 Logo/poster for the 17th Ball, 2014 | |
| Status | Active |
|---|---|
| Genre | Masquerade Ball |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Venue | Millennium Biltmore Hotel (currently) |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Years active | 28 |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Shawn Strider |
| Attendance | 5,500[1] |
| Organised by |
|
| Website | https://labyrinthmasquerade.com/ |
TheLabyrinth of Jareth Masquerade Ball, shortened toLOJ or simply known as theLabyrinth Masquerade Ball, is an annualmasquerade ball andcosplay event inLos Angeles, California. The ball was first held in 1997.
Attendees wear elaborate costumes in the fantasy couture style, including amask for most participants. Some attendees have worn mechanical wings.[2]Faerie andgoblin costumes typically predominate,[3] although participants also dress in styles such assteampunk,Venetian andGothic.[4][1]
The name of the ball is a reference to the 1986fantasy filmLabyrinth, specifically the scene in which the protagonist,Sarah Williams, finds herself in a masquerade ball. The other ballgoers in the scene wear strange andgrotesque, but also elaborate and formal costumes and masks.[5][6] The event's title namechecksLabyrinth's main antagonist, Jareth, the Goblin King.
TravelPulse, a publication ofTravAlianceMedia, characterized the ball in 2015 as one of five "must-see" masquerade balls around the world, along with theCarnival of Venice, the Surva International Festival of Masquerade inPernik, Bulgaria, theFancy Dress Festival ofGhana, and the Grand Masked Ball of Kamel Ouali held inFrance.[7]
The ball was founded in 1997 by Shawn Strider and was chiefly inspired by the masquerade scene inLabyrinth as well as theVenetian tradition of masquerade balls.[4][8] Strider created the event as he wished to experience a masquerade in the style of 1980s fantasy films, namelyLabyrinth,The Dark Crystal andLegend.[9]
The first Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade Ball was held inSan Diego for an expected 50 people, with about 150 actual attendees.[9] Although originally intended as a singular event, the success of the first ball, which attracted guests fromNew York andChicago, led to successive balls, becoming an annual tradition.[4][8] After being held in variousU.S. cities includingNew Orleans,Santa Monica andHollywood,[10] the ball eventually moved permanently toLos Angeles and expanded into a two-day event.[1] 2014's event was the last to be held atPark Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles, and since 2015 the ball has been held at its current venue, theMillennium Biltmore Hotel.[9] As of 2017, the ball's attendance number is 5,500.[1]
In its first five years, the theme of the ball generally revolved aroundLabyrinth, imitating the ballroom of the masquerade scene as well as the film's story.[4] In 2003Brian Froud, the conceptual designer ofLabyrinth andThe Dark Crystal, took interest in the event and suggested Strider use his writing ideas to expand on the story and its universe, offering his knowledge of ancientfaerie lore andArthurian legend.[9] Subsequently, the ball expanded beyond the universe ofLabyrinth to create new characters and situations, while developing its own mythology around the film's original story. Strider toldNerdAlert in 2017, "We sort of created legends of things that have happened [in the story] and things that are going forward. In our mythology, there have always been goblins within theLabyrinth, and there's a legend of maybe a faerie prince or a goblin prince that left [the Labyrinth] at some point due to abroken heart, muttering something about some girl named Sarah".[4]
Since 2003, the ball has developed a linear storyline which is built upon each year, with the story written by Strider and presented by Sypher Arts Studio, a team of sculptors, puppeteers, costumers, choreographers, performers and make-up artists. The narrative is performed at the ball across five stages, complete with elaborate sets and fantasy effects. Although a new story arc is introduced each year, the basis of the story revolves around the Court of Sypher, which has established itself inside the Labyrinth, a place where the flow of time no longer works properly.[1] According to Strider, attendees are encouraged to "create their own characters and their own mythologies" to add to the "court of strange mythological creatures and characters".[4]
Beyond the principal inspirations ofLabyrinth and Venetian masquerades, further influences of the ball have included Celtic faerie and goblin folklore andNorse mythology, along withfantasy literature such asA Midsummer Night's Dream andThe Lord of the Rings.[1][8]
Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the 23rd ball was deferred from 2020 to 2021.
