What: The Mid-Atlantic Ball, one of the ten official inaugural balls the Obamas and Bidens attended.

Where: Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall A.

When: January 20, 8 to midnight.

Ticket price: $150, but it crept up to $1,000 on Stubhub.

Who: Well, Barack and Michelle Obama and Joe and Jill Biden for starters. There were six balls packed into the Convention Center and the four made their way through each one. Whispers about what time each couple would show rippled through the hall all night. The word for the Obamas was 12:20, although the pair showed up an hour before that (by 11:24, they’d moved on to the next shindig). The 7,000-strong bash lacked the star wattage of the Neighborhood Ball—there was no Stevie Wonder or J.Lo wandering around. Instead, the boldface names in the crowd were more Hill than Hollywood: New York governor David Paterson, New York senator Chuck Schumer, Virginia governer Tim Kaine, and hoping-to-be Virginia governer and longtime Clintonite Terry McAuliffe.

What: Bytes & Books Inaugural Ball.

Where: Folger Shakespeare Library.

When: Tuesday, January 20, 6:30 PM.

Who: Bytes & Books brought out 450 teachers and tech geeks, spruced up for the occasion in dapper tuxedos and glitzy floor-length gowns. The most noteworthy person in the over-40 crowd was movie director George Lucas, there to accept an award for his work on education technology. Senator Edward Kennedy was slated to be there for the same reason, but after having a seizure at Obama’s Capitol luncheon earlier in the day, he was unable to attend. A staffer accepted the award on his behalf.

Food and drink: The event featured five well-stocked open bars with no waiting time. (We love events with responsible adults not out to get hammered!) The drinks du jour seemed to be white wine, Champagne, and big glasses of water—the temperature in some of the rooms was close to unbearable, leaving nearly everyone parched. Food included passed hors d’oeuvres such as gooey balls of fried goat cheese and skewered shrimp wrapped in smoky prosciutto as well as a buffet with roast beef, ramekins of orzo mac and cheese, and warm, cinnamon-doused pears.

What: Pennsylvania Inaugural Gala, hosted by the Pennsylvania Society of Washington, DC.

Where: Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.

When: Tuesday, January 20.

Ticket price: $150.

Who: Seventeen hundred Pennsylvanians—plus Obama supporters from Atlanta, London, Washington, and other places—came out to toast the new President and the Keystone State’s role in the historic election. Notable guests included longtime Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell and wife Marjorie, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, and actress Sharon Stone. Fox 5 weatherman Tony Perkins was master of ceremonies.

What: 2009 Youth Ball.

Where: Hilton Washington.

When: January 20, 2009.

Who: Kid Rock, Kanye West, and Fall Out Boy each played sets at the ball, but the real stars were the newly inaugurated President and First Lady, Barack and Michelle Obama. They sent the crowd of almost 2,000 twentysomethings into an immediate and sustained hysteria during their 15-minute visit. On the other side of the ballroom, Sway of MTV News interviewed celebrity guests Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Tobey Maguire, and Usher.

Scene: At times, it seemed as though the lines would never end, and for some they didn’t. Doors opened at 7 PM, but by 6:30 a line already stretched from the hotel’s entrance on Connecticut Avenue down to Florida Avenue. At 9, the fire marshal was forced to start turning away ticket holders, many of whom were election staffers.

For those who made it through the freezing cold, the maze of never-ending security tents, and the equally terrible lines for coat check, drink tickets, and food, the night proved to be well worth the wait. The ballroom, which opened at 9, housed a huge stage, a projection screen with an Obama-themed slide show, and a slew of scream-inducing MTV cameras.

At last night’s Inaugural Purple Ball, we snapped photos of celebrities and gussied-up attendees during an hour-long cocktail reception. Held in the ballroom at the Fairmont Hotel, the event focused on diversity and bipartisanship (think blue and red make purple), and a portion of its proceeds went to the United Negro College Fund. Post cocktail hour, guests were treated to a seated dinner, speeches by Dr. Michael Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF, Senator Leticia Van de Putte, host Asal Masomi, and Deidre Hall. Boy band Il Divo performed before the Radio King Orchestra provided music for guests to dance the night away. Attendees spent between $300 and $5,000 to participate.

Here’s some highlights from the cocktail reception:

Most dramatic gown: Host Asal Masomi and her personal assistant. They both wore princess-style dresses with a fitted, sequined corset on top and layers upon layers of tuile poofing out on the bottom.

Best male formal attire: Partygoer Alexander Duncan sported the top of a tuxedo with a Scottish kilt and his ancestor’s tartan on bottom. He says he wears it to every black-tie event he attends.

What: Creative Coalition Inaugural Ball.

Where: Harman Center for the Arts.

When: Tuesday, January 20, 8 PM.

Ticket price: Despite being one of the priciest inaugural balls, the event sold out. Four packages were offered, the most expensive at $100,000, which included 50 VIP admissions and 20 admissions to the preball VIP dinner. The least expensive package was $10,000 for two standard admissions.

Who: This was a hot ticket for celebrities, many of whom are supporters of the Creative Coalition, a nonprofit social- and political-advocacy organization of the entertainment industry. Big names included actors Anne Hathaway, Susan Sarandon, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, and Rachel Leigh Cook. Elvis Costello headlined a concert, and he was followed by performances by Sam Moore and Sting. Also at the ball were movie director Ron Howard and actors Alan Cumming, Heather Graham, Forest Whitaker, Magic Johnson, Isaiah Washington, Josh Lucas, Maura Tierney, Gloria Reuben, and Tim Daly. On the red carpet (or rather, the Pepsi blue carpet), entertainment journalist Maria Menounos interviewed celebs as they made their way inside.

What: 2009 Green Inaugural Ball.

Where: National Portrait Gallery.

When: January 19, 7 PM to midnight.

Who: Former vice president Al Gore served as the event’s honorary chair and was joined by more than 75 environmental, conservation, labor, civil-justice, youth, and business groups. Musical performances included Will.i.am., Melissa Etheridge, Maroon 5, John Legend, and Michael Franti. Other VIP guests included Blair Underwood, journalist Lisa Ling, comedian Paul Reiser, actors Melissa Fitzgerald and John Cusack, and singers Paulina Rubio, and Jon Bon Jovi. Other heavyweights included speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and environmental leaders Robert Kennedy Jr., president of Waterkeeper Alliance; Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation; Denise Bode, CEO of American Wind Energy Association; Van Jones, founding president of Green for All; and Rhone Resch, President and CEO of Solar Energy Industries Association.

Scene: All energy focused on the stage, where celebrity performances got ballgoers dancing early in the evening. The courtyard where the event was held was lit in green and purple but later transformed into blue with white stars. Songs were interspersed with a few words from Gore, Pelosi, Ling, Reiser, and others. Many celebrities escaped to a VIP room on the third floor and remained unseen by the majority of attendees. Surrounding a large stage, guests mingled at the open bars or buffet tables, which featured all-organic centerpieces made of wheat grass, green and orange orchids, and orange roses. And oh, yes—the floral arrangements will all be donated or reused.