It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The Holiday Season is upon us and here in Placencia that means that Mistletoe Ball is right around the corner! This is THE event of the year; the premiere mix and mingle, the see-and-be-seen, the break-out-your-best-dress-and-dance-moves party. Anyone who’s anyone goes to Mistletoe Ball. This is a night to catch up with old friends, make new acquaintances, mingle with your neighbors, dine, dance, and get into the Christmas Spirit. Let’s take a quick look back at Mistletoes of ole and what you can expect from this year’s Ball.
Humble Beginnings
I’m a terrible historian but here’s what I’ve pieced together about the birth of The Ball from Facebook memories and Ely Dial’s recollections. There was a Holiday Dance in either 1998 or ’99 organized by the BTIA to raise money to open the first Tourism Information Center in Placencia. The tradition caught on, and in 2000 was officially titled, “Mistletoe Ball.” In October 2001, Hurricane Iris devastated the peninsula. Most people were broke and the community just needed something to lift everyone’s spirits; the Mistletoe Ball that year was a potluck. How fun! The following Ball became a true fundraiser again and proceeds from the event have helped to keep the Tourism Center staffed, equipped, and open ever since. Each year’s Mistletoe Ball is memorable for something: the band, the food, the shenanigans!
Locations
Mistletoe Ball has been held at a handful of notable places on the peninsula, doing a sort of round robin of major resorts. The Ball has been hosted by Luba Hati (where Itz’ana Resort now resides), the defunct Rum Point Inn, Serenity (beachside resort that is currently under restoration and houses Hobbs Brewery now), Habaneros at Roberts Grove, Bella Maya (which is now Umaya), Naia Resort, Tipsy Tuna, and Sirenian Bay. This month’s Mistletoe returns to Umaya- the lagoon side restaurant, where I’m certain the party will spill out on to the lovely green yard and dock. It’s a stunner of a locale!
THIS Year!
Tickets are on sale now; available primarily at the BTIA office but at Barefoot Bar, Placencia Office Supply, and Umaya as well. Prices for the full dinner and dance are $110bz for a couple and $65 for a single or the dance only ticket is $25bz. The menu looks phenomenal and there’s 2 ‘seating’ times to choose from. Musical headliner is the Super Furia Band out of Orange Walk alongside Placencia’s own DJ Boneyfide. It’s going to be so fun- there will be a red carpet and all! Get your tickets soon because while there is essentially no cap on dance-only tickets, the dinner might sell out. Umaya is offering wonderful room rates if you’d like to spend the night or there will be a free shuttle running continuous roundtrips from Placencia Village to Umaya all night long. Don’t drive! Take advantage of the free shuttle- pick up and drop off at all points south of the resort. (this was super important to me because Umaya is FAR and its a public safety issue- we don’t want everyone driving the dark road after midnight and probably pretty ‘merry’- just use the shuttle that is making back and forth trips the whole time! It’s free; me and my friends at Flowers Property Management are sponsoring it. Plenty of seating- its a full size school bus. It will be decorated and labeled so you can’t miss it– flag it down to pick you up anywhere along the road and you can get dropped off close to home on the way back too)
Raffle!
Whether you’re attending Mistletoe Ball or not, you can still participate in the awesome raffle. Just like for Lobsterfest, our generous community donors have put forth a superb list of prizes to win. I mean, just look at these! Raffle tickets are just $2bz each or you can get a book of 11 for $20bz. Available at the BTIA office and if you aren’t in Placencia in person at the moment you can private message me and I’ll coordinate a remote purchase with you.
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