Isha Ambani, Nita Ambani dazzle at London's Pink Ball, high-society event with Indian food and music
Isha Ambani and the British Museum have hosted a dazzling fundraising event in the inaugural edition of the Pink Ball.
Isha Ambani and the British Museum have hosted a dazzling fundraising event in the inaugural edition of the Pink Ball. The star-studded ball has been called London’s high-society event of the year and a worthy rival to the famous Met Gala – the annual fundraiser for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
What is the Pink Ball?
The Pink Ball is a grand fundraising event held for the first time at the British Museum in London on Saturday night.
The event was co-hosted by Isha Ambani and British Museum director, Dr Nicholas Cullinan. Isha Ambani, Indian businesswoman, philanthropist and arts patron, is also the daughter of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani.
Around 800 guests — including celebrities, artists, and influential figures — gathered inside the museum’s famous Great Court and Round Reading Room on Saturday night for the inaugural edition of the ball. Each guest has paid £2,000 to attend, with the money helping to raise funds for the museum’s work and future projects.
High-society event of the year
British media, while covering the event, emphasised how it is set to become a fixture on London’s social calendar.
The British Museum, while announcing the ball, said: “The landmark annual event will celebrate London's status as one of the world's leading cultural capitals and establish a new highlight on the international social calendar.”
London’s Pink Ball has India touch
The theme for the British Museum’s inaugural ball was pink — giving it the nickname of Pink Ball.
The theme drew inspiration from the colours and light of India, and was presented in conjunction with the British Museum's critically acclaimed exhibition, Ancient India: living traditions.
According to a report in The Guardian, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries has sponsored the museum’s current exhibition on Ancient India.
The Standard further reported that Indian food was served at the glitzy fundraiser, while noted sitar player Anoushka Shankar enthralled the audience.
Guests at the ball
Nita Ambani was photographed with daughter Isha Ambani at the ball.
Aside from the Ambani family, more than 800 famous and wealthy people from the worlds of fashion, art, and culture were part of the lavish fundraiser. Each paid 2,000 pounds to attend and walk the pink carpet.
Guests at the Pink Ball included Mick Jagger, Naomi Campbell, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lady Kitty Spencer (niece of Princess Diana), and more.
British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan noted how the guest list was a diverse one as he refuted comparisons with the Met Gala.
“It’s flattering that people are making the comparison but that wasn’t our intention,” he said. “In fact, in my previous job as director of the National Portrait Gallery we did a fundraising gala every other year that was also very starry. The Princess of Wales was our patron and she would attend. Yet people never compared it to the Met Gala.
“And the British Museum Ball will be very different. The Met Gala is specifically to fund its costume institute so there’s a clear emphasis on fashion. I’m sure we will also be seeing many wonderful frocks but our guest list is deliberately much more diverse. And that reflects the wonderful diversity of culture in London,” Cullinan said.
