Dancing from dusk until dawn, wearing period costumes, and drinking champagne, the Château de Versailles Grand Masked Ball is an experience you won’t soon forget!
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Château de Versailles Quick History
The Palace of Versailles was originally built as a hunting lodge in the 17th century by Louis XIII. It has been added to and renovated many times since by successive Kings of France. For approximately a hundred years, it was the home of the Royal Court when Louis XIV moved there from Paris. The royal family was forced to move from the Palace of Versailles, back to Paris, on October 6, 1789. This move was a direct result of the Women’s March on Versailles. The march, sparked by rising bread prices and political unrest, led to the royal family being escorted to the Tuileries Palace in Paris. The Château de Versailles now stands as a symbol of the excesses of the upper class that helped to trigger that revolt and the French Revolution in 1789.
About the Château de Versailles Grand Masked Ball
Also known as Le Grand Bal Masqué, this event takes place every 3rd Saturday in June (give or take). You can pretend that you’re in Sofia Coppola’s 2006 Marie Antoinette and rent some 18th-century costumes, head over to Versailles, and dance the night away until 7am! Every year is a new theme for the decor and entertainment (ours was Space Versailles). And there’s an afterparty on the grounds where the music and dancing continues! (This was canceled during our year though, for no known reason).
You can arrive at 8:30pm to attend the Night Fountains Show in the gardens (included in ticket). This is where you can stroll the grounds, take a ton of pictures, and watch the fireworks show at around 10:30pm. I highly recommend you attend this part so that you can prolong your experience here! Regular visitors will think you are a paid actor and take your picture haha.
Between 11pm and 11:30pm, everyone will shuffle their way to the Orangerie, which is where the entire event takes place. You’ll pick up your bracelet corresponding with your ticket tier and make your way into the party! Everyone in attendance MUST wear masks and quality baroque costumes. More on that later!
Do NOT mistake the Château de Versailles Grand Masked Ball with the more historically accurate Fêtes Galantes event, which usually takes place in late May/early June every year inside the Palace (Hall of mirrors, etc.). This event is much shorter (several hours) and everyone is dressed in elaborately designed period costumes, with Baroque music, choreographed dancing, card playing, etc. The Grand masked ball solely takes place in the Orangerie every June with dance music and more of a clubbing/rave atmosphere.
Tickets & Prices
Tickets go up for sale in November (most years), around Thanksgiving. But I recommend you follow @chateauversailles.spectacles on Instagram and/or Facebook for more updates in the Fall. This event got very popular in the last couple of years (I didn’t have issues in 2022 getting tickets, even days after the launch), but now the tickets sell out quickly. My advice is to be ready on the day they launch and be on the website right when the tickets are dropped. Know which tickets you want ahead of time and what your backup plan is. This link is to the actual event site from 2025, but they might update the exact link with 2026’s event info and a booking button!
Now when we went, it was June 17th, 2023, and some changes took place after that in the following years. We bought the Extravagant tickets (one tier below Fantastique tickets, the highest priced ones) and those tickets included free parking, cloakroom, unlimited access to the Extravagant and VIP areas, private tables, open appetizer and dessert buffet, UNLIMITED CHAMPAGNE and non-alcoholic drinks at the bar. It was the same deal as the more expensive Fantastique ticket, but just not as close to the stage. At the time the Extravagant ticket was €400 for each ticket.
Recently, they did away with that ticket and there are only 3 tiers of tickets now (and the prices could keep going up, which is why I say “approx.” for the years to come):
- Entrée Simple – approx. €140 – Includes entrance to the ball.
- Billet VIP – approx. €250 – Includes entrance, access to VIP area with special buffet and two glasses of champagne.
- Fantastique – approx. €550 – Includes access to a reserved table in the Fantastique area , unlimited champagne and buffet, special car park, and dedicated cloakroom.
My Ticket Recommendation
Having ample tables and chairs to relax on (and dance on) came in handy. Check out my Instagram story highlights entitled “Versailles” for all videos! The regular tickets don’t include that and I feel like the unlimited food, drink, and various lounge areas are worth the extra cost. I am pretty sure I heard that 1 small glass of Champagne was €15 and the food options for the simple tickets were basic snacks – not the gourmet and delicious options that the private lounges and bars served. Additionally, for the Simple tickets, you have to wait in line to buy drink and food tokens and then wait in line for those items.
My recommendation is to go all out on the Fantastique ticket because you won’t regret it. You will feel like absolute French Royalty (not in a 1789 way)! But if you don’t drink alcohol, and have dietary restrictions or plan to eat a filling meal beforehand and just care about dancing until you can’t dance anymore, then the Simple ticket will be the best bang for your buck. I plan to return to the event one day and when I do, I fully intend to buy the Fantastique ticket solely because of the level of service and comfort it provides.
Costumes for the Château de Versailles Grand Masked Ball
As mentioned before, costumes are mandatory for the Château de Versailles Grand Masked Ball and they won’t let you in without one! This also includes a mask. We decided on renting costumes, instead of bringing costumes from home (New York), because we were in France for 3 weeks and did not want to lug the costumes in our suitcases onto trains to other destinations. If I was staying in Paris, and having day trips via train, I would probably bring my own costume.
I’ve listed below the companies and vendors I used to rent and/or create our costumes:
Mask: Go on Etsy! Or make your own. I made a custom order with HigginsCreek on Etsy and had a great experience. The masks also serve as a memento of the evening! Our ball theme was “Space Versailles” so we added some stars and shimmer to our masks – adhering to the theme within our costumes was pretty fun!
Space Versailles was the theme of the night!
My gorgeous cameo brooch is curated by the Curio in NYC (Thank you Elle!)
Hand fan by NouveauRococo on Etsy!
Costumes: This was a little tricky to coordinate, but we decided to rent from La Compagnie du Costume in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, a train ride or uber ride from central Paris. You can take the RER C or Line 13 or 14 depending on what is closest to you in central Paris. It is a bit tedious to go back and forth to this location, but it was easy to coordinate via email with the friendly staff here and the price was reasonable to rent a production-level quality costume. We emailed them the December beforehand and finalized our costumes in April.
Once we arrived in Paris, we took the train to their warehouse for an in-person 1 hour fitting and were able to take the costumes back with us same day. If alterations were needed, they would have addressed it then and there. Our costumes were a snug fit, but thankfully they fit us enough! They needed us to give them a refundable deposit of €3000 (which they emailed back a picture of the check torn up after the event). We were able to give them an American bank check and we converted from Euros to USD on our check. We returned our costumes a couple days later before we left Paris to head down south to Dordogne. I pasted the email they sent me below for extra information!
“The rental price for the location is 180€HT for each costume and we ask for a deposit check of 1500 for each costume. Payment can also be made by cheque, bank transfer or cash. The price includes preparation on measurement sheets and fitting if possible, alterations if necessary, rental for 6 days and cleaning of the costume on return. The Sunday is not possible, our opening hours are Monday to Thursday from 9am-12.30am/14pm-18pm an the Friday from 9am-12.30am/14pm-17pm. If it suits you, I will let you come-back to me 2 months before your ball with a client file and a complete measurement file. If we can we will offer you 1 to 2 costume choices and organize fittings.”
There are other places to rent costumes, as listed on the Versailles website here (scroll to the bottom under “Practical Information”), but the quality of some of these shops will be more like a cheaper party costume, or it was hard to get ahold of certain vendors from abroad. It will all depend on what kind of look you are going for. We rented 1 men’s wig from Sommier et Fils in the 10th arrondissement and that was very easy. We contacted them months ahead of time, they sent us photos of some wigs, and we secured one via email & credit card and picked it up the day before the event. If you do visit Sommier et Fils, make sure to grab breakfast or lunch from Holybelly!
Hair and Makeup
I wanted to keep the more historically accurate makeup look, which is more lip and blush focused, so I did my own makeup for this event. However, I did get my hair done and that took a few hours! I highly recommend Murielle from @solivanshair based in Paris, she is such a lovely person and it was fun to chat and hangout while she worked her 18th-century magic on my hair! Many other people either did their own hair or wore a wig. I figured a wig would make me a little too hot on a summer night, but it’s probably easier than dismantling this updo with 500 bobby pins at 9am haha!
Where to Stay
We stayed in Paris because it made the most sense for us with where our costume rentals were coming from and the proximity to the train. Our hotel was the Hôtel 4 étoiles Parc Saint-Séverin Paris 5ème – Esprit de France and absolutely loved our stay. It was a great launching pad to spend a few days before the event, get everything together, and wander around Paris! (I have more Paris hotel recommendations on Instagram). Then, after the event, we spent the next couple of days making returns and adding in more Paris itinerary stops along the way.
I would book a hotel or Airbnb somewhere reasonably close to where your costume shop is – it will just make life a lot easier. Some people stay in Versailles, which I may consider next time because it’s not much fun trekking back to Paris by train, when you haven’t slept and have to wait a while for the train haha. Walking a few minutes to a hotel from the palace sounded like the go-to move.
How to get to/from Versailles
If taking trains, plan about an hour of transit time. If taking an uber, it depends on what hotel you are staying at and traffic. I preserved my hair, makeup, and my feet, by taking an Uber to the event. For an Uber, tell the driver to drop you off in front of the Statue équestre de Louis XIV.
Staying in Paris, the more practical way is to take the RER C train at the Invalides station (or other stations along that line), which brings you to the Versailles Château Rive Gauche station in about 47 minutes (the most direct train station to the palace with the least amount of walking, about 10 minutes). As you emerge from the station, head to the right. You’ll see a bunch of people walking in the same direction!
Other trains may stop at a different station called Versailles Rive Droite. This is for SNCF trains from Paris Saint-Lazare and is a 20 minute walk to Versailles (not the most direct compared to the Rive Gauche station). If you stay in the North of Paris, catch the train line L from Paris Saint Lazare to Versailles Rive droite station. Once you’re on the train (36 minute ride, running every 15 minutes), you will be at the palace in about an hour (22 minute walk approx.).
If you choose an hotel or apartment in the south of Paris, take the train TER N from Paris Montparnasse station. This train will take you from Montparnasse train station in the south of Paris to Versailles Rive Gauche Chantier in about 22 minutes, running every 30 minutes. The walk from this station to the Palace is 20-25 minutes.
My Final Recommendations
- Bring your own costume from home (to avoid running a lot of errands pre and post event). Unless planning to explore more of France, if so, then renting in Paris or Versailles is more reasonable.
- If renting a costume, contact rental companies between December and February beforehand. The earlier, the better. You may be told to wait until March or April to send your measurements, but that’s ok!
- Stay in a hotel in Versailles, walking distance to the Palace.
- or Book a hotel/Airbnb somewhere reasonably close to where your costume shop is or close to the train you plan to take to the Palace.
- If staying in Paris – take an Uber to the Palace (to avoid getting sweaty in your beautiful costume lol) and take the train back into Paris (or arrange an uber if you’d like). It depends on what time you leave the party. If you plan to make it to 7am, the train will be running every 30 minutes or so. But if you plan to only make it to 2am-5am, its probably better to arrange a ride OR book a hotel walking distance to the Palace.
- Double check before the event that the trains you plan to take are functioning (and have a plan B if they are not). France loves a good transit protest!
- RER C train to Versailles Château Rive Gauche station is the most direct.
- Wear comfy shoes.
- Stay hydrated! and rest periodically in the lounges or outside by the bonfire so that you can make it through the night.
- Bring hard copy of tickets, just in case.
This event is so incredibly unique and you’ll remember it forever! Have a blast 🙂
