The INSEAD Summer Ball is one of the oldest INSEAD traditions. Held annually on the last weekend of May, it is timed to coincide with the Alumni Reunion Weekend for the 5 & 10 years. Expect DJs and performances and music to suit all tastes. The Summer Ball is a unique event for all members of the wider INSEAD community: alumni, current students, staff, faculty, friends and families.
2020-21-22 - Midnight at the Oasis
Midnight at the oasis
Send your camel to bed
Shadows painting our faces
Traces of romance in our heads
Heaven's holding a half-moon
Shining just for us
Let's slip off to a sand dune, real soon
And kick up a little dust...
2019 - Heaven on Earth
Sing like no one is listening,
Love like you’ve never been hurt,
Dance like nobody’s watching,
And live like it’s Heaven on Earth.
2018 - La Belle Epoque
A golden era of beauty, arts, and great innovation. Giving birth to the perfection of Champagne...and the "femme modern".
In the explosion of peace and prosperity, women boldly embraced modern roles in a balance of femininity and feminism. Gone are the corsets! Women were now in the forefront of fashion, entertainment, sports, business and politics – a force to be reckoned.
In conjunction with INSEAD’s 50th anniversary of our first female graduates, this year’s Summer Ball specially celebrates women in society.
2017 - Le Carrousel de l'Amour
Fast colours whirl, laughter, music, wind and light.
The carrousel it comes. Alive in the midsummer night.
Taste the passion, live the moment, electrifying innocence and love.
Come. Fall under the spell.
The magic. The carrousel.
2016 - Le Bal de Joséphine
The Château de Fontainebleau comes to life in its former glory under the imperial court and the lavish Ancien Régime. Follow the footsteps of Napoléon and Joséphine, as their story unfolds throughout their beloved home in the Château de Fontainebleau.
Le Bal de Joséphine pays homage to Joséphine’s extravagant parties and is not to be missed. Get ready for an intoxicating mix of royal french glamour, intense passion and courtly intrigue!
2015 - Labyrinth of Fire
Inflame your senses as the historic and mysterious Chateau de Fontainebleau comes alive with light and ravishing sounds. Through the smoldering walls and fiery performances, be ready to have your passions set on fire with the Labyrinth of Fire.
2014 - Venetian Rhapsody
Mysterious, dramatic and bold.
Nestled within the historic walls of the chateau de Fontainebleau, indulge your senses in an enigmatic evening full of dazzling colours, magic, mystery, and romance.
A willful contradiction of stunning antiquity and uninhibited technology be overwhelmed by the eclectic experience that is, the Venetian Rhapsody.
2013 - A Midsummer Night's Dream
“It seems to me that yet we sleep, we dream.”
Dance under the moonlight in an ancient chateau, surrounded by emerald green forest. Enter the world of fairytale and splendor, where dreams and reality meet. Set in the heart of the ageless Fontainebleau forest at the magnificent Château de Fontainebleau, the INSEAD Royal Ball: “The Midsummer Night’s Dream” promises an evening full of passions and grandeur.
Be enchanted.
2012 - Desert Moon
Sizzle under the Marquee, your Oasis for the evening.
Be entranced by the transformation of the Upper Gallery and Camembert into a magical Bedouin Lounge.
Move east and be entertained at the Rang Mahal (Palace of Colours) Bar to a gypsy jazz band.
Don’t miss the The Great Midnight Extravaganza, Parades! Acrobats! Fireworks! Action!
2011 - The Dragonfly Ball
Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the INSEAD Asia Campus.
Witness the metamorphosis as the Chateau transforms into a stunning multi-sensory experience at night. Be entranced by the mystical sounds of Asia.
Rock it up with the live bands, flit about with the party people, celebrate the Midnight hour with a dazzling display of water, light, music and magic… A Fontainebleau First.
2010 - The 50th Anniversary Ball
