THE WASHINGTON BIRTHDAY BALL

The George Washington Birthday Ball is held on a Friday near the twenty-second of February, and has been given almost every year since 1877.

It is thrown by the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York, and what it raises keeps a tavern on Pearl Street standing.

The Tavern

Fraunces Tavern was built around 1719 and is among the oldest buildings in Manhattan. The Sons of Liberty met in it. After the war the new government leased it and put the Departments of Foreign Affairs, War and the Treasury inside.

But the reason it matters is a single afternoon. On the fourth of December 1783, nine days after the British evacuated New York, Washington met his officers in the Long Room upstairs to say goodbye. He had commanded them for eight years. He told them he could not come to each of them, but would be obliged if they would come and take him by the hand. They did, one at a time, and most of the room was in tears.

He resigned his commission three weeks later and went home, which is the part of the story the rest of the world found remarkable.

The museum in the building is owned and run by the society that gives this ball.

The Society

The Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York was instituted in 1876 and incorporated in 1884. Membership requires documented descent from someone who served the American cause in the Revolution.

Its hundred and fiftieth ball falls in 2027. Each year it names a Distinguished Patriot; past honorees include military leaders and civilians.

The evening keeps its form. The colours are presented by the society’s own guard, the anthem is sung, and the traditional toasts are given.

What to Know

The ball is not held at Fraunces Tavern. The building is the beneficiary rather than the venue, and the evening takes place at one of the old private clubs uptown.

You need not belong to the society or be descended from anyone. It is a benefit, and places may be taken.

Guests are invited to a tour of the museum in the days around it, which is worth taking. The Long Room has been restored to something close to how it stood.

There is also an annual church service on the Sunday nearest his birthday, and it is open to all.

The mistake is expecting a costume evening. Nothing is re-enacted. It is a dinner given by a society that has been meeting since Grant was president, and it is conducted accordingly.

Questions

When is the George Washington Birthday Ball in 2027?

The ball is on Friday 19 February 2027 at the Metropolitan Club in New York, with a reception at 7pm and dinner at 8pm. The 2027 Distinguished Patriot is Matt LaFrenz, a Senior Sergeant Major of Delta Force with 27 years in Special Operations.

How do you attend the George Washington Birthday Ball?

The ball is a benefit for Fraunces Tavern Museum, given by the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York, and enquiries about places go to the Ball Committee through the museum. Those who cannot attend may support the museum by donation instead.

What else marks Washington’s Birthday at Fraunces Tavern?

Fraunces Tavern Museum holds a Washington’s Birthday Weekend Open House from 13 to 15 February 2027, with admission at one dollar. The Society’s 136th Annual Church Service is at 11am on Sunday 21 February 2027 at the Church of the Incarnation, Madison Avenue at East 35th Street, and is also livestreamed.

The Court

The George Washington Birthday Ball is not the Court’s own. Places, tables and seats on the benefit committee are sought on a member’s behalf, and the Court arranges the whole of the evening: getting there, where to stay, and the table afterwards.

How one becomes a member is set out under Admission.