ridotto

/rɪˈdoʊtoʊ/
noun
  1. A public entertainment or social gathering, especially one with music, dancing, and often gambling, popular in the 18th century.
    • She wore her finest gown to the ridotto, hoping to dance all night.
    • Historians describe the ridotto as a lively mix of music, cards, and conversation.
    • The grand ridotto at the opera house attracted nobles and merchants alike.
  2. A modern party or festival that evokes the style or atmosphere of an 18th-century masquerade or ball.
    • The charity gala was designed as a ridotto, complete with candlelit chandeliers.
    • The museum hosted a ridotto where guests dressed in period costumes.
    • For Halloween, they threw a ridotto with Baroque music and Venetian masks.