The Billionaire’s 2015 Social Calendar
World Economic Forum - 1/21-1/24 - Davos, Switzerland - The average cost to attend Davos is about $40,000, half of it being the cost of an attendee’s ticket, but it’s not a problem for hedge-funders Steve Cohen and George Soros or Indian billionaires who gather every year to brainstorm with leaders including Bill Gates and Bill Clinton. If debating the big issues of the year isn’t your thing, you can always head to the Snow Polo World Cup in nearby in St. Moritz or to Singapore to Art Stage, the leading Asian art fair focused on contemporary art.
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Venice Carnival - 1/31-2/17 - Venice, Italy - Extravagant parties and balls dot the two-week carnival, but if there’s only one event billionaires attend, it’s the wild, glamorous and very expensive Gran Ballo Della Cavalchina at La Fenice Opera House. If you don’t feel like dressing up and dancing, you can catch an early glimpse at 2015 movies at the Berlinale, the Berlin International Film Festival, or head to one (or all) of the fashion weeks happening in New York City, Paris, London and Milan.
Frank Kovalchek/Wikimedia
Dubai World Cup - 3/28 - Dubai - This Thoroughbred horse race is the world richest, with total prize money of more than $29 million, and is attended by most of the oil-rich billionaires of the Gulf. In mid March, billionaires also have the option to return to Asia for more art at the Art Basel Hong Kong.
REUTERS/Steve Crisp
Antigua Sailing Week - 4/25-5/01 - Antigua, Caribbean - It’s not all about boating. The Antigua Sailing Week, one of the most exclusive yachting events of the year especially popular with British billionaires, also has a week packed with parties and social gatherings. If billionaires would rather not go to the Caribbean tax haven, they can stay close to home and attend the U.S. Masters of golf in Augusta, Ga., or go to Asia to the Singapore Yacht Show.
The Daily Sail
Monaco Grand Prix - 5/21-5/24 - As warmer days return, billionaires head to Europe to see the best of Formula One racing in Monte Carlo, another famous tax haven, and mingle at the after parties including the one at the Fairmont hotel where the trendy Billionaire Club’s exclusive fêtes. The Cannes Film Festival in France is another opportunity to rub shoulders with celebrities and movie stars. If you decide to stay in the U.S., there’s always the Kentucky Derby the first weekend of the month.
REUTERS/Max Rossi
Art Basel - 6/18-6/21 - Basel, Switzerland - Art Basel, which has become the number one destination for art collectors, is also a place where billionaires spend millions on contemporary art. In 2014, a huge Andy Warhol self-portrait was sold there for around $34 million. For sports fanatics, go to Paris to attend Roland Garros, the French tennis open, while billionaires can also head to Bavaria in Germany to attend the G7 Summit .
REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Wimbledon - 6/29-7/12 - If you’ve missed Roland Garros, you can always catch tennis superstars at Wimbledon, the British tennis open. While in Europe, billionaires usually don’t miss the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, where they can hear some of the best musicians. In the U.S., billionaires can mingle at the Allen & Co. Sun Valley Conference in Idaho, where business, political and cultural leaders meet annually.
REUTERS/Toby Melville
PGA Championship - 8/10-8/16 - Kohler, Wis. - At the PGA Championship, which will take place in posh Whistling Straits, the billionaires are usually both on and off the green considering the purse last year was $10 million, including $1.8 million for the winner. If you’re more of a culture lover, the Venice Film Festival in Italy may be your thing.
USA Today/Jason Getz
Monaco Yacht Show - 9/23-9-26 - Monaco - If you’re in the market for a yacht, or two, head to Monaco in the fall to attend the world’s largest yacht trade show featuring custom-made megayachts ranging from 80 to 330 feet long, which typically cost more than $150 million and requires about 10 percent of this price tag in annual maintenance. Or there’s always the Singapore Grand Prix, another major Formula One race.
Rugby World Cup - 9/18-10/31 - England and Cardiff - United Kingdom - Members of the British royal family, Virgin founder Richard Branson and Prince Albert II of Monaco are all regular attendants of the Rugby World Cup’s final, which will take place in the U.K. this year. You could even squeeze some arts during your trip by attending Frieze Art Fair in London, one of the world’s leading contemporary art fairs taking place around the same time.
REUTERS
Argentine Polo Open - 11/15-12/6 - Buenos Aires, Argentina – Billionaires from the Middle East along with celebrities such as Will Smith, who is only a millionaire, like to attend the unofficial world championship of polo, which takes place every year in the Paris of the South, as Buenos Aires is often called. If redecorating one of your mansions is what’s one your mind, then head to New York to attend the fall Pier Antique Show to snag some vintage furniture.
The Guardian
St. Bart’s New Year Celebrations - 12/31 - St. Barts, France - Billionaires and celebrities alike flock to warm St. Barts. in the winter to soak the sun as well as to celebrate the new year, usually on a yacht. Russian mogul Roman Abramovich used to hold an annual New Year’s Eve party in the ritzy Caribbean island. This year, actress Salma Hayek, who is married to French billionaire François-Henri Pinault, partied on a yacht there. If you want to ring in the new year with a more European flair, head to Vienna to the annual Imperial Ball.
Wix