The Witches Are Having a Ball

In one of our more recent classes, we were asked to search ‘Texas witches.’ One student found a nearby event, an upcoming ‘Witches’ Ball.’ I became immediately intrigued as to what a Witches’ ball was—not to be confused with the spherical, magical items that we briefly discussed in a previous class. I wanted to learn more about what customs—wardrobe, activities, time of the year, special guests—are typically had at a Witches’ ball. In this post, I will discuss the correlation of these balls to the historical context of witches and the concurrencies I saw throughout each event’s overview. 

When I initially heard about these events, I couldn’t help but connect them to the idea of a witches’ sabbath. Sabbaths are regarded as a nocturnal gathering of witches, typically depicted as being somewhere out in the woods. The number of attendants at these sabbaths varied, but one witch stated that there were 10,000 witches in attendance at one sabbath. This article reports that witches would travel to the sabbath via broomstick or an animal—such as a goat, ram, or dog—provided for them by the devil. Many paintings of sabbaths depict a goat-headed figure (Satan), and surrounding him are witches. The witches are seen engaging in nefarious behaviors, such as dancing around and worshiping the devil. 

Before I dive into the interesting attributes of a specific ball, I noticed a few similarities across these witch balls. To begin, nearly all of them take place at night, and most take place in October. This makes sense to me, as October is deeply connected with witches. There are a variety of magical activities that take place (particularly psychic readings and seances seem to be quite popular). Each website mentions that they want their attendants to be dressed in a myriad of witchy wearables—cloaks, gowns, horns, etc. Most events have a multitude of packages, each one more expensive than the next and offering various magical experiences with known practitioners. Strangely enough, two sites mention getting a bag filled with ‘magical swag.’ I couldn’t find anything about what these bags entail or what magical swag means. I ventured over to the About pages on some of these events and noticed that it was commonly emphasized that they were welcoming of all spiritual paths. 

When searching for witches’ balls, the most popular search was the 2024 Salem Witches’ Ball. For just $200, you can experience a variety of magical events, including psychic readings, ‘authentic’ Salem seances, and old Witchcraft rituals led by Witchdoctor Utu and the Dragon Ritual drummers. The Dragon Ritual Drummers are a highly acclaimed Pagan drum band (apparently the #1 in the world) and are performing at many other events in Salem during October. At the end of your evening, you will then cast a magic circle with other witches to honor your loved ones. 

I’d never heard of a magic circle before, so I got sent down a rabbit hole of trying to figure out what it could be. Although I’m not sure if this is what the Salem Witches’ Ball is referencing, this site states that in order to cast a magic circle, you must: 

1. Prepare the area with a cleansing. 
2. Trace the circle’s shape clockwise, either in the air or on the ground—a ritual tool is optional. 
3. Call upon the four elements—Air, Fire, Earth, and Water—to help protect and aid the circle. 
4. Complete the ritual.
5. Close the circle by moving counter-clockwise and release the energy. 

While I don’t see myself attending a Witches’ Ball anytime soon, I do see the allure and intrigue it would have for those interested in witchcraft.