If you’re not enticed by the idea of dropping $350 on a braggadocious night of performances from Jackie Evancho and some very pissed off Radio City Rockettes, there’s another Inaugural Ball in DC on the night of January 19. This one will take place at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and features some actually pretty bigly headliners. Washington Postreports that Solange Knowles has signed on for the inaugural Peace Ball: Voices of Hope and Resistance, along with Grammy-winning jazz singer Esperanza Spalding.
Other artists and activists slated to attend include Angela Davis, Alice Walker, Van Jones, Danny Glover, and everyone’s favorite nanny, Fran Drescher, who is definitely not a Trump supporter. However Peace Ball’s organizer — Busboys & Poets owner Andy Shallal — says his event is a toast to America’s achievements over the past four years rather than a protest of the incoming president. Shallal told the Post, “there’s been progress on marriage equality, criminal justice reform, and health care. We don’t always take the time to stand back and look at this great stuff and celebrate.” He aims for the evening to symbolize “a hopeful moment for a lot of people.”
Clearly that’s a feeling many people are willing to pay for — the Peace Ball has already sold out. But paying $350 to attend the official inauguration party of America’s first orange president could actually be worth it, if prospective performer Rebecca Ferguson’s one condition is agreed upon.
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Text Hannah Ongley