Chelsea Arts Club was founded in 1891 by a group of artists which included the renowned late 19th century painter James McNeill Whistler. 

They wanted a ‘bohemian club that would ‘advance the cause of art through exhibitions, classes and other social events. 

They became fond of hosting costume parties, which got bigger and more ambitious from year to year.

In 1908 they held their first grand fancy dress ball at the Royal Opera House, before moving to the Royal Albert Hall two years later. Here the Ball really took off and continued to take place around New Year’s Eve for the much of the next five decades. 

Celebrities, socialites and famous actors would come to see 100 performers, lavish decorations and be part of up to 4,000 dancers in fancy dress. 

There were floats, costumes, extravagant sets and every year they kept pushing the boundaries. Flamboyance was key! 

one year, the idea was put forward to include a live elephant, which was thankfully vetoed in case the hall wouldn’t be able to carry its weight. 

Mass destruction at midnight was one of the rituals of every ball. The large floats paraded through the Albert Hall and at midnight were torn down by guests leading to riots on the dance floor. 

Revellers would dance all night until the festivities finally ended when breakfast was served at 5am.

The balls were suspended during the second world war, but the post-war years saw the partying become so intense that the police were often on standby to deal with fights — vans waiting nearby to whisk inebriated guests away on stretchers.

It was New Year’s Eve 1958 that was to be the final Chelsea Arts Ball at the Royal Albert Hall. It was meant as a joke, but at two o’clock in the morning on 1 January 1959, a partygoer exploded a smoke bomb on the dance floor, as a smoke bomb filled the Royal Albert Hall, and thousands of choking party goers made a beeline for the exit, it was clear things had got out of hand. 

It wasn’t the first time the gathering had hit the headlines: once described as “the most scandalous event on the social calendar”, it was also declared “the greatest fancy dress ball ever held in London” and was featured in America’s LIFE magazine, and as a location in David Lean’s 1949 film The Passionate Friends.

But this was to be the straw that broke the camel’s back and following the smoke bomb incident The Chelsea Arts Ball was banned from taking place at The Royal Albert Hall.