A Bridgerton-inspired ball is the talk of the ton — for less-than-desirable reasons.
Many fans of the Netflix show attended a themed, unofficial (aka not affiliated with the streaming service) event at Detroit’s The Harmonie Club on Sunday, September 22. According to a website description, the event was set to be an “amazing regency-era experience.”
“Step into the enchanting world of the Regency-era at the Detroit Bridgerton Themed Ball. Join us for an evening of sophistication, grace and historical charm,” the description added. “Experience a night like no other filled with music, dance and exquisite costumes.”
Shortly after the program ended, fans flooded social media and brandished the “Detroit Bridgerton Themed Ball” as a scam.
“Thread about the Bridgerton Ball SCAM in Detroit that I (and hundreds of others) spent $300 on,” a social media user wrote via X on Tuesday, September 24, sharing a snap of dressed-up fans standing in the corner of a hotel ballroom scrolling on their phones.
The fan added, “For starters, NEVER go to an event that’s being run by Uncle & Me LLC. Disorganized, dishonest, and will take your money guilt-free.”
The ball had allegedly been scheduled for August, getting rescheduled for last Sunday. According to the X user, she was unable to attend the new event due to an illness.
“They did not provide refunds, nor did they respond to anyone’s email asking for one,” she claimed. “At that point I knew I got scammed lol.”
Other social media users alleged that attendees had to wait outside in the rain in order to get into the “overcrowded” space and that there was a lack of activities. Per the fans, a sole violinist was the promised live musical entertainment. A bikini-clad dancer had also been hired to perform on a stripper pole as seen in social media footage.
Decorations were deemed “Party City” caliber and the event allegedly ran out of food “after an hour,” and some of the offerings were not cooked properly.
“Besides the lackluster event itself, they promised a cash prize to the best dressed (didn’t happen), that they’d choose a diamond of the season like they do in the show/other bridgerton inspired balls (didn’t happen), and had an itinerary with contradicting information,” a fan wrote via X. “Really hope this ends in a lawsuit because I want my $300 back I have medical bills to pay and that could’ve gone toward something that wasn’t….this.”
A representative for Uncle & Me issued a public apology on behalf of the organization. Us Weekly has reached out for comment.
Netflix also has not publicly addressed the unofficial ball. The streaming platform hosts its own live event titled, The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience, in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC and Atlanta.
