Villains and Vanity, Our Sold-Out Fantasy Ball in Edinburgh

We need a minute. Actually, we need several.

When tickets for Villains and Vanity went on sale, we knew there was excitement. We did not expect all 300 to be gone in 24 hours. But here we are, with a sold-out fantasy ball in Edinburgh and a lot of very happy squealing coming from the Main Character Club team.

To every single one of you who grabbed a ticket, thank you. You've just made history with us.

Our first ever ball

This one means a lot. Villains and Vanity is the first ball Main Character Club has ever hosted, and it's been a dream of Gabby's for a long time.

When she first picked up a camera to help women feel like the main character in their own lives, a ball for 300 women in one of Scotland's most beautiful buildings felt a long way off. Now there's a team of seven photographers, an events calendar that sells out within a minute and a room full of villains ready to take over Edinburgh.

We're not crying. You're crying.

The venue. Welcome to Edinburgh's Sistine Chapel

If you've never been inside the Mansfield Traquair Centre, prepare to have your breath taken away. From the outside, it's a handsome old church but step inside and every wall is covered in murals by Phoebe Anna Traquair, glowing with gold and colour.

It's no wonder the building is known as Edinburgh's Sistine Chapel. Traquair spent eight years painting it, working only when the light was good, and went on to become the first woman admitted to the Royal Scottish Academy. Talk about main character energy.

There's something rather fitting about filling a Victorian woman's masterpiece with 300 women dressed as their most glorious villains. We think she'd approve.

The realm is united

For too long, the villains have been scattered. On 21 May 2027, they finally come together. Houses will be pledged, gowns will be twirled and the heroes won't know what hit them.

If you've got a ticket, start dreaming up your look now. All the details you need are on the [Villains and Vanity page], and your registration hub opens at the end of January.