At the Beaux Arts Ball, black tie has never meant playing it safe.

For decades, the Ball has been one of the rare Philadelphia occasions where guests are encouraged to leave the expected at the door. Elaborate costumes, historical figures, artists, architects, cultural icons and buildings, and completely original creations have all found their way onto the dance floor.

This year, the question is a little bigger: What does it mean to be revolutionary?

The 2026 Beaux Arts Ball takes its inspiration from America's 250th birthday with the theme Be Revolutionary: America Turns 250. But rather than looking backward with a traditional celebration of history, the theme invites guests to imagine the people and ideas that have pushed history forward.

The revolutionary might be an artist who changed the way we see.

• An architect who challenged what a building could be.
• An activist who refused to accept the status quo.
• An inventor who imagined a future that didn't exist yet.
• A thinker whose ideas changed an entire generation.

That is the beauty of the Beaux Arts Ball. Your costume doesn't simply dress you for the evening. It tells a story.

And this year, there are countless stories to tell.

You might arrive as someone who changed America. You might reinterpret a moment from the country's history. You might take inspiration from a revolutionary idea rather than a revolutionary person. 

There are no rules. Only imagination.

Whatever you choose, it will become part of a much larger scene.

On October 24, hundreds of guests will gather at Girard College, each bringing their own interpretation of what it means to Be Revolutionary. The result will be part fashion spectacle, part historical reflection, part art installation, and entirely Beaux Arts Ball.

We'll see you at Girard College.

Be Revolutionary: America Turns 250
2026 Beaux Arts Ball
October 24, 2026