WINTERFEST 2023
THE WINTER BALL: “CLOCKWORK CINDERELLA”
THE WINTER BALL: “CLOCKWORK CINDERELLA”
The crown jewel of Winterfest 2023 has finally arrived. It’s time for the Winter Ball! This year’s theme is “Clockwork Cinderella,” and it is a celebration of things both magical and mechanical.
The enchantment begins on the streets of Old Temple, where party goers are picked up by carriages designed to look like clockwork pumpkins, drawn by mechanical horses or deer. These coaches ferry guests through the historic streets to the Solarium, which appears from a distance to have been transformed into a giant snow globe containing a magical kingdom.
After a ride around the Solarium, which gives guests a good look at the lights and snow globe-inspired street lamps ringing it, the carriages let guests off at the front entrance, where they are met by charming, well-dressed automatons who are ready to take their coats and guide them inside.
Despite the snowy appearance from the outside, the interior of the Solarium remains temperate, and even just a little bit warm, to help support the diverse plant life it houses. Magical snow and stardust fall perpetually from the dome without ever touching any of those in attendance, the plants, or the food. RhyDin’s Symphony Orchestra are set up on the green to play holiday classics all night long.
More of the fanciful automatons drift through the crowd, offering canapés, cocktails, and glasses of champagne to guests, but they are not the only clockwork beings to be seen tonight. Mice, cats, birds, and even tiny fairies made of gears and magic flit in and out of the greenery, calling to mind the creatures who helped Cinderella on the biggest night of her life. Scenes from that night, and Cinderella’s overall story, play inside of viewing globes suspended throughout the space.
An enchanted forest-themed lounge area has been set up for those who need a few minutes away from the crowd and music. Comfortable, elegant sofas and chairs sit beneath the Solarium’s trees, veiled by a blanket of artificial twilight and a sound-dampening spell. It’s the perfect place to rest and recalibrate or have more intimate conversations.
And of course, clocks abound on this night. It wouldn’t do to lose track of the encroaching midnight.
(( This is a hybrid event, featuring a live portion which will take place on Friday, December 15, 2023 at 8 pm ET in #the-solarium channel on Discord, and a forum portion which will remain open until New Year’s Eve to accommodate the busyness of the holiday season. Please feel free to post outfits, story snippets, and anything else you might want to include in the thread below. ))
