and serious fund raising for the cause. She hosts events for the charity across the globe, from Moscow to London through to Antibes (link) but her NYC bash in conjunction with amfAR is without a doubt one of the best parties of the year.
Taking place this year on the 23rd of October, the Fund Fair will gather its usual array of a-list names from the worlds of fashion, film, sports and entertainment to raise millions in one night through tickets, donations, fair ground games and games of chance.
And as is that incredible list isn’t enough, we be updating it as new dates are announced for more glamorous events, wether it be the Elephant Family’s Animal Ball in London or the NY Botanical Garden’s Winter Gala, DDW will make sure you are well informed and prepared to make 2021 the best year yet.
NB: If you’re interested in attending any or all the above, do let us know.
UP NEXT: The first Tulum parties of 2021…