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Gov.-elect Wes Moore’s team announced a new round of tickets for the January inaugural gala in Baltimore that had previously sold out of 8,000 tickets.
”The People’s Ball” to celebrate the inauguration of Moore and Lt. Gov.-elect Aruna Miller is planned for the Baltimore Convention Center on the night of Jan. 18, hours after the two are sworn into office at the Maryland State House in Annapolis.
The demand for inaugural gala tickets was so strong that organizers sold out of tickets earlier this week. Ticket prices in the initial offering included $50 for a discounted general admission ticket, $125 for general admission plus two drinks and $1,000 for “preferred admission” with access to a lounge and open bar.
On Thursday, organizers announced another round of tickets for what essentially will be an overflow room at the convention center. The tickets are dubbed “Second Stage,” and organizers pledge that Moore, Miller and their spouses will migrate between the two areas.
Second Stage tickets are $125, plus fees. Additional preferred tickets are also now available for $1,000, plus fees.
All tickets are being sold online.
Moore’s wife, Dawn Moore, and Miller’s husband, David Miller, are chairing the inaugural party planning committee.
“While we have sold out of the main ballroom, we’re determined to make this night as inclusive as possible so that Marylanders from across the state can share this special moment,” Dawn Moore said in a statement Thursday.
The convention center has hosted large inauguration parties before, including an estimated 5,000 guests for Gov. Larry Hogan’s first inauguration in 2015 and an estimated 9,000 guests for then-Gov. Martin O’Malley’s first inauguration in 2007.
In Maryland, gubernatorial inaugural balls are generally paid for by ticket sales and sponsors. The inaugural committee will be required to file a financial report with the state under a law approved in 2015.
The Democratic team of Moore and Miller sailed to an easy victory in November’s gubernatorial election over Republican nominee Dan Cox and his running mate Gordana Schifanelli.
pamela.wood@thebaltimorebanner.com
This story has been updated to correct the year of Gov. Larry Hogan's first inauguration.
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Pamela Wood covers Maryland politics and government. She previously reported for The Baltimore Sun, The Capital and other Maryland newspapers. A graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, she lives in northern Anne Arundel County.
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