The Goblin King Ball, 8th May

After a long, long wait, finally it was announced that the Goblin King Masquerade Ball was to return – this time in conjunction with A Curious Invitation’s Rite of Spring party. So it is impossible simply to write about the Goblin part as they were really one and the same although you could definitely tell when an aspect was more Goblin than Spring.

It was held in the Coronet, and down one side things definitely became a bit more fantastical, with puppets appearing and a Goblin Army enlistment centre. Apparently the King’s pineapple was stolen and new recruits were tasked with finding it. An hour later, seeing a girl with a pineapple on the dance floor did not seem as weird as it may have.

There was much to see and do at this extravaganza. When we arrived we were wowed by a real live orchestra delighting our ears, playing classical music and making everyone want to waltz, even if they didn’t have a partner and didn’t know how. Just in front of the main dance floor was a long banquet table. A Curious Invitation has sprouted from the Last Tuesday Society balls and has a lot of similarities. They always like to feed you and this time was no different. Between 11:30 and 1:30 you could queue up to be fed by two golden and scantily clad figures – one man and one woman when I partook. You could eat off of them, or they would happily feed you – strawberries and grapes were deposited into your mouth from theirs along with a generous side of tongue. Very saucy!

At my last trip to a Last Tuesday event, there was a nod to kink but here it was much more pronounced. They had a room where there were not only a few contraptions set up from which one could be spanked or flogged but they also had two people demonstrating shibari. They were clearly experts, their fingers flying to truss people up at lightning quick speed, ensuring it was as much a show for people watching as something for the bound to enjoy.

In another room further down this little corridor were two little hot tubs from which you could enjoy Labyrinth (for really the Goblin King masked ball is but a huge homage to this film). People in varying states of undress were clearly enjoying a little bubbly relaxation.

And there was more upstairs! They had a mini-cabaret show on which lasted about 45 minutes in total and crammed in a good few acts, several of which I had seen before. I had not seen Miss Cairo though and was very impressed with her burlesque drag act. Her sass and strutting (and flexibility!) made it one of the best shows I’ve seen. Though props to Dunja Kuhn who did one of the weirdest - dressed as a frog lady who slowly cooks herself.

Off to the side of this was the obligatory menagerie. I left sharpish when the spiders came out but not before I’d let a plump blue-tongued skink have a rest on my arms.

And, finally, if you tired of all this, you could find some respite by heading to the top room and grabbing a bit of paper and some chalk to draw the life art courtesy of Art Macabre. I peeked my head in but after this I was ready to head back to the main area where everyone was cavorting on the dance floor to a mash up of RnB tunes.

I have been to the Coronet many a time and I was really impressed with how the Goblin King and A Curious Invitation asserted their own flavour onto the space. I really did feel I was in a paganistic ball of some sort, and of course the astounding costumes by the attendees really helped. There were creatures of all sorts – fireys from labyrinth, satyrs and full on minotaurs! The event was a feast for the senses and I cannot wait to not only go back to another Goblin Ball but check out another Curious Invitation event.