Marine Ball 2025

I forgot to post last Saturday, which was incidentally the day after the Marine Ball. I was blissfully recovering poolside with a gallon of coffee and a stack of Vanity Fairs and The Atlantics, as well as the new book I’m reading called “Chasing Hornbills: up to my neck in Africa.”

The Ball was once again a success. All the guests were dressed to the nines, the cake got cut with a sword as usual, and there was a little dancing. Things didn’t go off without a hitch though, because nobody could hear the audio accompanying the 30-minute video, but that’s all part of the charm of attending a formal event in a place like The Gambia.

What’s a Marine Ball?

When I sent the above picture to my mom, she promptly asked me “what kind of party” I was at. I was stunned to realize I’d never explained it to her before, given that this was at least my eighth Marine Ball (spread out over seventeen years)! Or both of our memories are just deteriorating.

Oh the dresses I’ve worn… from Zara to Vera Wang and from diamond-encrusted Indian lehengas to Goodwill finds (the “dress” I wore this year cost me about $3). But it’s not ONLY about the dresses and the pictures, of course.

The ceremony

Definition: a Marine Ball is an annual formal event to celebrate the founding of the United States Marine Corps on November 10, 1775. It’s their birthday!

Marines balls are held at U.S. missions across the world, probably in about 250 overseas locations, all around the same time of the year. What I’ve noticed is that some things are always the same while other things change depending on the times and the organizers’ preferences (there was a lot of Oorah! this year, which was new to me).

What always seems the same: speeches by the Ambassador and the Detachment Commander, recognition given to the oldest and youngest marines present, slow motion marching, a live or recorded performance of the national anthem, a cake cutting ceremony, and a fairly high-quality video about the U.S. Marine Corps. Photos with the marines up front, dinner and dancing afterwards.

Things that change: the theme used to be all about 9/11 for a long time, but since the end of the wars that followed the focus has shifted to a more general one. The price of tickets of the tickets als drastically varies as well as the local stature of the event. In some countries it’s one of the most coveted parties of year, in the world of expats at least, while in others it’s seen more as a work event.