GALA 2025 review: officially London's coolest dance music festival
Elsewhere, a slime-esque plastic installation floats in the air in the Cornerstone tent during Club Are's Saturday takeover, which is swapped for vinyl records and a disco ball on Sunday as local Hi-Fi institution JUMBI takes the reins. The Cause and Chapter 10 also host their own takeovers across the festival, proving that GALA's organisers have their fingers on the pulse when it comes to the who's who of the city's parties.
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The Guardian
16 hours ago
- The Guardian
Jeff in Venice: seven takeaways from the Bezos-Sánchez wedding
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sánchez held their wedding ceremony in Venice's Grand canal on Friday, the centrepiece of a three-day gala that drew dozens of stars but also protests by local activists. Here are seven takeaways. The couple kicked off celebrations with a foam party on their $500m (£364m) super yacht moored near the Croatian island of Unije. Coinciding with Sánchez's son Evan Whitesell's 19th birthday, paparazzi photos showed the couple wearing swimwear and sunhats covered in frothy suds as they partied alongside Whitesell and his friends. Foam parties can cause conjunctivitis, so the decision to hold one just days before their nuptials was somewhat surprising but maybe billionaire foam hits different. What do you get for the fourth richest person in the world? Apparently nothing. A portion of the official invitation obtained by ABC News stipulated an early request from the couple; 'please, no gifts'. Instead it stated that Bezos and Sánchez would be making donations 'with gratitude' on their guests' behalf to causes including the Venice International University and an organisation dedicated to restoring the city's lagoons. On social media, the biggest question users had was: who had designed the invite? Featuring doodle-like illustrations of butterflies, shooting stars, feathers and the Rialto Bridge, some argued the invitations had been generated by AI or, perhaps, bulk bought via Amazon. Alongside donations on their behalf, each guest will receive a goodie bag. We are still waiting for one of the Kardashian clan to do an official unboxing on YouTube but so far it has been revealed that they feature sweet treats from the historic Venetian pastry shop Rosa Salva and vibrant coloured glassware from the Murano specialist Laguna~B. First came the anti-capitalist public protests. Then it turned out one of Bezos and Sánchez's three chosen venues was covered by unsightly scaffolding. The next disaster to hit? A freak thunderstorm on Thursday night during a welcoming party at the Madonna dell'Orto cloisters. Heavy lightning and rain reportedly left many guests soaked, forcing the event to end early. Perhaps Bezos and Sánchez should have followed fashion week's lead and hired a rain shaman. The biggest hint that Sánchez will at some point wear a dress by Dolce & Gabbana stems from a photo of Domenico Dolce enjoying aperitivo hour at the Gritti Palace, a five-star hotel on Venice's Grand canal. Sánchez is a long-time fan of the Italian label but, saying that, she isn't particularly loyal to any brand, and it's thought that Anna Wintour – who is likely attending – is supportive of the idea. As she recently told Vogue after decades of dressing in tailoring during her TV presenting days, she is now focusing on 'having fun' with fashion. Plus, she has the budget to buy whatever she wants rather than rely on designers to approve her wearing a loan. Sánchez appeared to whizz off to the ceremony in an Audrey Hepburn cosplay in a headscarf and dark glasses. Getting lost in Venice is part of the charm. Not so if you have a staged paparazzi shot to get to. As anyone who's been in a city tour group will know, ensuring all parties are dressed in the same garb is the easiest way to stay with the party. Literal dressing, where you pay homage to the place, is one thing. The fetishisation of postwar Italian cultural icons such as Monica Vitti or Sophia Loren in some archive Cavalli (Kendall and Kylie) or vintage Versace snakeskin (Kim) is another. Still, it's probably the simplest way to stay with the crowd while reminding people you're in Italy. In case anyone had forgotten. With the ceremony not taking place until Friday evening, many guests found themselves with time to kill. With a personal art collection valued at $127mn, it came as no surprise that Bill Gates and a friend popped into the Gallerie dell'Accademia that houses the Pietà by Titian.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Reuters
FIFA to host $1,000-a-ticket party to celebrate Club World Cup
June 24 - If you want to celebrate the Club World Cup in New York City with FIFA higher-ups and star players, it will cost you. Big Art, an international event management company, is promoting a gala that will take place on Wall Street and will be attended by FIFA president Gianni Infantino as well as World Cup stars Kaka, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, among others. The event, billed as "the official celebration of the FIFA Club World Cup finals," will also feature a headlining performance by pop star Rita Ora. Ticket prices start at $1,000 per person for the "silver" category before rising to $2,000 for platinum and $3,000 for black. The event is scheduled for July 10, one day after the second semifinal match and three days before the final. According to The Athletic, FIFA said it would not receive revenue from the event but did not indicate where it would go. --Field Level Media
Times
7 days ago
- Times
Inside Coco Chanel's Riviera holiday hideaway
T he year is 1938 and Salvador Dalí is in full artistic flow, painting on the balcony of the west wing of Coco Chanel's villa La Pausa, where the shadow-eliminating north light is best. In the evening he would roll back the salon rugs and beckon guests to dance while the renowned pianist Misia Sert played, before retiring to the guesthouse with his wife, Gala. In total he completed 11 paintings at La Pausa, one time staying there for four months. 'The vibe was chilled, guests could do as they pleased,' says Yana Peel, Chanel's president of arts, culture and heritage. For the likes of Dalí, Jean Cocteau and Igor Stravinsky there were no schedules; Chanel herself rarely emerged until 1pm, and there was no dress code — the designer found comfort in stripy tops, wool trousers and cork-soled espadrilles. Meals were served buffet style (platters of pasta, French potatoes and roast beef), and staff appeared frequently to replenish champagne and pour fine wine. There were Easter parties, masked balls and tennis tournaments, views of a glittering Mediterranean sea under an enormous sky.
