ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Beaux Arts Ball

Okay kiddo, so you know how sometimes people like to dress up in costumes and go to parties? Well, the Beaux Arts Ball is one of those parties that was super popular a long time ago, like when your great-grandma was young!

The Beaux Arts Ball was a fancy party that celebrated fancy buildings and art from a long time ago. People would dress up in costumes that looked like they came from the olden days, with fancy dresses and suits and big hats. They would also wear masks, which made the party feel mysterious and exciting.

The party was held in big buildings that were designed to look really beautiful, with lots of decorations on the walls and ceilings. People would walk around and look at all the pretty things while they drank punch and danced to music that was popular a long time ago, like waltzes and polkas.

One of the fun parts of the Beaux Arts Ball was the "tableau vivant," which was when people would stand still and pose like they were in a painting. Everyone else would walk around and look at the living painting, just like they were in a museum.

The Beaux Arts Ball isn't as popular as it used to be, but some people still like to have fancy dress-up parties like this one. Maybe one day you'll get to go to a party like this and see what it's like for yourself!