‘Feathers Galore’: Step Inside the Colorful Carnaval Ambiance of City Harvest’s Annual Gala

Projection mapping helped immerse guests into the theme.Photo: Getty Images for City HarvestNEW YORK—On April 22 at Cipriani 42nd Street, City Harvest, New York City's largest food rescue organization, hosted its 2025 gala, which featured a colorful Carnaval theme. The evening raised enough funds to help provide more than 8.5 million meals for New Yorkers. 

On the event's vibrant tropical theme, Colin Cowie, who designed the decor, said, “We’ve done a lot of very high-energy themes at City Harvest, and this year was no exception. We got excited about the Carnaval theme because of the music and the idea of feathers galore.”

He explained that the table linens were fashioned out of extravagant fabrics that would normally be used for dresses, with three distinct table settings: gold, bright orange, and pink. Embracing the theme, Cowie incorporated pink ostrich feathers, orange silk, and plenty of palm fronds, with each table anchored with an ice bucket adorned with fringe feathers.

“We had a lot of fun taking material like giant monstera leaves and spray painting them Day-Glo orange and hot pink and using tropical flowers,” he said. “We don’t get to use these materials on a regular basis. It's like we had license to be kitsch with this theme.”

Gregory Boroff, City Harvest’s chief external relations officer, shared, “This year, we wanted to do something that was particularly lively,” while honoring the work of the organization and its volunteers.

“We always want to make sure that the evening conveys our mission and the level of need in New York City—and we do that throughout the night—but City Harvest also does a lot of good, and we want to celebrate that and celebrate the communities that make that possible,” he said.

This year’s menu, provided by Cipriani, featured a salad with shrimp and avocado, herb-crusted rack of lamb, and an assortment of dessert bites that were served during the after-party. “Because we have a room of many of the top chefs in the city [including Eric Ripert, Geoffrey Zakarian, Tom Colicchio, and José Andrés], it’s not an easy room to cook for, but the chefs always tell us they’re impressed,” Boroff said.

The evening’s auction also featured dining experiences from chefs and restaurateurs including Enrique Olvera, Jean-Georges and Cédric Vongerichten, Junghyun “JP” Park, Stefano Secchi and Rich Torrisi, Simon Kim, and Eric Ripert. 

The gala, which was produced by Josh Wood Productions (JWP), welcomed nearly 450 guests including high-profile attendees like Richard Gere, Katie Couric, Stephanie March, Christian Siriano, Jean Reno, and others. It was hosted by actor Jason Biggs and honored the Thompson Family Foundation, a partner of City Harvest since 2012.

In the past, the gala’s after-party was held in Cipriani’s chapel space. But this year, City Harvest hosted it in the main room. “We wanted people to be so gripped that they stayed—and they did,” Boroff said.

To convert the dining space into a party, two thrusts were added to the main stage to form a dance floor. A full band with dancers and stilt walkers and performers waving enormous flags joined the festivities, and bar carts were wheeled out. “It was the same space but visually transformed into something different,” Boroff said.

Keep reading to see key vendors and more from inside City Harvest's 2025 Gala...

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