So what exactly is this King Midas Masquarade Ball about???

[Terre Albert]

None taken Merlin, this is not inside the gates of TRF and was designed for seperate taste and fun.  It will not be for everyone and if it is not for you then we understand.  If you have been to TLOJ in LA then you understand what this is.  It's a play, it's a night club and it is a celebration.   

[SirRichardBear]

haved no idea what TLOJ ball in LA is.

[Terre Albert]

The Labyrinth of Jareth

[Breandan]

SirRichard- it's a themed dance/club event that is based on the ballroom-in-a-bubble scene from the movie Labyrinth- http://youtu.be/0nSzSfmC4MI

[SirRichardBear]

thanks

[Tink]

Terre, I think you need to get Mr. Bowie out there for the opening.  I'll definitely show up for that! 

[Rani Zemirah]

Personally, I will likely never be able to afford this sort of expense, no matter what it includes... and it's just one more thing at TRF that is priced beyond my ability to attend.  We travel 1000 miles round trip just to get there, and spend an average of around $500 or so for the trip... and something like this, or the King's Feast, isn't even remotely within any budget that would still allows us to attend, at all.  Also, as the parent of a minor, I would still be unable to attend even if I COULD afford it.  Apparently, all of the "special" events at TRF are only for those who have plenty of expendable income. 

[PollyPoPo]

The more we learn about this special affair, the less it seems targeted only or specifically at Faire-goers or campers. 

There is probably an entire market for this special type of affair, but it is limited to those who are willing to pay more for the experience.  Likely there are people who would attend this Masquerade who would not be interested in the Faire itself.

We'll just have to wait to see more information on the Facebook page and eventually, the TRF  Facebook page and here, of course.

[JackGonzo, MD]

Terre, I think you need to get Mr. Bowie out there for the opening.  I'll definitely show up for that! 

I think this is something we can all agree on 

[Tyrod Boshi]

Greetings everyone..
I have been waiting in anticipation on any more news on the ball.. anyone heard anything lately??

[LadyJessica]

As seen in a post on facebook:

The Texas Renaissance Festival - I think we are going to do a different kind of pricing for the Masquerade Ball. February, start out at $55 per person as as the event gets closer and fills up $75 and then $95 in September.

Which means you need to buy your tickets EARLY!

We wont sell tickets at the entrance.
That includes your beer, wine, horderves and entry and entertainment...that I have yet to show you!
Think that sounds fair?
?The King?

[Tink]

I'd rather pay $55/ ticket than $95, but I'm not going to spend over $100 for the hubby and myself and not really even know what I'm paying for.  Perhaps there could be an open house/ trial run type event to show people exactly what this whole thing is?  Or another idea would be to stick with cheap(er) tickets this entire opening season, then start raising prices next season once people know what this all is and can inform others.  Just some thoughts.

[Breandan]

I think that is one of the big problems TRF is going to face. They've been hyping the hell out of the Masquerade as an über party, but details remain ambiguous at best. The economy is tight as hell, people are pinching every penny to maximize their holiday buying power for friends and family, and there's a lot of folks out there who aren't willing to gamble even $55 on a complete unknown. I think it would be in TRF's best interest to notch back on the mystery throttle a bit and leak a few details of what it will entail to entice people. So far, vague comments like "Oh, you WILL enjoy, I gaurantee it!", "I can't tell you about everything just yet, just know that it will absolutely sell out any time, so get your tickets early!!!" as I and others have heard do not engender the kind of confidence in anyone with an IQ above their shoe size that it will be as advertised without SOME element of backing. It's a teaser trailer to a complete unknown, informative of the existence of the ball, but not enough to push sales beyond impulse buyers with money to spare. Those are growing increasingly rare these days, and should not be relied upon by the marketing staff of ANY corporation. Comments from the marketing staff along the lines of "You think the parties around the village and in the campgrounds are wild.  They'll be NOTHING compared to this (nod, nod, wink, wink)!" imply that the advertising department is woefully unaware of the parties out in the campground and how wild some of them can get, has something truly groundbreaking up their sleeve (and to top some of what I've seen after-hours at TRF, they bloody well better have antigrav generators to flit people about the room), or are targeting a completely different audience than the die-hard regular clan campers and playtrons who dump a significant portion of TRF's take every year into the faire and have designed something completely different for the ball to appeal to those markets. If the second one is true, then they need to get the word out somehow, even if it is unofficial "leaks" (corporations love those, plausible deniability and  the ability to assume the role of wronged victim to get sympathy on one hand, enticing customers with their product in a way that doesn't appear to come out of a corporate PR shill on the other),  to get people interested AND informed. That will help open up some purse strings, I promise you.

[DonaCatalina]

I agree that more details are needed. If I paid $95 up to $150 per person, I would consider that a ok deal for an open bar and appetizers and dinner with entertainment.
But I would be royally knickered if it turned out I paid that much and got 2 drink tickets, a plate of nachos and the bar was cash after that.

[Terre Albert]

Breandan,

When the specifics of the ball are ready they will be released, sometime before tickets go on sale.  Why can't we have some mystery about our new event?