It's been a highlight annual event on the Auckland lesbian calendar for twenty-five years now, and to celebrate, its organisers have announced that the silver anniversary Ball this August will be Masquerade-themed. "Do you remember the first Ball? Ever met some one special at the Ball? Enjoy catching up with women you haven't seen for ages? What to dance the night away? If you've answered yes to any of these questions, then circle Saturday 23 August, dust off the glad-rags and join us at the Silver Masquerade Lesbian Ball," say the team at Lesbian support organisation LESO. 2008's venue will again be the large ballroom at central Auckland's Langham Hotel, where accommodation is available for the dozens of out-of-town lesbians who travel to the City of Sails each year for the event. Each year's Lesbian Ball has a different theme giving lots of scope for women to indulge their creativity and their fantasies, be they masculine, feminine, or a mixture of both. Recent themes have included Wild Women, Fire and Ice, Silver Screen, 80's Retro and Style Through the Ages. "To make this year's Ball one to remember we'll be kicking off the evening's entertainment with performance artist Lorraine Butler and later on turning up the heat and the volume with music from Razor," says the crew. The Lesbian Ball is a fundraiser for LESO's coming out support groups and other resources for the local lesbian community. "Remember the ball is only as good as the lesbians that attend," reminds the LESO crew, "so get a group together, start nagging the couch potatoes and make plans to have a fantastic night as we celebrate the last 25 years and look forward to the next." Tickets for the Ball will be on sale from 1 July at the Women's Bookshop, Holiday Shoppe in Ponsonby, and online at the LESO website, linked below.