Goose Ball: An Art Ball for Us All!
Itinerary
6:00 p.m. – Food Court Open
6-7:00 p.m. – Two Blue Shirts ‘Strut Cam’
7:00 p.m. – Doors Open
8:00 p.m. – Fashion Show
8:30 p.m. – Costume Contest
9:00 p.m. – Storm The Palace
Entertainment includes:
- Emcee – comedian Clifford Myers
- Strut Cam – Slo Mo video on the ‘celebrity’ carpet by Two Blue Shirts Productions
- DJ sets – DJ Del
- Special Performance – Storm the Palace
- Runway Show by YOU – The People – as you strut your creative stuff!
Food & Drink: (not included in ticket price)
- Bewdley Lion’s Club Food Truck
- Bubble Tea
- Cotton Candy
- Specialty Coctail & Mocktail at the Cash Bar
The Goose Ball is a licensed, all-ages event. Please drink responsibly.
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Wearable Art Workshops
Facilitated by the Critical Mass curatorial committee
Come brainstorm some concepts with our team of artists to take your outfit to ‘art couture’ heights. We will also have a session to make some DIY accessories and put some finishing touches on those outfits.
Dates:
Saturday, April 15th
Saturday, April 22nd
Times: 12:00 p.m – 3:00 p.m.
Location:
The Little Station
1 Elias St
(on Lent Lane)
Drop in or RSVP to debbie@criticalmassart.com to reserve your spot!
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For more information, please contact:
Debbie Beattie (she/her)
Program Director
Critical Mass Art
info@criticalmassart.com
New York has the Met Gala. Port Hope has the Goose Ball!
On May 6, Critical Mass Art will celebrate The Goose Ball, a free event (if you have a 2023 annual membership!) that invites folks of all stripes to express your individuality and flaunt your unique style as you walk the ‘Art Couture’ runway and dance the night away in a safe, inclusive space.
On the Saturday after the Met Gala (the first Saturday of May), hundreds are invited to gather in the gym at Port Hope’s Town Park Recreation Centre to celebrate art, culture and community.
Unlike the exclusivity of the Met Gala (or most high-end gala events), the Goose Ball is the quirkier, more affordable, ‘anti-gala’ for us all.
The Goose Ball democratizes the gala experience, inviting people of all ages and backgrounds to come together to share in the festivities and showcase the creativity that makes up Port Hope’s runway. Under this year’s ‘Wearable Art’ theme, guests are invited to dress as their favourite artist, artwork, or simply to ‘be the art’.
This event is a celebration of art and kicks off the 2023 Critical Mass programming season.
Guests of the Goose Ball will enjoy a fun-filled evening of celebration, cocktails, fries and poutine from the Bewdley Lions’ food truck, a Public Runway Show (featuring guests of the ball), the Two Blue Shirts ‘Strut Cam’ (a celeb-worthy slo-mo video shoot), vintage vinyl spun by DJ Del, a Special Performance by Storm the Palace, and the announcement of our 2023 Programming line up! With comedian Cliff Myers as the emcee, the evening is sure to be full of laughs.
Funds raised from the event will support our summer residency program and be designated where they are needed most to support our efforts to bring free arts programming and experiences to our community. Our goal is to raise $10,000 to sponsor, promote, and house a couple visual or multi-disciplinary artists (or artist collectives) for 2 months, in our artist residency program.
Dates: Saturday, May 6th, (the first Saturday of May)
Time: 6:00 p.m – 10:00 p.m.
Tickets:
Student $15
Individual $25
Household $40 (Up to *5 ppl in a household).
*Additional members pay $10 each
Membership to Critical Mass is included with purchase of your Goose Ball tickets.
If you already have a 2023 Critical Mass membership, members attend the Goose Ball for FREE!
Our 2023 Annual Membership fee is:
$25 individual or $40 household (up to 5 ppl).
Visit our Membership Page for details.
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This project is supported by the Municipality of Port Hope through a Foundational Funding pilot program.
Interested in Volunteering at the Goose Ball?!
About the Entertainment!
Clifford Myers
Emcee
Originally hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, Clifford got his start in the comedy world by performing standup at local bars and independent clubs.
With his unique brand of humour, Clifford has been featured on some of the biggest comedy festivals including JFL 42, NXNE and Evolve. He was also the longstanding host of The Brantford Comedy Festival for a whopping 10 years.
As if that wasn’t enough, Clifford is the founder of The Other Comedy Company, a Canadian comedy brand that showcases up-and-coming comedians and provides next-level corporate training.
Offstage, Clifford is a devoted father and active member of his local community.
He now calls Cobourg, Ontario home.
DJ Del
DJ Del has been serving up the hottest slices of vinyl for three decades, spinning retro vibes since they were contemporary. Del is not one who believes a DJ should be cooler than their crowd yet just remind the crowd how cool they are.
Reading the floor like a classic novel and returning the vibe in full measure.
Giving the people what they need to get down.
Spinning only the greatest tracks from the 60’s to the 90’s plus a few surprises along the way.
Let DJ Del put you into a dance spell at our inaugural Goose Ball, and get you strutting your stuff on the ‘Art Couture’ the Runway!
A Little Respect
Storm The Palace
Storm The Palace is a Toronto-area based party band playing your favourite New Wave, Rock and Pop hits of the 1980’s. Adam Weatherup (Guitar), Christian McFadden (Bass, Vocals, Programming), and Tim Fleming (Drums) bring to life beloved songs from the 80’s that had you dancing then, and can still get you up on the dancefloor 30 years later.
We first hired Storm The Palace to bring dancing to the streets of Port Hope at Slidestreet. What a blast! Trust us… you’re going to want to “Dance all night”, “Dance if you want to”, “Dance in the dark,” or “Dance into the fire”… Whichever was YOUR dance back in the day, Storm The Palace are taking you back there to dance it once again at the Goose Ball on May 6th!
FOOD & DRINK
Food & Drink are not included in your ticket price. However we do have some great options for you, so don’t forget to bring some Cash and/or your Debit or Credit Card. This is a licensed event, but it is also all-ages, so please drink responsibly.
Bubble Tea!
If you enjoyed bubble tea in the parking lot at Olympus Burger last year, you know that Dian Carlo has the best ‘bubbles’ in town!
Dian has rebranded as BoBaLoKa and will be popping up with a curated selection of bubble tea at the Goose Ball on May 6th!
Bring cash or debit/credit and be sure to get your boba fix.
Bewdley Lions’ FOOD TRUCK!
The Bewdley & District Lions Club has been serving the community for over 50 years (since May 7, 1971). Lions serve where they live. They are ready whenever and however their community needs them, so that they can help make their community and the world a better place to live.
You may have already spotted their fundraising efforts at their food wagon and tried their beloved fries at a local event (like the Port Hope Fair, Cobourg Waterfront Festival and more). To give back to the community, the club often shares a portion of the profits with their event host organization, and they have a lot of fun in the process.
We’re delighted that they will be at the Critical Mass Goose Ball on May 6th!
COTTON CANDY!
For those who had Ruby’s Cotton Candy at Cultivate Festival, and other food events around Port Hope and Cobourg, we’re bringing this sweet treat out of retirement and to the Goose Ball!
Ruby is lending us her machine and supplies and all proceeds from cotton candy sales will support free arts programming in our community.
If you have a sweet tooth, we have you covered. Cotton candy pics level up your selfies. Be sure to post to instagram (or tiktok) and tag @criticalmassart.