| Performance Notes | Founded in 1891 The Chelsea Arts Club is a members club for artists, which for 50 years from 1908 held an annual costumed New Year's Eve ball, which was an infamous part of London's social calendar. After two years at the Royal Opera House the extravagant ball proved so popular it moved to the Royal Albert Hall where it stayed until 1958. The balls attracted media attention with their lavish theatrical sets, multiple orchestras, raucous midnight carnivals and balloon drops and crowds of up to 10,000 socialites, bohemian artists, actors, and ordinary Londoners in elaborate and often scandalous fancy dress dancing until 5am.
Each year a theme was chosen such as Egyptian, Dazzle, Noah's Ark, Prehistoric and Sun Worship around which guests could create flamboyant costumes. London art schools participated by decorating huge carnival floats, which were driven around the auditorium floor and which, at the stroke of midnight, would be destroyed by revellers. The balls were well-known for reports of public nudity, drunken displays of affection, fighting and unadulterated fun. In the vastness of the Hall with its gas lit corridors, curtained boxes and dark staircases naughtiness was the order of the day.
Similarly to the annual Lady Malcolm's Servant's balls (1930-1938) these events were a safe space for the queer community to meet and express themselves with unbridled creativity and little inhibition. There were no scrutineers denying entry or undercover police. LGBTQ+ party goers could feel (relatively) free to be themselves without the scrutiny and surveillance they underwent in their daily lives. For many men especially they could wear drag, dress outrageously, and socialise unashamedly while never appearing to be anything out of the ordinary.
It was New Year's Eve 1958 that was to be the final Chelsea Arts Ball at the Royal Albert Hall. As well as minor damage to the building fabric, a partygoer dispatched a smoke bomb that exploded on the dance floor and ultimately became the straw that broke the camel's back. The Chelsea Arts Ball was asked to take out insurance indemnity against further damage to the Hall and they didn't return. The Ball has returned three times since - in 1984, 1985 and 1992 - although the elaborate costumes and floats didn't make the return trip. The extravagant, eccentric originals remain part of the history of the Capital's social calendar.
"The Chelsea Arts Club Ball, which now takes precedence of any entertainment of its kind during the year, was held last night in the Albert Hall. Four years ago the same club gave a successful costume Ball at Covent Garden, and in the following year the experiment was repeated at the same place. So great however, was the demand for tickets on the second occassion that those responsible for the promotion of the ball were faced with the necessity of finding some place where a larger number of guests could be accommodated , the result being that last years arrangements were made for holding the ball in the Albert Hall. That the change was justified is amply proved by the fact that for this year's ball all the tickets (some 4,000) were sold some weeks in advance, and yesterday large prices were offered for any returned tickets.
The arena last night was covered by 16,000 square feet of parquet flooring, but even this space afforded little room for the dancers. The three tiers of boxes were festooned with pink roses, and garlands of coloured leaves also hung from the dome of the building. As the box accommodation was insufficient, a dozen extra boxes had been erected near the stage, where Mr Corelli Windeatt's orchestra of 100 performers played. For the convenience of the guests there was suspended above the orchestra a large illustrated programme on which was shown the number of the dance, and at various places round the arena were illuminated signs (giving the names of English and Continental towns) beneath which partners for dances could arrange to meet. and buffet supper was served to 1,000 guests."
(The Times, 23 Februray 1911) |
| Related Archival Material | Illustrations (RAHE/9/1911/1/OS) (RAHE/9/1911/2/OS) |