#1 Benefit
A highly vetted guest list of 600 elite Hollywood celebrities and fashion-industry power players attend the annual Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit, which in 2016 celebrated the exhibition “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” and raised $13.5 million. Overseen by Vogue's Anna Wintour, co-chairs for this year's benefit include Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams. Next: May 1, 2017
#2 Benefit
Nearly 50,000 people participated in the Robin Hood Benefit in 2016. Katie Couric hosted the event’s core benefit at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, which draws more than 4,000 guests, while concurrent events took place off-site for younger donors. The gala raised more than $61 million to help fight poverty in New York. Next: May 2017
#3 Benefit
Set in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, the Party in the Garden benefits the museum’s general operating fund. In 2016, the event honored artists Huma Bhabha, Mark Bradford, and Brice Marden, and Robyn performed live. Next: Spring 2017
#4 Benefit
Last year’s event was held in the Whitney’s new meatpacking district home for the first time, drawing roughly 1,500 guests. The 2017 gala will honor real estate mogul Neil G. Bluhm. Next: May 23, 2017
#6 Benefit
The black-tie gala has been a New York City tradition since the Metropolitan Opera was founded in 1883. The 2016 season kicked off with a new production of Tristan und Isolde. Seven-hundred people attended the performance, which was also broadcast live on several giant screens in Times Square for the public to enjoy. Next: September 25, 2017
#7 Benefit
This year, Friends of the High Line Benefit honors the Standard, High Line hotel; Michael and Deborah McCarthy; and High Line board member Ellen Fitzsimmons. Last year’s benefit raised a record $3.6 million for the urban park. Next: May 15, 2017
#8 Benefit
For more than 30 years, the gala has recognized achievements in the fields of art, culture, scholarship, and letters. In 2016, the event hosted more than 500 guests and raised nearly $2.5 million for the institution. Harry Belafonte and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan were among the 2016 Library Lions inductees. Next: November 2017
#9 Benefit
The gala recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to raising awareness about the H.I.V./AIDS epidemic. This year, Lena Dunham hosted the star-studded black-tie event, which raised nearly $2 million and honored Scarlett Johansson and Donatella Versace. The event celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2018. Next: February 2018
#10 Benefit
More than 1,200 philanthropic leaders came out for the 2016 Frederick Law Olmstead Award Luncheon, which is hosted by the Central Park Conservancy’s Women’s Committee. The luncheon honors private and civic leaders who support the restoration and maintenance of Central Park. Last year’s event raised $3.9 million. Next: May 3, 2017
#11 Benefit
Now in its 17th year, the Frick Collection Young Fellows Ball draws 600 of the city’s most prominent young socialites and raised nearly $290,000. This year’s event will be sponsored by Carolina Herrera and celebrates a new special exhibition. Next: March 16, 2017
#12 Benefit
Now in its 10th year, the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Spring Ball will be sponsored by Carolina Herrera and held once again at the Plaza Hotel. Last year’s evening of dinner and dancing raised more than $1.3 million for the hospital. Next: May 9, 2017
#13 Benefit (up from #15)
The 2016 Unicef Snowflake Ball honored the organization’s Goodwill Ambassador Katy Perry and philanthropist Moll Anderson. Orlando Bloom, Tamron Hall, and Hillary Clinton were among the luminaries who attended the event, which raised more than $4 million. Next: November 28, 2017
#14 Benefit
The 2017 New York Botanical Garden’s Conservatory Ball coincides with the return of “Chihuly,” an exhibition by world-renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly. About 600 guests are expected to attend the event, which last year raised $1.6 million. Next: June 1, 2017
#15 Benefit
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation’s Collaborating for a Cure Gala. More than 800 corporate executives, board members, and guests attend the event, which raised $2.5 million in 2016. Next: November 16, 2017
#16 Benefit
Hosted by Alicia Keys, the 2016 Keep a Child Alive’s Black Ball raised $2 million to help end AIDS and combat the impacts of H.I.V. on children and families. The event, which took place at the Manhattan Center’s Hammerstein Ballroom, featured performances by Keys, Chance the Rapper, Patti Smith, and Salt-N-Pepa. Next: Fall 2017
#17 Benefit
In 2016, the New Yorkers for Children Fall Gala returned to Cipriani 42nd Street. The event featured a performance by Cobi, honored the organization’s late founder Nicohlas Scoppetta, and raised $300,000 to support children in foster care in New York City. Next: Fall 2017
#18 Benefit (new to the list)
The Prostate Cancer Foundation’s New York dinner draws 400 guests each year to raise money to support research to fight the disease. The event is now in its 22nd season and raised $5 million in 2016. Past attendees have included Whoopi Goldberg, Joe Torre, and Tony La Russa. Next: December 2017
