Manchester’s Most Flamboyant Historical Ball is BACK and Raising Money for Charity
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The Dignitary Countryside Residence UK will attend the Lowry’s Hotel prestigious costume charity ball on Saturday 16th March 2024.
The Maggie’s Costume Charity Ball is inspired by one of Manchester’s most impressive, and flamboyant historical events. In 1828, generous philanthropists from across the North West attended the extravagant Manchester Ball to raise money for local charities.
The Grand Fancy Dress Ball was attended by 3500 people, each paying £1.05, which in today’s money would be about £110 a ticket. The money raised went to various charities. Over 300 of the people attending the ball paid the famous artist Arthur Perigal to include them in his painting titled “A Fancy Dress Ball” The committee were very lucky to gain the services of Artur Perigal as he was only residing in Manchester for a short while as by 1830 he had moved to live in Edinburgh.
The painting was raffled and it was won by Mr Peacock, a wholesale and retail linen draper. He attended dressed as the Knave of Hearts. He gave the painting to Salford Museum in 1852 and it was restored in 1994.
Newspaper reports from 1828 document how revelers partied until seven o’clock in the morning – nearly three hours after the house band tried to bring proceedings to a close with a rendition of God Save The King.
The ball was reimagined and brought back almost 200 years later by The Lowry Hotel’s General Manager, Adrian Ellis
Dilan Malalgodapitiyagamage, Managing Director of The Dignitary Countryside Residence UK : “We’re delighted to be attending the ball once again. It’s a great opportunity to support our 2024 chosen charity Maggies and back there efforts to fundraise. We’re expecting to see ones again some fabulous costumes and our guests on our table to be part of Manchester history in making.