Not so long ago, a Hamptons summer could be defined by a handful of marquee events and a singular center of social gravity. Those of a certain age may remember an era when the East End revolved around a power publicist, a notorious SUV incident, and a tightly guarded guest list.More recently, a new generation of tastemakers traded flip phones for iPhones, allowing social media and its ever-shifting algorithms to set the seasonal agenda. (Cue the now-forgotten reign of the spritz-girl summer.)
This season feels different. Perhaps it’s a reflection of the broader fragmentation currently impacting, well, nearly every corner of modern life, but there is no single mood, trend, or social set dictating the pace of summer 2026 — at least not yet. Instead, the Hamptons has become a constellation of overlapping power circles, each vying to define what the East End means now.
The traditional financial elite still command influence, but they are no longer the sole arbiters of taste. The result is less a hierarchy than a mosaic of competing visions, complete with overlapping scenes and shifting allegiances. For some, the diffusion of influence feels like a lossof order; for others, it’s precisely what makes the Hamptons feel more alive than it has in years.
Which raises the larger question: Just who are the power players dictating the scene this season, and who, exactly, runs the Hamptons? Or perhaps the more relevant question is whether anyone can truly claim ownership at all. Here are the circles competing for the EastEnd’s most valuable currency: relevance.
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The Legacy Establishment
Hedge fund manager and billionaire Zach Schreiber recently listed his 9,500-square-footFairfield Pond Lane estate — a seven-bedroom oceanfront compound in Sagaponack set on 3.8acres with more than 350 feet of beachfront — for just over $150 million, reportedly as his family has relocated elsewhere. But when one financier quietly exits, another of comparable or greater wealth steps in to take their place. This is the enduring logic of the Hamptons’ legacy establishment. Unlike newer arrivals, this set continues to favor discretion over visibility, exerting influence less through spectacle than through behind-the-scenes control of everything from prime real estate and philanthropic infrastructure to private clubs and the region’s network of fundraising and preservation efforts.
The Wellness Elite
A growing contingent of Hamptons weekenders is increasingly eschewing late nights and long, boozy lunches in favor of a more optimized summer schedule. In this world, wellness functions not only as ritual, but also as a visible marker of social capital, something to be practiced and shared with others. One location at the center of this shift is WAVE Wellness in Southampton, a members-leaning “social wellness” space that packs an array of longevity-focused offerings into its 4,000 square feet: hyperbaric oxygen therapy, cold plunge circuits, sound bathing, acupuncture, and other modalities reframed as a collective experience. Around it, a wider landscape reinforces the same ethos across the East End, from boutique recovery studios toEquinox’s Hamptons outpost. Status for the wellness set is measured through discipline — the drive to optimize health and performance.
The Culinary Crowd
The Hamptons dining circuit this summer reflects a clear shift toward breadth and spectacle, with chefs and restaurateurs catering to an experience-driven crowd hungry for variety. Nowhere is this more evident than in Sag Harbor, where a wave of new openings is remaking the village’s culinary identity. Under new ownership, the Corner Bar is staging a comeback, while Fresno owner Michael Nolan returns to his hometown with Miracle, an American bistro. Beyond Sag Harbor, the scale of ambition continues to grow. In Montauk, John Meadow of Barlume fame is debuting Barlume Beach, a sprawling waterfront venue with indoor seating for200, firepits, lounges, and a DJ. That day-to-night hospitality model extends westward to Southampton, where Maison Close brings a French-inflected, nightlife-adjacent dining concept to The Capri Hotel. In East Hampton, Camp Rubirosa continues its Nolita legacy with its cult pizzas and Italian American classics.
The Influence Set
A wave of influencers, podcasters, brand marketers, and other voices in the communications sphere is inhabiting a parallel social order in the Hamptons that bypasses traditional invitations and turns events and hospitality — from DJ’d brunches to days at the beach — into media moments. Storytelling, and the attention it generates, is the commodity here. Lines forming for the place du jour are no longer confined to the city but have become a familiar part of the EastEnd, welcomed by some business owners and quietly lamented by others. A recent soft opening of Babe’s, a small Sag Harbor supper-club-style diner, drew crowds willing to wait for the chance to film as much as feast on blueberry pancakes and wagyu hot dogs. Elsewhere, the Surf Lodge functions as a seasonal stage for concerts and brand activations, while Instagrammable events like Polo Hamptons provide highly stylized backdrops.
The Creative Class
A growing cohort of artists, designers, photographers, writers, architects, filmmakers, and other creatives is steadily reshaping the cultural fabric of the East End, long considered both a retreat and an incubator for like-minded talent. Increasingly, they are focused on building a creative destination that extends well beyond the summer season. Their footprint is visible in independent galleries, boutique hotel openings, literary events, design collaborations, and other hybrid formats that blur the line between cultural production and leisure. The approach is embodied by the Church in Sag Harbor, a restored 1835 Methodist church turned gallery, studio, and event space that now serves as a community hub for exhibitions, talks, and artist residencies. This summer, that creative circle delves further into retail and fashion through curated pop-ups featuring designers like Johanna Ortiz and jeweler Deepa Gurnani at Sage &Madison in Sag Harbor, alongside the Kith Women and Vivrelle partnership in Bridgehampton.
