By Khalia Lewter
If you are looking for an event to add to your calendar for this month, direct your attention towards the Red Rose Ball, a formal event that is held every year during the spring semester.
During the 1960s, this annual event was known as the Spring Dance and was always held in the month of April. In the 1990s, the Spring Dance was renamed the Red Rose Ball.
“Red Rose Ball is a tradition that WPU has always had throughout the years so we have been keeping the tradition alive with our own twists as the years go by,” said senior and SGPA Traditions Coordinator, Mya Sampson.
Every year the coordinators and directors for the Red Rose Ball create a new and creative theme. For this year, the attire is Boots, Bling, and Ball gowns.
“This theme overall gives a mix of a formal and informal vibe by allowing you to wear whatever you’re most comfortable in,” said Sampson. “You can come in a flashy outfit with blinged out jewelry or simply wear what you want with some cowboy boots. When I thought of this theme, I imagined it as a way for it to be open to interpretation of how you pictured you wanted to dress.”
The ball will take place on March 21, the time will be from 9 p.m. to midnight. The location is set to take place at the Tobacco Road Sports Cafe on 505 W Jones St, Raleigh, NC 27603. If you are a student without a car, there will be transportation provided that will go from WPU to the Venue and from the Venue back to the campus. The event will be free for students only, for one plus guests that aren’t students there is a $10 fee.
The purpose of the Red Rose Ball is for students to enjoy one another’s company in a formal social gathering.
The event is coordinated and run by the Student Government Programming Association, or SGPA. The SGPA specializes in organizing community gatherings for WPU and student-led events, like Waterpalooza during the fall semester, Fall Fest, Late Night Breakfast, the spring Red Rose Ball, and Senior Soiree. However, the Red Rose Ball is one of the more popular events amongst students during the academic year.
Every year the coordinators and directors for the Red Rose Ball create a new and creative theme. For this year, the attire is Boots, Bling, and Ball gowns.
“This theme overall gives a mix of a formal and informal vibe by allowing you to wear whatever you’re most comfortable in,” said Sampson. “You can come in a flashy outfit with blinged out jewelry or simply wear what you want with some cowboy boots. When I thought of this theme, I imagined it as a way for it to be open to interpretation of how you pictured you wanted to dress.”
(Image by: PeaceTimesMedia)
Sampson and her supervisor Christine O’Donnell first started planning for this year’s Red Rose Ball in August 2024, which was the very beginning of the fall semester. The reason for planning so far ahead was so they could book a venue which does require some time. After booking the venue, Sampson stated that everything fell into place, “everything begins to fall in place like thinking of what you want to see at RRB, budgeting, picking out the theme, etc.” Sampson said.
A notable mention to add, she was also the coordinator for last year’s Red Rose Ball that had a really great turnout. She stated that, for this year she used the advice and feedback from the last one to plan accordingly for this year’s ball.
A nice and edible feature to the Red Rose Ball is that there WILL be food there, food is free for ALL guests, and guests 21 and up can receive up to three free alcohol drinks.