RINGING IN 2018 AT SOHO GRAND'S ANNUAL MASQUERADE BALL
It’s been a little over five decades since Truman Capote invited a glittering array of his friends to the Plaza Hotel’s Grand Ballroom for one of the most legendary parties New York has ever known. A run of photographs preserves the moment: guests dressed to the nines in a monochrome color palette, their identities concealed behind ornate masks as they kick up their heels amid the glow of candelabras in a landmark New York setting.
Over 540 of these “friends” showed up for Capote’s Grand Masked Ball for dancing, spaghetti, and chicken hash at midnight – and most of all to mix and mingle with echelons of European aristocrats, working novelists and artists, Hollywood and Broadway actors, international heads of state, filmmakers, socialites and middle-class friends from the Kansas town where Capote conducted research for his newly-famed novel, “In Cold Blood.” The soiree, which was thrown in honor of Kay Graham, welcomed every walk of social strata with notable guests including the likes of Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow, First Lady Lynda Bird Johnson, Audrey Hepburn, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Italian Princess Luciana Pignatelli.
Each New Year’s Eve, Soho Grand picks up where Capote left off, transforming the hotel’s entire lobby floor into a black and white gala complete with masks, black tie dress, and free-flowing champagne. In keeping with the theme of Capote’s glamorous soiree, guests are invited to mingle incognito, disguised with a mask of their choosing as they prepare to dance the night away to the sounds of Erik Tonnesen, Wade Crescent and Kyle Wukash.
Esteemed guests will enjoy an evening hosted by So It Goes magazine, Zackery Michael, Spiky Phil, Kat Irlin, Nick Simmons, Sophia Simmons, and Lauren Conolan-Richards (more to be announced) with tiers of hors d’oeuvres and a premium open bar, equipped with Billecart Champagne. Come 1am, Nick Simmons and Wade Crescent of Blind Dragon, L.A.’s premium Karaoke establishment, will lead an open Karaoke floor until the early hours of 2018.
Attire is black tie, masks are mandatory, and dancing is obligatory.
Tickets are available in the below tiers and can be purchased by visiting www.sohograndnye.com
- General Admission: $199 + tax that includes Dancing room and open bar from 9pm – 1am
- Bar Seating: $269 + tax that includes Grand Bar and Club Room seating with an open bar from 9pm – 1am, side table premium vodka and champagne as well as tiers of small bites
- Premium Seating: $299 + tax that includes Salon and Club Room Parlor seating with an open bar from 9pm – 1am, table side premium vodka and champagne, and tiers of small bites
