Masked Ball at Madame Tussauds

One of London’s best-loved tourist attractions became the backdrop for a glamorous masked ball at Square Meal’s first reader event of the year

By 7pm, the tourist hordes had subsided and Madame Tussauds’ famous occupants were awaiting the arrival of 350 guests for a Masquerade Ball jointly hosted by the venue and Square Meal Venues & Events. With a dress code calling for ‘Masked Elegance’, this was a networking event with a difference – and that’s before you factor in the host of astonishingly life-like waxworks dotted throughout the event spaces. 

From intricate Venetian carnival masks to flamboyant feathered headdresses, the dress code had certainly been taken to heart – or head – and provided a fabulous talking point. ‘I like parties where people are asked to wear a mask, a wig, a hat,’ said Danielle Nay, an events director for Taylor Herring, who was decked out in a Venetian mask studded with Swarovski crystals. ‘I think it allows guests’ personalities to shine.’

Partygoers sipped raspberry cocktails, nibbled canapés served by waiters with fabulously rippling torsos, admired each other’s masks and had pictures taken with Brad, Angelina, Jennifer, Samuel L. et al (since you ask, all smaller than you think). Then the party moved through to the World Stage, where bamboo dishes and heartier buffet food were served in the elegantly dressed space and guests were surrounded by world leaders past and present. A burlesque dancer in a birdcage, a contortionist in a tiny box and a string quartet, courtesy of Sternberg Clarke (tel: 020 8877 1102), provided post-prandial entertainment for the masked revellers. ‘It’s the first time I have ever been to Madame Tussauds,’ said freelance event organiser Helen Coffey . ‘What a great way to experience it.’

This article first appeared in Square Meal Venues & Events magazine, Summer 2008.