The sixth George Washington University Inaugural Ball will be held at 8 p.m. Jan. 20, 2017, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert St. NW, the university announced Thursday.
GW has hosted an inaugural ball since 1993. This longstanding tradition celebrates the university’s politically active campus in the heart of Washington, D.C., four blocks from the White House.
More than 4,000 students are expected to attend along with George Washington President Steven Knapp and other members of the GW community.
Tickets for the ball will be available Nov. 8 online and from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Lisner Box Office or until tickets are sold out. Tickets cost $135 each, which covers the cost of admission, refreshments and complimentary shuttle service to and from the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses and the Omni Shoreham.
Thanks to the philanthropic gift from a GW family, a limited number of discounted tickets will be available for the GW Inaugural Ball. Requests can be made on this Google document.
The university also will offer students the opportunity to browse for and select, free of charge, attire for the Inaugural Ball through the Martha and George’s Pop-Up Shop. Local community partners also will offer ball attendees discounts on purchasing or renting attire.
The GW community is encouraged to donate clean formal attire in good condition. The items, including accessories, can be dropped off between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday from Oct. 31 through Dec. 1 at the Marvin Center in suite 204. Items can also be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday on the Mount Vernon Campus at the Webb Building.
The items will be available for students through Martha and George’s Pop-Up Shop from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 and Dec. 9 at the Marvin Center in rooms 413 and 414.
George Washington Today will give away two pair of tickets to the Inaugural Ball through a promotion via its Twitter (@GWToday) and Facebook (George Washington Today) accounts. Look for information on the tickets giveaway on Nov. 9 in #GWtoDo, the weekly, curated arts and events calendar in GW Today.