Houston’s Magical Party in the Park Turns Into a Glowing Success For The Menil

One of Houston's Signature Museums Prepares For Its 40th Anniversary

By Anne Lee Phillips // Nov 10, 2026

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The Menil Collection Party in the Park (Photo by Jenny Antill Clifton)

Beneath a canopy of string lights laced across the live oak trees, Menil Park glowed from within as The Menil Collection hosted its sixth annual Party in the Park. A light breeze marked the triumphant arrival of autumn in Houston as co-chairs Tracy and Will Northington, Mary Morgan and Reed Stevens, and Elizabeth and Barry Young welcomed 500 guests to the sold-out soirée.

The golden hour shimmer cast a glow over Mark di Suvero’s soaring steel sculpture Bygones, 1976. Event designer Bergner & Johnson carried the enchantment into each detail, from the ornate crystal-and-beaded chandeliers suspended from the sweeping oak limbs to votive candles flickering alongside garden-inspired, painterly colored arrangements of lush foliage, ligustrum, Green Trick dianthus, parrot tulips and ranunculus atop generous dinner tables dressed in dark florals and touches of gold with mahogany folding chairs. Cascades of hanging amaranthus and sculptural coxcomb in green, white and earthen brown completed the palette.

Ben Ackerley and Hayden Hrncir; Colin Balickie and Eve Ackerley; Nora Ackerley and Bob Ackerley; Sydney and Ray Redding. Photo by Emily Jaschke — Ben Ackerley & Hayden Hrncir, Colin Balickie & Eve Ackerley, Nora & Bob Ackerley, Sydney & Ray Redding at The Menil Collection Party in the Park (Photo by Emily Jaschke)

Bar-height tables dotted the park, with inviting lounges that offered conversation spots to discuss the latest art world happenings, from Untitled Art, Houston to Frieze London. The evening is unique in that it includes no speeches or paddle raises, leaving more room for conversation.

Austin-based musical trio The Point filled the air with a dreamy fusion of global rhythms, jazz-funk, blues and North African beats.

City Kitchen served passed hors d’oeuvres of Southern fried pickled okra with remoulade sauce and smoked chicken tostadas as everyone mingled over cocktails. At attended buffet stations, Menil supporters enjoyed butternut squash risotto finished with white wine, pancetta, and Parmigiano Reggiano, lollo rosso salad with goat cheese and pomegranate seeds, shrimp aguachile verde, and Berkshire pork báhn mi sliders. Pumpkin cheesecake bites and key lime tartlets made for an indulgent end to the whole feast.

George Masterson; Catherine Crain and Edward Crain. Photo by Jenny Antill — George Masterson, Catherine & Edward Crain at The Menil Collection Party in the Park (Photo by Jenny Antill Clifton)

The event raised more than $500,000 for the Menil’s public programs, and the enhancement, maintenance and care of the museum’s art buildings and green spaces.

In honor of its 40th anniversary, The Menil will be hosting a special gala in 2027. So Party in the Park will take a brief hiatus before returning in 2028.

PC Seen: The Menil Collection director Rebecca Rabinow, Caroline Huber, François de Menil, Julia and John Stallcup, Meg and Eric Hobby, Kate and Michael Norris, Victoria Salem, Emily and Damon Daniels, Margaret Vaughan Cox and Jonathan Cox, Leslie and Shannon Sasser, Ben Ackerley and Hayden Hrcnir, George Masterson, Mary Louise and David Kinder, Veronica and Marc Adler, Julie and Drew Sudduth, Jack Bellows, Sara and Archie Fallon, Margot and Zach Davis, Melissa and Oliver Tuckerman, Amanda and Randall Fenlon, and Anne Kahle.