United States presidential inaugural balls are large social gatherings, both white tie and

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 ...

, held to celebrate the commencement of a new term of the President of the United States. Planned and sanctioned by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, the official inaugural balls occur throughout the evening of Inauguration Day in the Washington D.C. area and are invitation-only, attended by guests who are issued pre-paid tickets. The President,

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

, Vice-President and Second Lady or Second Gentleman, all make personal appearances at each of the inaugural balls held in their honor. Catered food, beverages, and live entertainment performed by national and globally acclaimed musicians are provided at the inaugural balls. Other inaugural balls, unofficial and often less formal, also occur before and on Inauguration Day, being given by

state societies State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

, businesses, and private organizations.

History

Inaugural Ball Room, March 4, 1897, Washington, D

The tradition of presidential inaugural balls in the United States has evolved over time. The first inaugural ball was held by sponsors on May 7, 1789, in New York City, one week after the first inauguration of George Washington. In 1809, Dolley Madison hosted a gala at Long's Hotel in Washington D.C. after the

first inauguration of James Madison The first inauguration of James Madison as the List of presidents of the United States, fourth president of the United States was held on Saturday, March 4, 1809, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives, House of Representati ...

was held earlier in the day at the United States Capitol, where a total of 400 tickets were sold for $4 a piece. In 1833, two balls were held for the second inauguration of Andrew Jackson, and in 1841, a third ball was added for the inauguration of William Henry Harrison. For the inaugurations of Zachary Taylor in 1849,

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...

in 1857, and the

second inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant The second inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant as president of the United States was held on Tuesday, March 4, 1873, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 22nd inauguration and marked the commencement of t ...

in 1873, temporary buildings were constructed at Judiciary Square. In 1865, a ball was held for Abraham Lincoln's second inauguration in the Model Room at the United States Patent Office, the first ball held in a government building, while in 1869, Grant, during his first inauguration, was honored with an inaugural ball held at the Treasury Building. Between 1885 and 1909, inaugural balls were held at the National Museum Building (now the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building) and the Pension Building (now the

National Building Museum The National Building Museum is located at 401 F Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is a museum of "architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning". It was created by an act of Congress in 1980, and is a private Non-profit org ...

). Three presidents have cancelled inaugural balls for various reasons:

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

did so in 1853 as he was mourning the recent death of his son, while Woodrow Wilson in 1913 felt that inaugural balls were too expensive; after Warren G. Harding, who wanted to set an example of simplicity, cancelled his in 1921, he temporarily ended the custom of inaugural balls. Private parties known as "charity balls" were held during the

second inauguration of Calvin Coolidge The second inauguration of Calvin Coolidge as president of the United States, was held on Wednesday, March 4, 1925, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 35th presidential inauguration and marked the com ...

in 1925, for the

inauguration of Herbert Hoover The inauguration of Herbert Hoover as the 31st president of the United States was held on Monday, March 4, 1929, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 36th inauguration and marked the commencement of ...

in 1929, and most notably during the Great Depression and World War II-era inaugurations of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, 1937, 1941, and 1945. Official inaugural balls were not reinstated until the

Second inauguration of Harry S. Truman The second inauguration of Harry S. Truman as president of the United States was held on Thursday, January 20, 1949, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 41st inauguration and marked the commencement ...

in 1949. Due to their growing popularity, the number of inaugural balls grew starting in the 1950s: during the 1953 inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower, there were two, and by 1957, there were a total of four balls held for Eisenhower's second inauguration. A fifth was added for the Inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961. Reflecting the mood of previous presidents in the early 20th century, Jimmy Carter stripped his 1977 inaugural balls of their frivolity and glamor, and charged no more than $25 per ticket. By 1997, the number of inaugural balls reached a peak of fourteen during the second inauguration of Bill Clinton, being reduced to eight for the first inauguration of George W. Bush in 2001 and nine for his second inauguration in 2005. For the 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama, 10 official and 121 unofficial inaugural balls were held. No inaugural balls were held in 2021 after the inauguration of Joe Biden due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Gallery

File:Photograph of the presidential party at the Inaugural Ball, held at the National Guard Armory in Washington, (from... - NARA - 200073.jpg, First Lady Bess Truman, Perle Mesta, President Harry S. Truman, Margaret Truman, Edgar Morris, and Arthur Bergman at an inaugural ball held at the National Guard Armory on January 20, 1949. File:Photograph of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife Mamie with other guests at the Inaugural ball. - NARA - 200426.tif, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower with other guests at an inaugural ball held on January 20, 1953. File:Nixons at 1973 inaugural ball.jpg, President Richard Nixon with First Lady Pat Nixon and daughters

Julie Julie may refer to: * Julie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Julie'' (1956 film), an American film noir starring Doris Day * ''Julie'' (1975 film), a Hindi film by K. S. Sethumadhava ...

and Tricia speaking at his inaugural ball in the Museum of History and Technology, now the

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...

, January 20, 1973. File:President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter dancing at Inaugural Ball. - NARA - 173398 (Restored).tif, President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter dancing at an inaugural ball held on January 20, 1977. File:1985 Inaugural Ball President and Mrs. Reagan in National Air and Space Museum (3198957823).jpg, President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

with First Lady

Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of president Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born in N ...

at his side, waves at party-goers assembled in the

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...

, January 20, 1985. File:1997 Clinton Inaugural Ball- Vice President and Mrs. Gore Dancing.jpg, Vice-President

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...

and his wife, Tipper Gore, dancing during a Clinton inaugural ball held on January 15, 1997. File:Jenna, Barbara, George W, Laura Bush Jan 19, 2005.jpg, President George W. Bush points out members of the audience to First Lady

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...

during the "Black Tie and Boots Inaugural Ball" in Washington, D.C held on January 19, 2005. File:Obamas dance at Neighborhood Ball 1-20-09 090120-F-9629D-686.JPG, President Barack Obama and First Lady

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

are serenaded by

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

at their first inaugural dance at the "Neighborhood Ball" on January 20, 2009. File:Donald Trump and Melania Trump at Liberty Ball Inauguration 2017.jpg, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at their inaugural dance at the "Liberty Ball" on January 20, 2017.

References

{{reflist Balls in the United States January events Balls

History

Gallery

See also

References