How the Hamptons kept its social scene alive in the pandemic summer of 2020

• The Hamptons is known for its ritzy social scene, but this year, the pandemic has brought some of the area's most glamorous activities to a halt.
• Business Insider spoke to those currently shaking down in the East End to see how the area is keeping its social scene alive.
• Drive-in movie theaters and socially distanced picnics have become all the rage. Fundraisers have gone virtual and pool parties are reservations only.

The Hamptons are synonymous with the East Coast summer social scene. In past years, poolside parties in sprawling backyards and picnics at the Wölffer Estate Vineyard ruled supreme on the Hamptons social circuit.

But this year, things are different. Very different.

"Memorial Day weekend is like, you start with a bang — a big bang," Tina Glendean, the co-owner of the Capri Southampton hotel, told Business Insider. "But this year, everywhere was pretty quiet."

Where daytime parties and charity events were the crowning events of past summers' social scenes, people have now taken to throwing socially distant picnics in vineyards and drive-in movie nights. Galas have gone virtual, and even pool parties are now reservation-only.

Blow-out bashes have given way to intimate parties and dinner affairs

Ian Duke, owner of the Southampton Social Club and Union Sushi & Steak in Southampton, told Business Insider that the restaurant scene has been crowded this summer. His restaurants are running at 50% capacity indoors, with no restrictions on outdoor dining.

"Most guests get it," he said. "Most people understand and want to work within the constraints because they feel safe."

In July, Duke opened up the Union Sushi & Steak restaurant in Southampton, where he made some last-minute layout changes. "As opposed to putting plastic plexiglass screens everywhere, we utilized curtains so that people could sit as though they were dining in their own private cabanas," he said.

Meanwhile, Tina DeJesus, a private chef currently working for a Southampton family, said that many people are throwing dinner parties at their homes. She also said that since the outbreak of the pandemic, wealthy families have been hiring more private chefs. Many of the requests she gets are to replicate popular restaurant dishes.

"A lot of people made the shift to having a private chef because it's so much more customized, it's in your home, and you're minimizing the amount of people doing the cooking," she said. "That has been the biggest shift of the summer."

Wedding party and event planner Victoria Dubin told Business Insider that while her parties are still going as planned, most people have dramatically reduced the number of guests invited.

"The ones I'm planning at the moment are just outdoors, with long tables set up for dining, double the space you would normally have at a table," she said. "If the table normally held 20 people, we're putting 10."

That said, it hasn't been all dinner parties and small gatherings. In early August, the Chainsmokers headlined a drive-in charity event that drew hundreds of people. Gov. Andrew Cuomo admonished the event, calling it "illegal and reckless," prompting his office to open a currently ongoing investigation into the event.

Drive-in movies and virtual fundraisers

Some of the hottest social events of the season have turned out to be drive-in movies, according to Vanessa Gordon, publisher of East End Magazine. The Sag Harbor Cinema has been throwing themed movie nights, and throughout July, the Hamptons International Film Festival had been showing pictures weekly.

The Sag Harbor Cinema lineup for the next three weeks includes "Adventureland," "Thelma & Louise," and "Stand by Me." There is no concession but patrons can bring their own food and beverage. Tickets for the drive-in movie costs $50.

Meanwhile, throughout July, the Hamptons International Film Festival showed everything from "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" to the cult classic "Mean Girls." The Festival teamed up with reservation app Resy for patrons to pick up food right before the showing.

"It wouldn't surprise me if they added more to the calendar," Gordon said. "The turnout has been fantastic."

Typically, some of the hottest social events are charity galas and fundraisers. This year, one of the biggest charity galas on the social calendar, Stony Brook Hospital's Summer Party, went virtual. Instead of wearing elegant attire to a fine dining event, people were invited to celebrate the event at home by purchasing a virtual table.

The event was chaired by names such as US Representative Carolyn Maloney and heiress Georgina Bloomberg. Costs started at $5,000 for a table of 10 and went up to $50,000. Stony Brook sent party boxes to all virtual-gala-goers that included a floral decoration, local wine from the Wölffer Estate Vineyard, appetizers, and desserts.

"It was an opportunity to relax in your own backyard," Gordon said of the event. "People really miss getting dressed up, so it's a nice opportunity to not worry about traffic and support a cause from the turn out of your own home."

Picnics and restaurant parties

And then there are the picnics.

Both Gordon and Hamptons travel guidebook founder Lizabeth Zindel told Business Insider that picnics are being thrown like never before. "People still want to enjoy their summer," Zindel said. "They don't want this summer to completely slip away from them without making memories."

"This summer, outdoor space is king," Zindel added.

Local home goods store Destination Haus — which is known for selling things like $95 gold striped water glasses and a $425 white coral geode bottle — has started hosting picnics on beaches and in gardens, where local restaurants or chefs bring in the picnic food. Prices for the picnics range from $150 to $195 depending on the number of guests. Each includes a table set-up replete with pillows, silverware, glassware, plates, candles, table decor, umbrellas, and pinch pots.

Meanwhile, the July 4 Veuve Clicquot party, thrown annually at the Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton, was turned into a garden picnic party this year. For $100, picnic-goers were granted admission, two glasses of Champagne, and hors d'oeuvres.

Other restaurants have expanded their outdoor space, reduced capacity, and enacted strictly reservation-only dinners and events.

Naia, a restaurant in the Capri Southampton Hotel, threw a reservation-only pool party for the 4th of July. Tina Glendean, the co-owner of the hotel, told Business Insider that they plan to throw many more.

"We had a DJ [at the pool party], we had some art this season, we had things that really gave it the party atmosphere," Glendean told Business Insider. "But without needing to have the volume of people, it was a bit more focused on quality over quantity."