The Twelfth Night Masque

What a GREAT TIME! Our «Krewe» had meetings throughout January and we all came together the night of the BALL! 12^th Night Masque is THE Winter Party for Chicago. Live Band, Open top shelf Bar, late night DJ till 1 AM, Food at 10 PM, Grand March, Bawdy skits, costumes, masks, themes, floats, prizes — age range 21– 89 definitely adult themed, multi generations of Chicago families. This was my 4^th crazy year attending. We had pre-​parties then the party, then the after party, then the morning after Brunch of Shame … our skit krewe then got together at Butch McGuires for the after-​after-​after party to view photos and rough video from the night before. TRULY a Life Time Experience!

Twelfth Night Masque «The party with a past» originated in 1905. Held on the last weekend of January, it breaks up the doldrums of winter in the city. The «Secret Committee of 12» declares the theme each year in mid-​November and «krewe» groups form to develop short 10-​minute silly bawdy skits that we pantomime to pre-​recorded voice-​overs. The party takes turns at various 5-​star hotels in downtown Chicago, The Drake, The Knickerbocker, Intercontinental, Palmer House and others have had the dubious honor of hosting 300 – 500 costumed revelers in character. Themes mix with local current events to produce uproarious photo-​ops that tradition forbids publication (since many attendees are well-​known citizens with reputations to uphold). 2012 is the 107^th year for this event in Chicago. The party starts with the Grand March as the krewes attempt to influence the judges through bribery and antics, Then come the various skits and awards. Open Bar and midnight breakfast buffet with live band and dance floor. After parties continue on in the hotel suites and concluding with the Brunch of Shame the next day. This is Chicago’s IT party of the year… Supporting no charities and giving no excuses for its excess; Twelfth Night Masque’s Motto: Let Good Taste Prevail to No Avail!

The Twelfth Night Masque, Chicago’s oldest, longest-​running private party (est. 1905, and interrupted only by World Wars and The Depression; held annually since 1946) is, dollar-​for-​dollar, THE BEST PARTY IN CHICAGO. There’s a reason it thrives after 107 years — it’s THAT good!
«What happens at Twelfth Night stays at Twelfth Night» was a saying for 40+ years before Bugsy Siegel re-​invented Las Vegas in the mid-​1940s.
I have had the great fortune of attending Twelfth since 2000, and it’s the one event each year that is CAN’T MISS.
The catch is that it’s a PRIVATE party, so you have to know someone on the «secret Committee of Twelve» in order to wrangle an invitation, or else someone who has attended Twelfth Night previously has to recommend you to the Committee as a prospective guest. So if you’re interested in attending one of Chicago’s most elite, exclusive, and FUN parties, it behooves you to put out some feelers and see if you can connect with someone in-​the-​know.