Truman Capote’s Masked Ball
Truman Capote's masked ball in 1966 wasn't a very expensive event compared to some of the other events on our list, but it would nevertheless go down in history as one of the most popular gatherings ever. A rigorously selected list of 540 guests attended the event, which was held just after the release of his most recent book, In Cold Blood, earlier that year.
In Cold Blood would go on to become a literary classic. From First Lady "Lady Bird" Johnson, artist Andy Warhol, and Frank Sinatra and his wife Mia Farrow to regular citizens from the little Kansas town where he conducted his book's research to one of the hotel's doormen, this group represented people from all walks of life.
The entire project cost him roughly $16,000, or about $120,000 in today's money, but that was only because of his lackluster decorating preferences. If anything, it demonstrated that a successful party can be had without expensive decorations and a sizable meal. Nearly every significant newspaper and magazine in the nation at the time covered the masked ball, which also served as an inspiration for a great number of similarly themed events in New York in the ensuing years and decades.
