IT’S a tent, in a car park, in a town centre but for several glorious hours last night the Rose Dome was transformed into a fairytale wonderland as hundreds of revellers gathered for the gala Rose Ball which is unquestionably the social highlight of the year in the town.
It was one of the first opportunities locals, guests and visitors had of mingling with the stunning bunch of Roses, their escorts and their families and the black tie event certainly lived up to its much anticipated billing.
Tickets for the €125-a-head ball were like gold dust and had been sold out weeks in advance, particularly with a total of 66 Roses, their escorts and their supporters to accommodate this year, requiring a 25 per cent increase in capacity.
Catering for so many guests at one sitting is a very formidable task and, in terms of cuisine, that responsibility fell to professional caterers Brook Food Services who got through 500 salmon, 200 loaves of bread and 1,600 fondant potatoes as well as 3,200 raspberries to top the Kerry cream dessert.
That required a total of 160 staff and the event also necessitated 150 floral arrangements for the tables at one of the country’s largest gala balls.
Guest of honour on the night was 1966 Rose of Tralee, Laraine Stollery, from New Zealand, who is celebrating the golden jubilee of her win while reigning Rose, Elysha Brennan, couldn’t have picked a more reliable escort as she arrived hand-in-hand with her mum, Christine.
The entertainment was top notch and, dancing aside, the attendance was treated to a Riverdance style routine, complete with energetic fire-eaters.
* Catering photographs via Rose of Tralee Facebook. Click on individual images to enlarge and for information
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