Events hosted by the FPA
Ludi Romani
A toga party seemed like an easy way to encourage guest participation, and we thought it would be neat to have a real Roman festival. This party was held on September 12, 2009 to coincide with the traditional start of the Ludi Romani, Roman games. Hales Pass was the perfect indoor-outdoor venue for a candlelit outdoor buffet dinner with Greek and Roman food and a lounge area outside with pillows and draperies. Guests all came in costume, Wine flowed freely and we had games like Tug-O-War and improv theater after dinner.
La Fête Sanguinaire
Our sixth Formal Winter Costume Ball was held on March 7th, 2009 at the Mountaineers Club in Tacoma. This party was something of an attempt to re-do our second Holiday "faux mournful" party now that we felt that we could capture the Gothy theme. We were glad to have a big, beautiful venue on the more populated side of the Narrows. Vampires, Werewolves and all manner of creatures of the night converged for dancing, games and entertainment. A real hearse outside the venue helped to lure people in, and inside we had a real coffin as a prop for pictures.
The Fantasy and Firelight Frolic: A Glorious Gossamer Gala
This party was held on July 12, 2008. We decided to throw a fantasy party which could cater to fairies, nymphs, trolls, brownies and any other creatures who cared to visit. The rustic outdoor venue in Gig Harbor brings us back to basics, with a magical atmosphere. The party was full of fairies and mythical creatures, fairy food (like a salad made entirely of fresh flowers) and a scavenger hunt! Our guests had some pretty amazing costumes from many mythologies and we were quite impressed with all of them.
The Fifth Formal Historical Holiday Costume Ball
The Fifth annual Formal Historical Holiday Costume Ball was a Victorian/Steampunk party in January, 2008. We tried out a brand new venue which allowed us to invite more people than ever before. Rather than a sit-down dinner, this event promoted interaction and mingling with a buffet of finger foods. There was period dancing, a few successful party games where almost everyone joined in, a Hall of Wonders with examples of Victorian technology, and almost everyone came in costume and looked absolutely lovely. This was our largest event so far.
 The Swingin' Fourth Extravaganza
The Swingin' Fourth Extravaganza was a patriotic, fourth-of-July, 1940s USO show themed event. It was timed, fortunately, for the only weekend in 2007 (which happened to be at the end of June) that would allow us to have a fireworks at the party. The large outdoor event featured a classic summer barbecue dinner and introduced our fabulous new sound system, which led us to discover one of the most successful entertainments we've had at a Fabulous Party. The event went long into the night with a fireworks display, dancing and song.
 The Fourth Formal Historical Holiday Costume Ball
The Gathering of the Clans would be a Celtic renaissance party. We saw it as a cross between the rowdy FHHCBII and the laid-back Gig Harbor Ren Faire itself. The title for the event comes from a Ren-Faire song also known as "The Ball of Ballinore," which tells the story of a very bawdy event. Our guests all came in costume which added to the atmosphere, and we learned some period dancing and danced and drank into the night. Our interpretation was in December 2006.
 The Day and Night Regency Ball
The Day and Night Regency Ball or DnNRB was held at the (pretend) Villa Diodati and hosted by Lord Byron and Mary Shelley. The title reflects the contrast between a jovial, classical outdoor picnic and the dark, romantic and frightening side of the Regency. We explored these sides deeply with a formal sit-down dinner which included our most beautiful table spread so far, some frothy outdoor games, a horror story composed by our guests and performed at the end of the night, and seance in the mysterious "sad room" of Hales Pass, in June 2006.
 The Third Formal Historical Holiday Costume Ball
Tyler and Emily decided that the Third Formal Historical Holiday Costume Ball, or FHHCBIII, would be a 1920s Murder Mystery. Jay Gatsby, played by Tyler, and Elinor Glyn, played by Emily, were murdered on New Year's Eve 1928. A week later, our ghosts throw a fabulous party and invite all of the suspects, as well as everyone else we know, to determine who killed us--the event took place in January, 2006. The mystery was woven into a story throughout the night, and extra clues were revealed as prizes for the smaller party games.
 The Arabian Night
A Middle Eastern or Turkish party had been on the Great List Of Party Ideas for awhile, and Tyler's recent fondness for Turkish tobacco brought it up again. The images of airy, fabric-draped pavillions, heavy eyeliner, jingling bells and bellydance have shown up numerous times in our personal mythologies, and made for a great party in June, 2005. We transformed Hales Pass into a bazaar in ancient Agrabah and served a variety of Middle Eastern food. Our entertainments included a belly dancing contest and boffer holy war.
 The Second Formal Historical Holiday Costume Ball
Inspiration for the Second Formal Holiday Costume Ball (or FHHCBII, though the second H doesn't really apply here,) came during the Washington Renaissance Fantasy Faire of 2004. A trip to the Goodwill outlet store during the week yielded a copy of "The Object Lesson" by Edward Gorey which inspired us so much with its mournfulness that we adopted "faux mournful" as the theme for this event in December, 2004.
 The Decadent Dinner Party
The idea for the second Tyler-and-Emily party came from a desire to throw a party where a more diverse assortment of people would enjoy themselves, and, well, to throw another party. The Decadent Dinner Party or DDP was also inspired by a book called The Decadent Cookbook. We served a real sit-down dinner for thirty-some people, which included an assortment of exotic foods like emu, kangaroo, "cat" and the debut of the "Vagina Dentata." This party happened in June of 2004.
 The First Formal Historical Holiday Costume Ball
The First Formal Historical Holiday Costume Ball (or the FHHCB, as it would be known,) was devised back in August or September of 2003. The idea was originally to throw a Victorian ball as a going away party for Tyler and John, who would probably be leaving for Alaska in early 2004. The party took place in December, 2003 and though it wasn't as fabulous as our future events would be, it was something that had not been attempted before and as such, it was the perfect beginning to the FPA.
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