Last Tuesday Society
I’m not sure about you, but my New Year’s Eve came 24 hours early and no, I was not in Australia/New Zealand/Fiji. Instead I was in Elephant & Castle celebrating the coming year with the Last Tuesday Society at their superb New Year’s Eve Eve Masquerade Ball.
I had first heard about this event two years ago when an old friend had mentioned, in somewhat hushed tones, that she’d been to a ‘secret’ society’s New Year’s event on the 30th December. She knew I’d love it and how right she was. It was the best, most surreal night out of 2013 for me.
Now, a few years ago it might have been ‘secret’, by this point the event is well known enough that 2,500 people were going and if you mention the Last Tuesday Society to your group of friends, someone will have heard of it. Nonetheless, it still had that thrill of doing something that was out of the ordinary and a little bit exclusive; the perfect recipe for a great night out.
So, first things first, this is a Masquerade Ball. The clue is in the title. Masks are required. Otherwise, more or less anything goes dress code-wise, provided it is decadent and extravagant. This does include the ‘clothing optional’ choice, so if you find yourself invited or going to one of their events, prepare yourself for some nudity (it is by no means omnipresent or obligatory, but forewarned is forearmed).
Finally, arriving outside the Coronet Theatre in Elephant & Castle, we joined the thronging masses and headed into the unknown. After the initial security checks, ticket checks and coat checks, we were then presented with options; upstairs to the ‘Naked Feast’ or ‘Menagerie’, outside to the playrooms or straight on to the Grand Ball Room.
I won’t go into it too much, but suffice to say the night held something for everyone. From Beatles cover bands, to ballpits, to music from The Turbans and a healthy dose of cabaret, fire eating, reverse strip-shows and the London Gay Symphony Orchestra. All tastes were covered for and plenty of opportunity to discover things that you would never, ever have thought of before.
The Last Tuesday Society also operate out of a private member’s club on the Strand and put on other, smaller events regularly. This is their biggest event of the year and one I will certainly be returning to. It was the perfect way to (not) see in the New Year, while still maintaining the feeling that you were witnessing some sort of special occasion.
Perhaps next year we’ll see each other there. We’ll never recognise each other behind those masks though…but then that’s half the fun.
The Last Tuesday Society can also be found on twitter @TheLastTuesdayS.
Written by Peter Churchill
Follow Peter on Twitter: @peterchurchill7
