International Debutante Ball

The International Debutante Ball is an invitation-only, formal debutante ball, to officially present well-connected young ladies of distinction from upper-class families to high society. Founded in 1954, it occurs every two years at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

Young women from all over the United States and from around the globe are brought together at the ball and the surrounding parties, including daughters of Presidents of the United States, billionaire businessmen, diplomats, nobility, ambassadors and governors. Over the years the ball has benefited numerous charities from the International Debutante Ball Foundation including the Soldiers', Sailors', Marines', Coast Guard and Airmen's Club of New York, a social club for members of the United States Armed Services.

The International Debutante Ball is considered the most prestigious debutante ball in the world.

The International Debutante Ball is held biennially in the Grand Ballroom of the exclusive and historical Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City; although in 2016 it was held at The Pierre in New York City due to the $1 billion dollar renovations of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Each ball is preceded by a number of events, dinners and parties for the debutantes, including the Bachelor's Brunch, in private Manhattan members-only clubs such as the Colony Club, 21 Club or the University Club of New York.

At the ball, each debutante is escorted by two men: one United States Military Academy cadet and one American civilian. According to New York Magazine, the current organizer of the International Debutante Ball stated that "Every young lady should have two men." Civilian escorts of the debutantes are young men of distinction, who are often scions of distinguished families, e.g. the Rockefeller family. Each debutante represents her state or country at the International Debutante Ball and a song, e.g. a national anthem or a song associated with the country where the debutante is from, is played by the renowned Lester Lanin Orchestra for the debutante when she is presented on stage. The military escort of the debutante also carries the flag of the country or US state where the debutante comes from. Each debutante must also greet approximately one thousand or more guests, from a close-knit social world, individually in the receiving line. Due to the fact that there are debutantes representing their own US state or country, the International Debutante Ball has been dubbed by publications as 'The United Nations of Debutante Balls and the private world of polite society'. Gold and pink are the main traditional colors of the ball. The Grand Ballroom is thus decorated with gold, silver (symbolising elegance) and pink (symbolising femininity) decorations, which Countess Bobrinskoy oversees at each ball biennially, and guests dine on edible gold leaves. The debutantes also receive flower bouquets containing pink roses and golden leaves.

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