This Unofficial ‘Bridgerton Ball’ Featured a Stripper Pole and Complete ‘Chaos’

In the grand tradition of viral, allegedly not-as-advertised experiences like Dashcon, TanaCon, Fyre Fest, and the Glasgow Willy Wonka event, a Bridgerton ball in Detroit this past weekend led to a lot of unhappy guests and a public apology from the organizers. To borrow a phrase from a much earlier incarnation of the internet…epic fail.

The event was originally scheduled for August 25, but, in a perhaps bad omen, was postponed at the last minute due to a “venue issue,” and rescheduled for Sunday, September 22.

According to local news reports, guests showed up in full regalia to the Harmonie Club in Detroit where they say they were served undercooked food and basked in little decor and exactly one dancer: a stripper on a pole.

“The way that it was described was this was going to be a Bridgerton evening. We were gonna have classical music, good dinner. There was gonna be a play and they were gonna pick Diamond of the season. They were gonna give away all of these prizes and we went in and it was completely empty in there,” attendee Amanda Sue Mathis told the local news. “There is nothing going on. They have a pole in the middle of the dance floor. A stripper pole in the middle of the dance floor.”

She added that the disappointment wasn’t just about the lack of activities but about the extra expense, on top of the tickets (in the low hundreds range) that she and other attendees invested.

“All of these dresses that you see on these beautiful women, we’ve all been getting them tailored to fit us,” she said. “So we spent extra money on costumes, all of this beautiful beading, getting our hair done, our nails done.”