The Edwardian Ball @ The Regency Ball Room

In the past, I have given The Edwardian Ball five stars. Not this year. It’s gone commercial; just like much of San Francisco. The upstairs Gallery of Oddities (World’s Faire), was sparse and boring. Tickets were oversold. We purchased VIP tickets. What a complete disaster! The Gorey story was SUNG in operatic style. We couldn’t understand it nor could we see the subtitles that were blocked by a huge speaker. So much for a VIP ticket. The tale was incomprehensible. There was no room to dance as people were packed in shoulder to shoulder. The event was «sanitized.» We’ve been going for a decade and I am extremely sad to see this event commercialized. Ticket holders had to enter through the merchants area in hopes that each person would make a purchase before finding their seat. What crass commercialism. Even worse, as the Gorey tale was attempted to be poorly sung and performed, advertisements for Dark Garden were shown on the screen behind the «play.» That’s a rather like going to a film, having it sung in an operatic style with hidden subtitles. Thus, after a decade of enjoyment, I am sorely disappointed. Perhaps, the producers are going «techie» with money to blow and selling more tickets out of sheer greed. San Francisco and the Edwardian Ball are losing their artistic edge and selling out while becoming mediocre. It’s so sad.

I went to the one this year. It was ok… here’s a couple tips:
1) Bring cash. All the cardreaders seemd to have broke
2) There is no real places to sit, so ladies watch the heels
3) Get there early.
4) Eat and pre-​game before you go. The drink prices are ludicrous and inconsistent. Every floor had a different price for me for a jameson shot. One bartender had the audacity to tell me a jack n coke is $ 20.
Overall, the things you see and do are unique. Party hard and smart. You’ll have a good time.

There’s a lot to be said for the massive undertaking this event is every year. On my third year now, I’m still impressed by the production value, even as a former stage manager (or maybe that’s why…).
I do have a few wishes:
1) host a third night given how crowded it gets (and how big some costumes can get) even on Friday. Since this event usually falls on a 3-​day weekend, it doesn’t seem impossible to host fri/​sat/​sun and load out Monday.
2) install a raised stage in the upstairs ballroom– unless you’re standing in the front row, all those hats and big feathers make it impossible to see any performers. Kudos to whomever recommended the box dancers/​aerialists go in the middle of the room– that was the only performance I could see upstairs.
3) Add some non-​ADA seating for the plebs in General Admission. If you want people to stay longer/​drink more, they need to rest their weary feet (or corseted torsos). There was exactly one section of roped-​off seating marked for ADA compliance that had roughly 15 seats available for a 6-​hour event hosting hundreds of people.
4) increase photo line efficiency. It’s a great feature in theory, and the photographer and crew clearly put a lot of effort into it, but we realized after waiting ~40 mins that the photographer had no fewer than 3 assistants to «help» each single/​couple/​group photo stage multiple poses (additionally, event staff were allowed to cut the line whenever they had breaks, which is great for them but extended the wait time). I imagine this makes the post-​processing bit more efficient for the photographer (he probably averages better shots this way, so less editing later) but it just feels laborious for everyone else.
Not only did all of this take longer– and I know this is mostly personal– I became really self-​conscious with all that attention: each hand was placed, and the angle of my chin (and other body parts) was adjusted. While the proofs were available next-​day, I didn’t buy any because I think I look about as awkward as I felt. I don’t mind help (as an inexperienced subject), but this felt like overkill and it was a long time to wait for a souvenir I didn’t keep.
Bottom line, if you go:
–Friday night less crowded than Saturday, but really there should be 3 nights. Different performances each night, more dancing Saturday (but still some Fri).
–Check out all the floors, and review the schedule for anything you want to see. Generally: upstairs = performances and walkabout exhibits; main floor = mainstage performers + games + large steampunk contraption (s); downstairs = vendors selling pretty-​but-​expensive things; Bars = everywhere (pro tip: flag down a waiter when the lines get too long; you’ll save yourself time and energy getting your next beverage).
–Wear your comfiest lots-​of-​walking/​standing shoes, costumes be damned.
–You may feel out of place not in a costume, but the definition of «costume» varies widely, from authentic Victorian garb to steampunk to a simple suit to burning man desert chic to plastic jellyfish helmet with floor-​length bubble-​wrap tentacles.

First off, despite what one of the other reviewers says, there ARE shows and acrobatic acts at the ball. There are quite a few of them in fact. I’ve actually seen the clips of the shows that were preformed last year, so I can only assume that reviewer was wandering around the venue while they were being preformed. Sound doesn’t travel like at all in the Regency. So if you’re in another room, you won’t hear anything going on in the ballroom.
The acts this year (2014) included cancan dancing, the musical stylings of Rosin Coven, whom are actually the founders of the Edwardian Ball (they started it back in 1999 as a way to showcase their music), and a performance of ‘The Curious Sofa’ by Edward Gorey, (performed by the Vau de Vire Society and Rosin Coven). There was also a fashion show put on by Dark Garden clothing. There was also a murder-​mystery walk-​through and a puppet show upstairs. The Vau de Vire society is the acrobatic troop that is now responsible for organizing the Edwardian Ball. They took over the running of the event from Rosin Coven back in 2005. The performance they did of the ‘Curious Sofa,’ blended both acrobatic stunts and aerialists.
If you want to catch the performances, I highly advise you to take a schedule from the person handing them out at the door and make certain to be in the ballroom at the time the act you wish to see will be preforming. The Regency is a fairly large place and maneuvering all the different rooms the ball has to offer can be very time consuming. So know where and when to be when certain acts preform.
As I mentioned before, the layout of the event is divided into different rooms. Its fairly easy to find the rooms you’re looking for, because each one has a sign over it’s doorway. There are a ton of interesting things to be seen in every room; such as art, mini performances, and living statues. There is even a Vendor’s Bazaar, where you can buy all sorts of handmade clothing, jewelry, and nick-​knacks. Beware, there are quite a lot of stairs to go up and down to get into these rooms, so I highly suggest wearing shoes you won’t brake your neck in.
There are also bars scattered throughout the venue that serve theme drinks.
You can even get absinthe cocktails and just straight absinthe. Absinthe does in fact taste like black licorice, but I happen to really like black licorice, so I found it delicious. Just be aware, if you’re planning on partaking of the drinks; come well flushed with extra cash, because the drinks are probably the most outrageously priced cocktails I’ve ever come across at an event. Anything that has absinthe in it will run you $ 16 a drink. A Manhattan will run you about 12 bucks. The cheapest thing on the menu is about eight dollars. So if you’re planning on drinking at this even’t, it doesn’t come cheap. There is a conveniently placed ATM in the front room, if you need to get out any extra cash. Also, If you would like to try one of the Absinthe drinks, I recommend the «Root Cause for Concern» which is a cocktail made of absinthe and root beer. I thought it was really tasty.
Not everything at the ball is outrageously expensive though. The vendor’s bazaar is a mix of affordable and expensive items. There’s something to fit every budget. A lot of the costume jewelry is reasonably priced, as well as some of the other little trinkets. One of my fave finds were little sugar skulls to put in my tea (you can get a twelve pack for nine bucks). If you don’t mind getting a bit pricier with your shopping, there’s also an incredible leather mask artist that also sales at such events as the Nor Cal Pirate Festival and the Dickens Faire. I’ve admired his work the last two years at the Pirate Festival and finally decided to purchase one of his pieces at this event. I got a gorgeous leather unicorn mask for $ 140.
If you’re not really looking to spend a lot of cash on souvenirs and drinks, then head into the main ballroom and go to the back wall across from the entrance. There you’ll find a steam-​powered tea machine. The tea is only a dollar a cup and is served in real china cups, for a little extra dose of ambiance. If you go up to the man running the tea machine, he’ll even hand you a free printed souvenir coaster. There’s also free photography offered in the room right off the main ballroom.
Dancing, both ballroom and freestyle, are done at the ball. Ballroom dancing starts at 8:00 and ends at 9:20. Freestyle dance is done throughout the evening. I highly recommend wearing somewhat comfortable shoes if you are planning to purchase a general admission ticket. There is very little seating in the main ballroom and people tend to park in said seats and never leave. VIP tickets include balcony seating, but will run you $ 95 a piece. So unless you’re planning to spring for the VIP tickets, (which are twice the price as GA), plan on standing pretty much all night. I had the good sense to wear flats, so this was just fine by me.

The Edwardian Ball is not to be missed. I’m sure it’s a little different each year; here are some of the details in 2014:
There are 4 bars, and each one has the same drink menu:
Downstairs is the Vendor Bazaar, with a huge range of handcrafted stuff. some examples: genuine antiques:
As well as whimsical creations, like taxidermy made out of found sweaters:
The bar downstairs at the Vendor bazaar is the only one that serves snacks:
the Bazaar also has a stage with a small band.
The grand ballroom is on the main level. On Friday, the floor of the Grand Ballroom hosts several midway games:
and also mechanized /​steam-​powered devices:
On Saturday, the Grand Ballroom is mostly cleared of that stuff, for mingling/​dancing:
One flight of stairs up is access to the VIP balcony (if you bought a VIP ticket), which provides comfortable seats from which you can view the grand ballroom. If you don’t have VIP tickets, there isn’t much of a place to sit.
Two flights of stairs up is the Museum of wonders. You first pass by the Dangerous Puppets stage: check out the performances of their Gothic marionette puppet show 3 times per evening:
Then you pass through the «Mysterious Murder of Vivien Blackwell», a room hosting all manner of very cool Arduino-​powered haunted props that provide clues to solving the murder:
Then you pass by the «Pornographic peep show,» a performance art display of elegant posing ladies, then into the main theater /​museum itself.
the Museum of Wonders has a theater with music/​acrobatic performances through the night, plus Edward-​Gorey inspired posing models:
Don’t miss Malvoye the mentalist, a mechanical fortune teller:
Also, you’ll need to embark on a journey in order to gain access to the Mysterium, an intimate close-​up magic show:
In terms of Friday vs Saturday: The schedule of stage performances for the Grand Ballroom and Museum of Wonders is different, so you need to attend both days to see the awesome performances for each day. Also, the Grand Ballroom hosts the midway and mechanical rides on Friday, but not Saturday.
On-​street parking is difficult, especially if you don’t arrive early. You can park at the Holiday Inn 2 blocks north on Van Ness; If you go this route, get your parking ticket validated/​stamped at the coat check inside the ball, then present your ticket to a person at the front desk of the Holiday Inn to verify the validation. The cost is $ 20. Some of the other surface parking lots close at midnight, so watch out.
About 97% of people attending have some kind of costume, ranging from a modest Edwardian/​Victorian outfit, to a hugely elaborate costume, either from the pages of a Gorey book, or something entirely fanciful. the Edwardian Ball is one huge performance art piece, and everyone is a participant.
Also, don’t forget to tip the hipster bathroom attendant in the men’s room.

This is my 600^th review, so it has to be a special one, and it is in more ways than one! I can’t believe that no one has reviewed this fantastic event yet as it’s been around for years! Anyways, I first heard of this event at the Dickens Faire which I went to for the first time shortly before Christmas of last year. Some nice guys in line for one of the shows there told us about it. I love anything that’s gothic, Renaissance, Victorian, and unique in nature, so I had to check this event out. I had my husband get me tickets for us to attend this event for our anniversary as my gift from him. He didn’t want to go at first thinking that he’d hate it, but he ended up enjoying the whole event-:)
The event takes place at the Regency Ballroom in SF. They also have this ball in LA around the same time. The event wasn’t quite what I expected it to be, but it was still fun! I thought that there would be shows and trapeze artists there, but there wasn’t. Instead there were lots of different rooms and three or four floors to the place with different things on each floor. There is a large ballroom on the first level with a balcony. Downstairs is where all the vendors are. They mostly sell men and women’s clothing there along with accessories, jewelery, hats, hair pieces, belts, and even some S & M stuff!
There is another room that is set up like a mini circus show. You just walk through a small room. The other main room is where most of the performers are located. They’re mostly white mimes dressed in period costumes. Most of the rooms are spectacular, and just right for a ball. Almost everybody who attends this event dresses up to the nines in either Victorian, steam punk, or a combination of the two styles. My husband and I didn’t dress up so we stood out, but that’s OK as it was hot and crowded in there although it was cold outside. We arrived right when they opened the doors at 8:30p.m, but we weren’t able to get in until half an hour later since the line was around the block! They don’t sell any food here as far as I can tell aside from some unappetizing looking nachos that some people had.
There are a few small bars on each floor. The drink selection is limited to some beer and wine and mixed drinks that are mostly made with Absinthe. I hate Absinthe since it tastes like black licorice, yuck! There aren’t many places to sit down aside from a few seats located downstairs by the music stage in the vendor area. The costumes that stood out to me the most was the one of the steam punk couple that I posted as well as one that didn’t turn out at all which was one of a lady in a Marie Antoinette wig and dress. I also really liked the steam punk frog which I also posted. The two most unusually dressed people there that I saw though were the two really tall guys who had on full white make up. They were dressed in drag and they wore lots of glittery makeup. One of them looked like Captain Spalding in drag!
Parking is very hard to find around the area, but there is a parking garage nearby within walking distance. They close at midnight though and the ball goes on until 2a.m. We only stayed for a couple of hours or less since it got to be so crowded, that it was getting hard to move around. There is no smoking inside the building, but there is a sealed off area outside to where people can smoke. Most people openly smoked pot. lol. This event was a lot of fun and even my husband was impressed by the costumes. We’ll probably attend this event next year. If you decide to attend this event sometime, get tickets in advance. General admission is $ 45.00.