Time Traveller's Ball

This isn’t a larp idea as such, but larp-related. It came up in this thread as a fundraising concept for NZLARPS, which I think would be a good role for it.

The concept is big public Auckland event called something like a Time Traveller’s Ball but really mixing together a lot of event concepts like a costumed dance, a fancy dress party, a costume competition (potentially with contestant catwalk, judges, prizes, etc), live music, multi-themed venue and staff, kooky entertainers, etc. Events might also draw people into various sorts of pretend play (it’d happen naturally anyway with everyone dressed up, but could be encouraged). With professional large-scale organisation, aiming for hundreds of people from the start and growing year to year. Basically I picture it as large-scale indoor-festival surreal liminal interactive craziness, a kind of break from reality and inhibition-reduced social mashup. Somewhere with an alcohol license, potentially with some food either included in tickets or purchased separately, etc.

Just thought it might be fun to kick the idea around a bit further here and see if it goes anywhere.

A very awesome idea, though I am also keen for a more dressy and for lack of a better word, “normal” ball, where everyone just gets frocked :stuck_out_tongue:

I say we have both :smiley:

I think this’d be sort of “normal” for people who find dance festivals normal, that’s the atmosphere I have in mind. :wink:

Had a thought on the encouraging interaction front, and turning it into something of a game. There could be a set of staff who are playing iconic characters (in larp terms, major NPCs), that folks can choose to interact with or ignore as they please.

The NPCs would mostly be famous fictional and historical characters, as well costumed as possible. They’d need to be larger-than-life so they stand out against so many people. They would have a backstory with relationships with each other and goals they want to achieve relating to the other NPCs, and people could help them fulfill their goals. The NPCs would only be able to achieve their goals with help from people at the dance, the goals would conflict and people would get to choose which NPCs they want to help.

Figuring out how to help them, and even that there’s a game going on at all, could be something like an ARG, with lots of clues and tools scattered around the place and in the marketing material, and could vary from things that a single person could do to mass action being required, and special effects being set off when certain goals are achieved. And the NPCs could give out prizes for helping them achieve their goals.

EDIT: the NPCs would be scattered all over the venue, so the “game” wouldn’t be tucked into a corner. It would involve wandering all over and going back and forth between them, so that the game and the party were really intertwined.

This larpish aspect is something the society could add to the mix, leaving the more logistical and promotional aspects to the pros.

I’m thinking of a city venue. Ideally, growing into a venue like the Town Hall which has an awesome multi-room multi-level setup and cool atmosphere.

EDIT: Did I say Town Hall? I may have meant St James. Actually, I get confused between the entertainment spaces that those two venues have. St James has a dance hall / bar downstairs, right?

That sounds like a fantastic night out.

There are people in the artistic community that would be happy to lend their help. I’m seeing a few over the weekend and will mention it.

My one concern is that people will be like “hey I’m here to drink”…

I was thinking that too much drinking could be an issue, too.

I really enjoyed the feel-good atmosphere at The Gathering dance parties down in the South Island, and there was no alcohol.

If you frame it right, you might be able to get cultural/event funding for it.

It was more that you couldn’t purchase it onsite, and if you were too stupid to be discrete with it (i.e. hide it), then you were too stupid to be allowed to bring it in. Ditto if you brought it in glass containers. We always smuggled in alcohol, usually we’d grab a bunch of plastic 2 litre riggers from Macs in Richmond on the way up.

The feel-good factor, OTOH, was driven by a wicked location, awesome music, positive attitudes, not to mention abundant quantities of LSD, ecstacy and cannabis.

We took the Skirmish gear down one year, and played a few games on the walk to Harwoods Hole.