By Peter Covino
Entertainment Editor at Osceola press
Just round the corner from celebration Gaylord Palms gets ready for New Year
There is no wonder why it is called "grande."
The Grande Masque Ball New Year's Eve event, held annually at the Gaylord Palms Resort, is, quite simply, one of the most lavish New Year events in the country. America Online ranks the ball as the No. 6 place to be on New Year's Eve. The charity event, benefiting the Orlando Ballet, Orlando Opera and Orlando Philharmonic, is a project that is months in the making.
That most important step though, a clear sign that The Grande Masque Ball is well on the way, is a tasting event for board members of opera, ballet and philharmonic to decide on this year's menu selection. The tasting was held earlier this month at Gaylord Palms.
This is the seventh year for the ball. This year's theme is Grande Espana - A Night in the Gardens of Spain, said Michelle Robinson, marketing director for the Orlando Opera.
The tasting itself is a mini-grande event, as chefs from the Gaylord Palms are busy in the kitchen finalizing the selections that will eventually appear on the menu of the $400 per ticket event ($500 for dance floor seats).
It's no easy task selecting a menu that will appeal to a wide variety of tastes, not to mention satisfying the more than 800 attendees of the ball.
And it isn't only the kitchen staff that is hard at work as Dec. 31 draws nearer, said Max Kiebach, events manager and wine director for the Gaylord Palms Resort.
"Gaylord Palms has a staff of about 1,700 people," Kiebach said, and by the time the ball has concluded, "just about every one of them is involved in the event in some way."
While the event involves everyone from front desk personnel to housekeeping, there are about 300 to 400 people directly involved in making the Grande Masque Ball the success that it is.
The Grande Masque Ball is more than just a yearly event for the hotel resort.
"We start thinking about the next event, while the current one is still happening," Kiebach said.
This year's Grande Masque Ball promises once again to be a trip into the surreal, with lots of fancy as well.
Robinson said the Spanish theme means an exotic mix of Mediterranean Spain entwined with a Moorish flair.
The setting will be the summer palace of the king's harem at the Alhambra, Robinson said. Even the scent of jasmine will fill the air.
Add to the mix, the masked participants in their formal best and you have a ball fitting for 16th century European royalty.
The black-tie affair features a gourmet dinner, full open bar, dancing and a toast to the New Year.
"This is a step-by-step quality event," Kiebach said, and the Gaylord staff have become experts at staging it. "We're a well-oiled machine."
The Grande Masque Ball will be from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., Dec. 31.
