A life-size Mickey Mouse took the stage to conduct the orchestra on October 27, surprising a Lower Manhattan crowd gathered to honor former Disney chief Bob Iger at the Perelman Performing Arts Center's third annual Icons of Culture Gala. Singer Samara Joy opened the night with renditions of “Stardust” and “Just in Time,” while Rufus Wainwright closed it out with “When You Wish Upon a Star,” bookending an evening built around Iger's decades atop one of the world's largest entertainment companies.
The gala, presented by Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, is an annual event that celebrates the arts while honoring someone with major cultural impact, according to amNewYork. Per the Perelman Performing Arts Center, all proceeds from the night support PAC NYC's artistic and civic programs. Songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul also performed onstage, including the new song “The Show Goes On” from the stage production of The Greatest Showman, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
A Gala Rooted in Ground Zero's Rebuilding
PAC itself originated during the rebuilding of the World Trade Center, offering a space meant to support artists at the site in Lower Manhattan, per amNewYork's reporting. Michael R. Bloomberg said the center was conceived to bring new life and energy to Lower Manhattan through a dedicated home for the performing arts, the outlet notes. That history carried extra weight this year: amNewYork reports that the Walt Disney Company donated $5 million to the World Trade Center Memorial Fund in 2001, and PAC executive director Khady Kamara Nunez said Iger himself contributed to rebuilding the site.
Nunez said honoring Iger recognized his cultural legacy and impact both nationally and internationally, according to amNewYork, and she called New York the perfect location for the tribute. The Icons of Culture Gala began one year after PAC's inauguration and has previously celebrated MTV co-founder Tom Freston at its 2024 debut and fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg in 2025, according to Billboard. Billboard reports that the gala has raised more than $10 million since its inception.
Iger Reflects on More Than Five Decades at Disney
Iger, a media executive known for his long tenure as the Walt Disney Company's CEO, oversaw the company's acquisitions of Pixar in 2006, Marvel in 2009, Lucasfilm in 2012 and 21st Century Fox in 2019, per amNewYork. At the gala, he reflected on his career, saying that working for a company like Disney for 52 years, and having the chance to really bring happiness to the world, has been extraordinary, according to ABC7. The station also notes that PAC's mission includes supporting emerging and established artists in theater, dance, music and opera, and that the Perelman Performing Arts Center itself was built as part of the World Trade Center's post-9/11 development.
The guest list included actors Adam Jacobs, Alexandra Daddario and Nick Jonas, amNewYork reports. Jacobs said he felt supported and cared for as an employee and actor at Disney, adding that the company took care of families and that he trusted both it and Iger's leadership. Jonas, for his part, has been associated with Disney for nearly two decades, according to the outlet's reporting.
Mickey Takes a Bow Alongside Disney's Longtime Leader
The surprise Mickey Mouse appearance came earlier in a night that blended star power with sentiment, as Iger and the character both attended the gala together in New York City. The Hollywood Reporter describes the costumed character's turn at the podium as a show-stealing moment that brought the evening's Disney-centric tributes full circle; Rufus Wainwright closed the show with “When You Wish Upon a Star,” with Jiminy Cricket appearing at the end of that performance.
