Tennessee Williams Festival To Host a Ball in January
The event will take place on January 19 from 7 - 10 pm.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Dec. 30, 2024
In keeping with the spirit of Carnival season, the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival will host a ball on January 19 from 7 - 10 pm at the Hotel Peter & Paul.
The ball will be a fun, fanciful affair with LadyBeast as the Ball’s Angel. Envisioned from the works of Tennessee Williams referencing angels, the Festival honors one of the many angels around us by highlighting an amazing local artist as ball royalty.
Tennessee Williams Festival President Gregory Gajus says, “It is fitting that the circus artist and spectacle maker Arianna Pelullo, aka LadyBEAST, is the Angel of the ball. Just like Tennessee Williams, she moved to New Orleans to focus on her art in our Bohemian community of writers, artists, and performers. Like Williams, she has made New Orleans her spiritual home.”
Gajus adds, “The launch of our first ever ball is a part of our ongoing focus over the last few years to create more events outside of the festival week in March. Writers workshops, our awards gala, our new cocktails and conversation series, and the ball are extending our opportunities to celebrate Tennessee Williams in New Orleans year-round.”
Where: Hotel Peter & Paul, 2317 Burgundy Street, New Orleans
When: Sunday, January 19, 2025, 7–10 pm
What: A lively, fanciful evening of drink, dancing, and celebration
Attire: There's no attire requirement, but we hope you'll step out of your day-to-day life and dress up a bit. Maybe for you that's something shiny. Maybe it's vintage or classic cocktail black or bursting with color or comes with a headpiece. Present yourself in something that makes you feel ready to revel!
The event will be hosted by Michelle Nelson (LOVE the Poet), and music for the evening begins at 7 pm with DJ Sailor Hank followed by a set by Alexis and the Sanity, longtime members of Sweet Crude. The evening will close with the swinging sounds of The Slick Skillet Serenaders.
Along with musical sets, there will be a royal tableau by the talented Vinsantos, Tsarina Hellfire, and the Mudlark Puppeteers presenting LadyBEAST as the 2025 Angel. Seeress MuggaRose will be available for tarot mini readings, Hell or High Water Tattoo will offer small rose tattoos, and Mint Fuel will be in the crowd for fabulous photo opps.
Tickets range from $65 for general admission with VIP upgrades available, plus a separate President’s Tea at Windsor Court. Tickets to the ball, the tea, and sponsorship information are available.
The 2025 Tennessee Williams and New Orleans Literary Festival will be March 26-30, with the Stella Shouting Contest kicking off the Festival on Sunday, March 23. Already confirmed are Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham, NPR book critic Maureen Corrigan, Megan Abbott, Alifair Burke, Margot Douaihy, Laura Lippman, Amanda Jones, Bernice McFadden, Kalamu ya Salaam, and many more. Special events include Tim Murray Is Witches, Poppy Tooker’s Drag Queen Brunch, a culinary experience with Chef Eric Cook, Books and Beignets featuring Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, and the Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans’ production of Orpheus Descending. The Saints and Sinners LGBTQ+ Literary Festival will be March 28-30.
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