La Soirée Cardinale 2026

You’re late, you’re late, for a very important date! 🏛️✨🎨🖼️🕰️

A most curious evening at our beloved museums awaits: playful, whimsical, and ever so slightly mischievous. Please join us at Stanford’s second La Soirée Cardinale, on Thursday May 21, 2026, and do make haste! FashionX, Cantor Arts Center, the Anderson Collection, and Cardinal Nights invite you for an evening celebrating Stanford’s vibrant creative community.

This year’s theme, “Through the Looking Glass: Art as Mirror,” invites guests to consider how perception, identity, and imagination intertwine. Our Soirée begins at 7 P.M. with check-in at the Anderson, followed by a red carpet arrival staffed by photographers. From there, guests will enjoy light hors d’oeuvres, partake in art activities, and sway to the soft beats of Afro-Latin Jazz, experience soundscapes by dJai, Eric Wang & Sean Tan, and fp-matrix (Pauline Mornet), and end the night dancing to Marmalade and Girl Band. Throughout the night, exhibitions at the Cantor and Anderson will be open for your private viewing—a once-in-a-year opportunity.

Most importantly: dress. We encourage you to release yourself from the usual conventions of black tie. Drawing upon the whimsy of our theme, consider the museums as your muse and come dressed in colors, shapes, and patterns inspired by art. Mirror the gestural strokes of Joan Mitchell or echo the stripes of Sean Scully’s paintings. Perhaps Pacita Abad’s vibrant works will inspire you to layer sequins, buttons, shells, and mirrors onto your ensemble, or Miljohn Ruperto’s philosophies of suturing new realities drives you to question the conventions of formal dress. From canvas to couture, the red carpet is yours—we encourage you to dress with spirit, and look to art as your style guide.

Your RSVP and Stanford ID are required for entry. Absolutely no exceptions. Plus ones must be accompanied by a Stanford student upon entry.

We look forward to your presence—our Soirée simply wouldn’t be the same without you.

Yours Sincerely,
The White Rabbit

Parking

Free visitor parking is available along Lomita Drive as well as on the first floor of the Roth Way Garage Structure, located at the corner of Campus Drive West and Roth Way at 345 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA 94305. From the Palo Alto Caltrain station, the Cantor Arts Center is about a 20-minute walk or there the free Marguerite shuttle will bring you to campus via the Y or X lines.

Disability parking is located along Lomita Drive near the main entrance of the Cantor Arts Center. Additional disability parking is located on Museum Way and in Parking Structure 1 (Roth Way & Campus Drive). Please click here to view the disability parking and access points.

Accessibility Information or Requests

Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University is committed to ensuring our programs are accessible to everyone. To request access information and/or accommodations for this event, please complete this form at least one week prior to the event: museum.stanford.edu/access.

• For questions, please contact [email protected] or Vivian Sming at [email protected].

Info: Get your photo taken on the red carpet, create a mosaic coaster or ribbon badge, experience the exhibition 1000 Ways to Hold, and enjoy small bites.

Info: Cantor opens at 8:10pm. Create a zine, make a piece of jewelry, explore Miljohn Ruperto's exhibition, or be mesmerized by Jeremy Frey's basketmaking. Enjoy music with tapas and non-alcoholic drinks.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Cantor Arts Center