It’s September in Venice, which can only mean one thing: the annual film festival, widely regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious, has landed. But alongside the premieres on the Lido and the photo calls at the Hotel Excelsior dock, there’s an equally fundamental part of these celebrations of cinema taking place all over the city: the parties. Whether it’s fashion and jewelry brand dinners, cocktails hosted by international awards bodies, or charity galas, the evenings at the festival are just as busy as the daytime screenings—and typically take place in one of the historic five-star hotels that dot the Grand Canal for a quintessentially Venetian backdrop.
Here, find Vogue’s roundup of the best parties at the 2026 Venice Film Festival. DVF Awards
Venice, where Diane von Furstenberg now calls home, is a city that she describes as “a woman who is seductive, and offers solutions.” On Thursday evening, her beloved city—that problem-solving seductress—provided the setting for a gathering of women who tend to make things happen rather than wait for them to happen: the 17th edition of the DVF Awards.
But this year, the evening at the jewel-box Teatro Goldoni carried a deeper resonance. Following the news of Gloria Steinem’s death at 92 that same day, the celebration was dedicated to the trailblazing feminist who irrevocably changed the way the world thinks about women. (Steinem herself was honored with a DVF Award in 2014.) This year’s five honorees offered an expansive definition of what that can mean: actress and lifelong activist Jane Fonda; Gisèle Pelicot, the French survivor who turned a deeply personal ordeal into a public demand for justice; Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, who has become one of the Caribbean’s most outspoken voices on climate justice, debt, and global inequality since she was elected as the country’s first female leader in 2018; photojournalist Lynsey Addario, whose career has taken her into some of the world’s most dangerous places; and Kenyan educator and entrepreneur Wawira Njiru, whose Food4Education initiative provides school meals to children and has grown into one of Kenya’s largest school-feeding programs.
If Gloria Steinem’s death cast a shadow over
If Gloria Steinem’s death cast a shadow over the evening, it was a shadow with a long reach. The women in the room were, in one way or another, standing on ground she helped clear. Which is perhaps the best kind of tribute: not looking backward for too long, but getting on with the work. —Tiziana Cardini
Aman Beverly Hills x Golden Globes
The Aman hotel overlooking the Grand Canal is one of the film festival’s hotspots for celebrities seeking the utmost privacy—though many of them stepped out of their rooms on Friday night for a celebration co-hosted by the Aman Beverly Hills and the Golden Globes.
A steady stream of starry names made the circuit around the lavishly decorated suite of rooms—think ceiling frescoes, silk wall coverings, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city—including Emma Corrin, Pamela Anderson, Taika Waititi, and Zoey Deutch, while sipping “Beverly Hills” cocktails whizzed up from dry gin, verbena and rosemary cordial, and Aman champagne.
Golden Globes president Helen Hoehne could be spotted chatting to Anderson, who wore a hot pink caftan gown by Oscar de la Renta, while Aman Essentials CEO Kristina Romanova was working the crowd in a sweeping Alaïa dress and an eye-popping Bvlgari diamond necklace. The Aman Beverly Hills may not be opening until 2028, but it’s already off to a glamorous start. —Liam Hess
Cartier
Che bello!
On Friday night, a glittering cast of film
On Friday night, a glittering cast of film and fashion talents elegantly made their way onto the dock of the Gritti Palace from an army of grumbling water taxis, ready to celebrate Cartier’s fifth year as main sponsor of the Venice Film Festival—and the launch of the fine jewelry house’s brand-new Cartier Cinema Club, with guests including Emma Corrin, Kate Mara, Orlando Bloom, and Taylor Russell.
All eyes, however, were on Amal Clooney, who arrived in a blazing red draped chiffon gown paired with an eye-popping chrysoprase, coral, and diamond Cartier pendant necklace. Before heading to the bar, she stopped to chat with Vogue about her time at the festival with her husband, George Clooney, who received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award on Wednesday night at the opening gala.
“Only at the Venice Film Festival can I watch amazing movies, but also be in the most romantic place in the world and relive some incredible moments,” she said. “Just this trip, we went back to the place where we got married. We’re staying in the same room at the hotel where we got married, and it’s a place we come back to time and time again—there’s nowhere like it for us.” The night was also an opportunity for many of the biggest stars whose films are premiering this week, as well as some of the jury members to sit back, sip a negroni, catch up with friends, and watch the reflection of the grand Santa Maria della Salute church on the opposite bank shimmering in the black waters of the Grand Canal.
That’s why Venice is often referred
That’s why Venice is often referred to as the most glamorous film festival in the world. —Liam Hess
Miu Miu
There are plenty of glitzy parties at Venice Film Festival, but none with quite the same sparkle as Miu Miu’s annual dinner at Ca’ Corner della Regina. Held in honor of the brand’s Women’s Tales initiative—their short film series, which this year featured new entries from Mona Fastvold and Claire Denis—it draws not only the festival’s biggest stars, but its most prestigious filmmakers too.
Case in point: This year’s guest list included jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal, who could be spied chatting with The Voice of Hind Rajab director Kaouther Ben Hania, Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, and the legendary documentarian Laura Poitras, whose searing new film on the Minneapolis ICE raids premieres on Monday. Many were drawn to the party by the prospect of having an audience with Mrs.
Prada herself: at the beginning of the evening, the designer could be seen in an embroidered tunic dress, sipping Champagne, and catching up with Pamela Anderson; as the evening progressed, she took her place for dinner at a table surrounded by Zhao, Luca Guadagnino, and Orlando Bloom, with Susan Sarandon later pulling up a pew to chat. Taika Waititi was doing the rounds, catching up with Casey Affleck and sharing a spirited conversation with Amanda Seyfried; Emma Corrin and Zoey Deutch were happiest out on the balcony, enjoying the spectacular views down the Grand Canal as gondolas and water taxis zig-zagged across the shimmering black water below.
It was enough to have everyone staying
It was enough to have everyone staying and sipping wine at their tables far past midnight—even those with panel talks and screenings the next morning. That’s how you know it’s a good party. —Liam Hess
amfAR
It wouldn’t be a film festival without a charity gala—and nobody throws a bash quite like amfAR, the Elizabeth Taylor-founded global nonprofit dedicated to supporting HIV/AIDS research, prevention, and advocacy.
So it stands to reason that many of the week’s most notable guests flocked to the Hilton Molino Stucky on the island of Giudecca on Sunday night, ready to toast to the latest medical advancements, some of the cause’s most notable activists, and, of course, to raise money for the charity through a lively auction overseen by Simon de Pury. (This year’s lots included a set of Chopard earrings and a Warhol Flowers painting.) The evening began with cocktail hour and DJ Mia Moretti on the decks, before performances by Mimi Webb and Bebe Rexha during dinner, and several heartfelt speeches from award recipients.
Most notably, perhaps, Pamela Anderson and Marina Abramovic, who received the Award of Courage and the Award of Inspiration, respectively. Anderson’s speech touched on her own battle with hepatitis C: “My doctor told me that I probably had around 10 years to live,” she said to the crowd. “Ten blurry years later, a cure. I was lucky: I was offered it in its early stages. … And I felt tremendous guilt that others weren’t granted the same access.
Courage expands one’s life, while fear diminishes it—the choice is ours.” The best part? The evening ended up raising nearly $3 million. Now that’s something you can really toast to
Source: www.vogue.com
