December 2015 - Extras - Winter Ball
Winter is coming, but so is Magic! Last year Micaela Brown, president and owner of Heritage Productions, created the first ever Christmas at Hogwarts to benefit UNM Children’s hospital. Included in the evening was a ballroom transformed into the Hogwarts Great Hall complete with candles that floated at the ceiling and a talking sorting hat. It was such a success that Warner Brothers, whom she had to let know of every step and process, appears to have mimicked it for their Dinner in the Great Hall in the UK. But thanks to Micaela, we can say it was done in Albuquerque first.
This year, for the First Annual Magical Winter Ball, she is creating a new theme and new, enchanting events for adults and kids. The Hyatt Regency Downtown will be decked out in the finest froz- I mean, winter look. The beneficiary is once again UNM’s Children Hospital, New Mexico’s only dedicated children’s hospital.
How often do we get to dress to the nines in Albuquerque? The Winter Ball gives us adults a chance to dress in black tie formal, costume, or as Micaela says, “Dress magically.” The ball runs from 7pm to midnight and attendees will be entertained by something different every twenty minutes. And then there’s delicious food, cocktails, and dancing. To make things all that more interesting, clues to next year’s theme will be hidden around the ballroom. The first person to solve it will get free tickets to next year’s event.
The Kids version, Snow Ball, is two hours of activity including “Do You Want to Make a Memory?” where you and your kids will be transported to an enchanted winter forest where you’ll meet Disney Princesses, the Snow Queen, a circus troupe, the warm hug snowman, and face painters. In addition, they’ll have an activity to create a physical memory to take home with them.
Because she wants as many children to enjoy the event as possible, Micaela brings in kids from Boys & Girls Club who wouldn’t normally have an opportunity to attend. They get a chance to be rewarded for the number of books they read and their school grades. Last year she was able to sponsor 100 kids to join in the fun. Letters from them after the event expressed that it was so amazing that they thought they had been in a movie. The Winter Ball is on February 6th from 7pm until Midnight. Tickets are $150.The kids Snow Ball will run February 6th-7th, with four different event times. Tickets are $40. This year she aims to bring in 200 boys and girls. You have an opportunity to sponsor them on the tickets page. Learn more at www.magicalwinterball.com