Following the massive success of The Worldhopper Ball 2024, Brandon Sanderson and his company Dragonsteel Entertainment sought to truly level-up the event's second iteration. Together, we created:
The Worldhopper Ball 2025: Waltz of the Final Empire.
The 2025 ball was imagined as a series of vignettes set in the world of Brandon Sanderson’s best-selling novel, Mistborn. We created a framing device using two character actors who would lead guests through the night's programming, ultimately telling the love story between the romantic leads of the Mistborn series.
With 45,000 sq.ft. to play with, we brought the city of Luthadel to life and recreated the interior of "Keep Venture" - a nobleman's manor from Mistborn. From the page to the real-world, fans of the Mistborn book series were able to step directly into the story itself.
Creative Design | Event Production | Graphic Design | Fabrication | Scenic Design | Casting, Talent, & Show Management
Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series is arguably his most prolific work and it holds a very special place in the hearts of many fans. It was extremely important to us that we met those high expectations for the first live-action representation of the series. We leaned heavily into the late 19th-century European aesthetic of the world, drawing inspiration from Vienna, London, Prague, and pre-Revolution Paris. Our fully fabricated sets took months to design and covered over 300 linear feet space. Some were even built with balconies to imply the existence of a 2nd floor! We designed and built 16 massive stained glass windows which hung 26' in the air, and featured thematic food & beverage, event-exclusive giveaways, and a cast & performing group of 28 people.
Guests were treated to multiple interactive elements throughout the night and were able to interact with characters from the Mistborn series to further solidify the immersion. The show itself featured a main cast, supporting cast, aerobatic performers, combat choreography, and ballroom dancers who showcased their skills over the course of 2.5 hours. To cap off the night, we added a surprise ending to the show which was crafted to be an emotional "What-if?" dance sequence. By each show's end, all that could be heard was 700 fans crying tears of joy for a love story to remember for all time.
Attendees of The Worldhopper Ball 2025 had the following to share on their experience at the event:
"I don't usually cry when it comes to media, and in my day job I have to be an emotional wall when I'm filming an event. But If I wasn't recording the events before me, I would have been crying. It made me fall in love with the characters of [Mistborn: The Final Empire] again in a way that surprised me...It was incredible. " —Jasonioan, Youtube
"I walked into that ballroom and quite literally, my jaw dropped and I doubled over in shock and nearly burst into tears. I was truly swept off of my feet and was absolutely astonished. It was stunning and magical in a way I can't quite describe." —Cosmere Conversations Podcast
Photography by Julia Stockton Photography
Guest Count: 3,200 | Venue: Salt Palace Convention Center
