SOFO's 37th Annual Summer Gala Honors Fabien Cousteau and Jean Shafiroff

• The South Fork Natural History Museum and Nature Center holds its 37th Annual Summer Gala on Saturday, July 11, 2026, from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the museum in Bridgehampton.

• The 2026 honorees are Fabien Cousteau, Bernadette Castro, Louise and Stephen Pesce, and Jean Shafiroff.

• This year's theme is “Celebrate the Power of Our Natural World: Protecting Our Planet's Living Waters & Lands.”

• Individual tickets start at $1,500; VIP tables range from $7,500 to $50,000, at sofo.org/summergala.

The South Fork Natural History Museum and Nature Center, known as SOFO, holds its 37th Annual Summer Gala Benefit at the museum in Bridgehampton on Saturday, July 11, from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Themed “Celebrate the Power of Our Natural World: Protecting Our Planet's Living Waters & Lands,” the evening supports SOFO's environmental education, museum programming, conservation initiatives, and community outreach, and it remains one of the East End's signature summer benefits, drawing conservation leaders, philanthropists, and civic supporters into one tent.

The 2026 honorees are Fabien Cousteau, the aquanaut, ocean conservationist, and documentary filmmaker, and grandson of Jacques-Yves Cousteau; Bernadette Castro, the civic leader, environmental advocate, and former commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; Louise and Stephen Pesce, devoted supporters of conservation and community initiatives; and Jean Shafiroff, advocate, philanthropist, and humanitarian. Together they map the gala's range, from open-ocean science to East End civic life. For Shafiroff, the honor caps an unusually visible East End season; she received LTV Studios' Frances Ann Dougherty Award in late June and co-chairs the Halsey House Gala in Southampton the week of this benefit.

A VIP cocktail reception opens the night from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. with a tasting menu drawn from a long list of participating names, among them Channing Daughters Winery, Wölffer Estate Vineyard, East Hampton Grill, The Palm Restaurant, Bell & Anchor, LDV at the Maidstone, Page Sag Harbor, Sen, Lobster Roll/LUNCH, Golden Pear Cafe, LALO Tequila, Kidd Squid Brewing Co., Amagansett Wines & Spirits, Events by Peter Ambrose, Hampton Coffee Company, J.A. Baczewski Monopolowa Gin & Vodka, Michael Cinque, Shellworks, Shippy's, Springs Tavern & Grill, and Talkhouse Encore. The benefit party follows from 7:00 to 10:30 p.m. with dinner, the honoree presentation, a live auction, and dancing, with Angela LaGreca as special guest auctioneer. The two-part structure keeps the collectors' hour and the party distinct, which is part of why the benefit fills both.

The host committee, listed as in formation, includes Erica Noble and Ray Iwanowski, Kim and Greg Lippmann, Mark Masone, Mirella Cameron-Riley, Susan and David Rockefeller, Samriti and Scott Seltzer, and Lisa Tamburini. Gala sponsors include the 2026 Hamptons Concours d'Elegance by Rand Luxury, National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, Dylan's Candy Bar, the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center, and Carl Safina and The Safina Center, with Decco by Party Up Productions, DG Creative Media, Russell Mittermeier, Something Different Party Rental, Summerhill Landscape, and Whitmores also on the sponsor roster, listed as in formation. Dan's Papers, Hamptons Magazine, The Express News Group, and James Lane Post are among the media sponsors.

SOFO is a family-friendly natural history museum dedicated to exploration, discovery, environmental education, and conservation. Its exhibits, field walks, marine education, and citizen science programs help children, families, and adults understand and protect the natural world of the East End, which is exactly what the gala's proceeds underwrite. The museum's trails and live exhibits sit steps from the gala tent in Bridgehampton, making it one of the few benefits where guests can walk the cause before dinner.

Hamptons benefit season is crowded, but SOFO's gala is one of the few where the cause sits a field walk away from the tent: the museum's trails, turtles, and tide tanks are the working proof of what the money does. This year's theme puts living waters and lands at the center at a moment when the East End's bays, woodlands, and shorelines are the region's most contested assets. Individual tickets are $1,500, VIP singles $2,000, and VIP tables run $7,500 to $50,000 at sofo.org/summergala.