The Summer of Love Returns to New York at NYBG's Conservatory Ball

• The New York Botanical Garden held its annual Conservatory Ball on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory in the Bronx.

• The evening celebrated Flower Power, NYBG's summer exhibition on view through October 18, 2026, built around the flower as an emblem of peace and love.

• Maureen K. and Richard L. Chilton, Jr. led as the evening's Lead Chairs; guests included Candace Bushnell, Cynthia Rowley, Dascha Polanco, and Tunde Oyeneyin.

• Sponsor Mikimoto installed a rainbow-inspired floral display of high jewelry, and proceeds support NYBG's botanical research, children's education, and horticulture programs.

Peace, love, pearls, and petals were in full bloom as the New York Botanical Garden celebrated its annual Conservatory Ball on Thursday, June 4, an evening that transformed the Bronx's most iconic garden into a glamorous ode to the flower-powered spirit of the 1960s. This year's Ball celebrated Flower Power, NYBG's exuberant summer exhibition, on view through October 18, inspired by the enduring symbolism of flowers as emblems of peace, love, beauty, creativity, and connection.

Set against the luminous backdrop of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the evening unfolded with a flower-filled cocktail reception, elegant dinner, and dancing beneath the stars. Guests arrived dressed for a garden fantasy with a decidedly groovy twist, channeling everything from botanical glamour to psychedelic chic. The Conservatory, glowing like a jewel box at dusk, offered the perfect setting for a night that felt equal parts society gala, art happening, and summer love-in.

The evening's Lead Chairs were Maureen K. and Richard L. Chilton, Jr., with Event Chairs Sasha and Edward P. Bass, J. Barclay Collins II and Kristina Durr, Ravenel Curry and Jane Moss, Lindsay and Spencer Grimes, Sharon and Bill Jacob, Jill Joyce, Holly Lowen, Susan and George Matelich, Bethany and Robert B. Millard, Janet M. Montag, Mary and Garrett Moran, Philip O. Ozuah, MD, Ph.D., Arielle Patrick, Deborah and Charles Royce, Tina and Steve Swartz, Elaine and Donald Textor, Douglas Dockery Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. Edward K. Weld, and Christina Young-Hodson. Vice Chairs included Friederike K. Biggs, Cecilia Jacob, Stella Jacob, Gillian and Sylvester Miniter, and James Palm.

Among the evening's stylish guests were Candace Bushnell, Christopher Griffin, better known as Plant Kween, Cynthia Rowley, Dascha Polanco, James Aguiar, Jason Rembert, Kindred Lubeck, Priya Shukla, and Tunde Oyeneyin. The Ball was sponsored by Delta, Mikimoto, Bartlett Tree Experts, and Hearst, with proceeds supporting NYBG's world-renowned botanical research, children's education, and horticulture programs.

Adding a spectacular layer of sparkle to the evening, Mikimoto, the originator of cultured pearls, created a rainbow-inspired floral installation showcasing high jewelry from the Maison. The display included pieces from Les Petales Place Vendome, inspired by rose petals floating in the wind, alongside designs from Mikimoto's Prestige Rendezvous collection, including a lace-like pearl and diamond necklace, cascading fringe earrings, and a sculptural pearl and sapphire ring. Guests also viewed an exceptionally rare conch pearl necklace and matching earrings, underscoring the artistry and refinement synonymous with the legendary jeweler.

The Ball served as a glamorous kickoff to Flower Power, NYBG's major multidisciplinary exhibition running May 23 through October 18, 2026. The exhibition channels the spirit of the 1960s and 70s through a garden-wide celebration of flowers as cultural icons, combining living displays, monumental installations, paintings, photography, posters, sculpture, and immersive programming.

Inside the galleries and across the Garden's 250 acres, Flower Power brings together the beauty of blooms with the visual language of an era defined by optimism, activism, music, design, and self-expression. Works by Andy Warhol, Milton Glaser, Joe Brainard, and Carlos Irizarry explore how flowers have carried meaning across generations, from pop art to protest posters to deeply personal symbols of joy and renewal.

The experience extends well beyond the gallery walls. Site-specific installations appear in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory and on its lawn, while additional sculptures and artist-designed buses evoke the visual exuberance of the era throughout the grounds. Visitors will find giant peace signs, painted buses, floral installations, and immersive displays that make NYBG feel like a botanical version of a 1969 dreamscape.

For those who want to lean fully into the Summer of Love, NYBG's programming brings Flower Power to life with music, movement, wellness, and hands-on creativity. Select evenings feature Liquid Light Shows, after-hours events pairing live music with swirling psychedelic visuals by Liquid Light Lab. Performances include bands such as Ghost Funk Orchestra, Habibi, Evolfo, and Woods, with projections illuminating the facade of the Mertz Library Building in homage to the liquid-light spectacles that once accompanied artists like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and the Grateful Dead.

Daytime programming continues the theme with folk concerts, drum circles, friendship bracelet workshops, sound baths, breathwork sessions, and film screenings, including counterculture classics and music-driven favorites such as Woodstock, Hair, and Summer of Soul. The exhibition also explores the era's fascination with spirituality, mindfulness, and Eastern philosophy: water lilies and lotus flowers fill the Hardy Pool Courtyard, while a collaboration with the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art's Mandala Lab connects the counterculture's interest in meditation and consciousness with the living symbolism of flowers.

Families will find another reason to visit through Summer of Moomin, running May 23 through September 13, 2026, which brings the whimsical world of Finnish artist and author Tove Jansson to NYBG's Everett Children's Adventure Garden, with story-inspired activities, a clue-based quest, hands-on nature crafts, and limited-edition Moomin merchandise.

At its heart, Flower Power is a reminder that flowers have always been more than decoration. They are symbols of love, resistance, remembrance, beauty, hope, and transformation. At NYBG this summer, they become the language of an entire season, blooming across art, fashion, music, wellness, and society, and every ticket supports the Garden's botanical research, children's education, and horticulture programs.

And if the Conservatory Ball was any indication, New York is more than ready to put on its bell bottoms, pick up a flower, and let the Summer of Love bloom again.