This Saturday, March 22, the Beijing Irish Ball is back with its 30th edition!
The Beijing Irish Ball has long held the reputation of being the best charity ball in the city, and the team behind it, led by Melíosa Hargadon, has assured us that they are going above and beyond to make the 2025 edition the most craic-filled one yet!
With over 600 registered guests – including the new Ambassador of Ireland to China, Dr. Nicholas O’Brien – this year will be bigger and better than ever.
Hargadon was originally asked to be part of the planning committee back in 2019 but resisted because she preferred to first experience the ball as a guest – a wish that went unfulfilled.
Guests at the 2024 Beijing Irish Ball
After several years of postponements and cancellations due to the pandemic, the Beijing Irish Ball made its triumphant return in 2023, when Hargadon agreed to take over the reins right before moving to New York.
She also managed to pull off organizing the 2024 edition from the Big Apple with the help of Bistro 108 boss, Clement Bacri. They even got Liam Neeson to write the foreword for the movie-themed night.
This year’s theme is ‘Revel in Blue: An Homage to Harry Clarke.’ Clarke was a prominent Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator born on St. Patrick’s Day in 1889.
His Art Nouveau and Art Deco influenced work heavily featured deep blues and Gothic elements – so, there is plenty of inspiration for planning your attire.
Art by Harry Clarke
The Beijing Irish Ball is run entirely by volunteers and is only possible due to the contributions of their many sponsors, including Bluestar AMG, Kempinski Hotel Beijing Yansha Center, and Spuds Irish Bar.
The organizing committee makes sure that guests get a lot of bang for their buck – they will be flying in oysters from Ireland and have whiskey tasting, an Aperol spritz station, a gin bar, Guinness on tap, and a full Irish bar provided by Spuds.
In addition to all the drinking, there will be traditional Irish music, dancing, and plenty of food to help soak up the booze!
Next year, Beijing’s GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) will be taking over organizing the Beijing Irish Ball, led by Shane McCormick from Spuds Irish Bar.
So, if you missed out on tickets for this year’s extravaganza, get prepared to snatch them up when they go on sale again in 2026!
The 30th Beijing Irish Ball: Revel in Blue
Mar 22, 6pm-4am
Kempinski Hotel Beijing Yansha Center, No. 50 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang
[All images are courtesy of the Beijing Irish Ball]
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