A hunt ball is an annual event hosted by a mounted fox hunting club, most of which are located in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. These balls are traditionally held around the

holiday season The Christmas season or the festive season (also known in some countries as the holiday season or the holidays) is an annually recurring period recognized in many Western and other countries that is generally considered to run from late November ...

, which is why many American Hunts mark the end of the hunting year. In the 19th century, hunt balls were not unlike other country dances. Although not as formal as the London Balls that characterized " The Season," they were still elegant by local standards. Today, most hunt balls consist of a cocktail hour, followed by dinner and dancing. They are typically "

black tie Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element fo ...

" events. Attendees are invited to wear scarlet tail coats produced specifically for hunt ball attendees. Although the dancing was once limited to traditional forms, these days styles vary widely between hunts. At some balls, the dancing is preceded by an

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

in which items donated by members are sold to raise money for the care and feeding of the hounds. Ticket sales for the ball are also an important aspect of

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

. While hunt balls are invitational events, they are rarely exclusive. Most hunts are happy to sell additional tickets to members of the community who are interested in being part of the evening.

References

{{Parties Hunting and shooting in the United Kingdom Balls (dance party)