Palm Beach operates on two calendars. The first is the one everyone else uses. The second runs from October through April and determines everything that matters on the island: when the population triples, when the cultural institutions present their most serious work, when sixty-plus galas fill The Breakers and Mar-a-Lago, and when the private clubs host the evenings that count. Locals call it the season.
The Evenings That Define the Season
Not every event on the Palm Beach calendar carries the same weight. These are the eight that do: the galas, openings, and occasions that serious residents plan the winter around. The full calendar follows below.
Dates are subject to change. Confirm directly with event organizers for ticketing and final scheduling.
The season opens in October with the return of families and the reopening of club dining rooms. December accelerates with the Food and Wine Festival and the start of polo in Wellington. By January the calendar is formal. February is the peak, dense, demanding, and worth every moment of it. By April the urgency lifts. Houses begin to close.
Most coverage of the Palm Beach season focuses on individual events: the dress, the venue, the guest list. This guide takes a wider view: how the season is structured, which institutions anchor it, and the conventions that help residents and visitors navigate it with confidence.
The 2025–26 Season Calendar
December 2025
January 2026
January 9 sets the tone. The Red Cross Ball has anchored this calendar for six decades: black tie, white tie, guests from across the globe. It is the evening that signals the season has begun in earnest.
February 2026
February is when the calendar becomes genuinely demanding. Three galas can fall on the same evening — the Norton Gala and Lady in Red Gala share February 7. Prioritize early: the events that matter most to you personally, and the ones that align with the causes and communities you want to be part of.
March 2026
The urgency of February recedes. March is steadier but still substantive: the amfAR Gala, the Boat Show, and the season's most coveted private dinners.
The final two weeks of March offer some of the best the island has to give. The pace eases, reservations open up, and the weather is at its most comfortable. If there is a window worth protecting in the Palm Beach calendar, this is it.
April – May 2026
The Institutions
The cultural institutions are a defining feature of the Palm Beach season, and one that visitors and newer residents sometimes discover later than they should. Attending the right exhibitions, lectures, and performances is as much a part of living the season well as the galas themselves. They give the calendar depth and the community a shared point of reference.
Ten acres on the Intracoastal: galleries, a performance hall, the King Library, and the Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden. The 2025–26 lecture series features Christiane Amanpour, Joshua Bell, Dan Buettner, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and Sir Niall Ferguson. Current exhibition: Edgar Degas: The Private Impressionist.
fourarts.orgPalm Beach County's premier art museum, reimagined by Foster + Partners into limestone-clad galleries, interior gardens, and a 37,000-square-foot sculpture garden. The February 7 Gala celebrates the Leiden Collection, the largest privately held exhibition of Dutch Golden Age painting ever organized in the United States.
norton.orgThe island's first new nonprofit performing arts venue in over sixty years. Opens January 22 inside the restored Royal Poinciana Playhouse, a John L. Volk building from 1958 on land once occupied by Flagler's Royal Poinciana Hotel. Four hundred seats, retractable configuration, glass back wall onto the Intracoastal. Inaugural season: American Ballet Theatre, Judy Collins, Fran Lebowitz, Renée Fleming, Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
glazerhall.orgGlazer Hall is the most significant cultural addition to the island in a generation. The building matters: Volk's 1958 Playhouse, restored with a glass back wall onto the Intracoastal. The programming signals the same ambition. American Ballet Theatre and Renée Fleming performing in an inaugural season is a statement of institutional intent, not a touring date.
The 2025–26 Masterworks Series features soloists including Shelly Berg, Misha Dichter, Alisa Weilerstein, Vadim Repin, Simon Trpčeski, and Emanuel Ax. Performances at the Kravis Center throughout the season. The 24th Annual Gala on February 16 at The Breakers.
palmbeachsymphony.orgThe region's major performing arts venue. Hosts the Palm Beach Symphony, touring Broadway productions, dance companies, solo performers, and special events. The connective tissue of the cultural calendar.
kravis.orgProtects the physical identity of the island: Mizner courtyards, Fatio facades, Wyeth residences, Volk streetscapes. The Annual Dinner Dance at Bradley Park on February 27 and the Preservationist Dinner on March 31 are both by invitation.
palmbeachpreservation.orgArt Fairs and Design Events
South Florida's principal modern and contemporary art fair, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. This year's edition includes international exhibitors from London, Basel, San Francisco, Dublin, and Palm Beach.
artpalmbeach.comExpanded to Palm Beach in 2017. The Show House draws 15,000 visitors each year. All proceeds benefit the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club and Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. Preview Day February 24; public admission February 25 through March 24.
kipsbaydecoratorshowhouse.orgThe Private Clubs
Private clubs are central to Palm Beach social life. Membership provides access to dining, golf, tennis, and social programming not available to the public. The clubs operate on their own logic: membership is by invitation, the process is gradual, and it is designed that way.
Palm Beach's most exclusive private club. Occupies a historic Addison Mizner building on Worth Avenue. Membership is by invitation only. The club does not maintain a public website.
Located oceanfront on the island's south end. Membership is by invitation and requires sponsorship.
bathandtennis.comGolf, tennis, dining, and social programming on the island's north end.
palmbeachcountryclub.comHosts numerous galas and private events throughout the season, including the American Friends of the Uffizi Galleries Gala and Lighthouse Guild events.
clubcolette.comClub membership in Palm Beach works differently than in most places. There is no application to submit: membership comes through proposal by existing members, a review process, and an invitation extended by the committee. The timeline is typically a year or more. For those new to the island, the best approach is simply to build genuine relationships within the community. Membership tends to follow naturally from that.
Key Venues
The stage on which the season's most formal evenings are composed. Hosts the International Red Cross Ball, Palm Beach Heart Ball, Norton Museum Gala, Symphony Gala, and dozens of others. Mediterranean Revival architecture. The building participates in the event.
thebreakers.comBuilt in 1927 by Marjorie Merriweather Post and acquired by Donald Trump in 1985, Mar-a-Lago is one of the most storied estates on the island. Today it operates as a private members club and hosts a number of the season's major charity events, including the Big Dog Ranch Rescue Gala, the Place of Hope Lexus Hope Bash, and Dancing with the Palm Beach Stars.
maralagoclub.comHosts smaller events and dinner dances including the Palm Beach Ray of Hope Foundation events.
thecolonypalmbeach.comEvents, exhibitions, and the historical walking tour throughout the season. The architecture reveals itself one arched passageway at a time.
worth-avenue.comAll dates reflect the 2025–26 season and are subject to change. Confirm details on official event pages before attending.
