And now, a departure from our regularly scheduled programming.
First, you’ll get into a luxury limousine. There will be Champagne.
You will be briefed, blindfolded and whisked from the city to an undisclosed lakeside estate.
At midnight, you’ll be returned safely to the city.
What occurs in the interim may include, though is not limited to: a lavish dinner, exotic cocktails, opera, aerial performers, esoteric ritual ceremonies a la the Illuminati, morality tests and anthropomorphic escapades.
Space is limited. As in: only 30 guests per adventure.
Which is why you’d be well-advised to apply for your spot at The Illuminati Ball right here, right now.
Upon approval, guests will be granted access to tickets and asked to choose an animal kinship of pig, monkey, cow, chicken or mouse. Your choice which will help dictate your experience throughout the evening.
Adding still more mystery to the intriguing affair: the first course will be enjoyed blindfolded.
The brainchild of playwright and artist Cynthia von Buhler, creator of Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic, The Brothers Booth and Speakeasy Dollhouse, the Illuminati Ball takes inspiration from leaked photos from the infamous Surrealist Ball hosted by the Baron and Baroness de Rothschild in 1972.
The Rothschilds’ affairs were known to draw guests like Salvador Dali and Audrey Hepburn for befrocked spectacles at their massive mansion in France. Using the term “immersive excursion,” von Buhler describes the night as “travel for the curious who enjoy actively engaging in a performance, rather than passively watching it.”
The kind of night that taps into the artistic foundation of what New York used to be: lavish, worth loving and completely ludicrous.
Photos by Mark Shelby Perry
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