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Ivy Ball

ardi gras is synonymous with spirited parades, outlandish outfits and rousing revelry. From New Orleans to Rio de Janeiro, Mardi Gras carnivals delight with music, dancing and a daring dose of debauchery. Drawing on this heritage, the organisers have declared Mardi Gras the theme of this year’s Ivy Ball. More than 700 Hong Kong-based alumni from Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Yale and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will throw on their glad rags for the occasion, which takes place at the Convention and Exhibition Centre on June 20. Tickets are HK$1,380, and family members and associates are also welcome. While a prize for best dressed isn’t currently on the cards, guests are encouraged to add some pizzazz to their black-tie best.