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United States presidential inaugural balls are large social gatherings, bothwhite tie andblack tie, held to celebrate the commencement of a new term of thepresident of the United States. Planned and sanctioned by thePresidential Inaugural Committee, the official inaugural balls occur throughout the evening ofInauguration Day in theWashington D.C. area and are invitation-only, attended by guests who are issued pre-paid tickets. The president,first lady,vice president, andsecond lady or 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 bystate societies, businesses, and private organizations.
The tradition of presidential inaugural balls in theUnited States has evolved over time. The first inaugural ball was held by sponsors on May 7, 1789, inNew York City, one week after thefirst inauguration of George Washington.
In 1809,Dolley Madison hosted a gala at Long's Hotel in Washington D.C. after thefirst inauguration of James Madison was held earlier in the day at theUnited States Capitol, where a total of 400 tickets were sold for $4 a piece. In 1833, two balls were held for thesecond inauguration of Andrew Jackson, and in 1841, a third ball was added for theinauguration of William Henry Harrison.
For the inaugurations ofZachary Taylor in 1849,James Buchanan in 1857, and thesecond inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant in 1873, temporary buildings were constructed at Judiciary Square.
In 1865, a ball was held forAbraham Lincoln's second inauguration in the Model Room at theUnited States Patent Office, the first ball held in a government building, while in 1869, Grant, during hisfirst inauguration, was honored with an inaugural ball held at theTreasury Building.
Between 1885 and 1909, inaugural balls were held at the National Museum Building (now the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building) and thePension Building (now theNational Building Museum).
Three presidents have cancelled inaugural balls for various reasons:Franklin Pierce did so in 1853 as he was mourning the recent death of his son, whileWoodrow Wilson in 1913 felt that inaugural balls were too expensive; afterWarren 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 thesecond inauguration of Calvin Coolidge in 1925, for theinauguration of Herbert Hoover in 1929, and most notably during the Great Depression and World War II-era inaugurations ofFranklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, 1937, 1941, and 1945.
Official inaugural balls were not reinstated until theSecond inauguration of Harry S. Truman in 1949. Due to their growing popularity, the number of inaugural balls grew starting in the 1950s: during the 1953inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower, there were two, and by 1957, there were a total of four balls held for Eisenhower'ssecond inauguration. A fifth was added for theInauguration 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 thesecond inauguration of Bill Clinton, being reduced to eight for thefirst inauguration of George W. Bush in 2001 and nine forhis second inauguration in 2005.[1]
For the 2009inauguration of Barack Obama, 10 official and 121 unofficial inaugural balls were held.[2]
No inaugural balls were held in 2021 after theinauguration of Joe Biden due toCOVID-19 pandemic.
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