The National Debutante Cotillion and Thanksgiving Ball of Washington, D.C. is an annual dance and formal debutante presentation of young women. It is one of the largest debutante balls in the United States and has been described as one of the nation's most prestigious social events. It is held during Thanksgiving week each year and benefits the Children's National Medical Center.
The Cotillion was founded in 1949 by Mary-Stuart Montague Price, daughter of Captain Allen Ingram Price, U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1917. She and Elizabeth Stuart are co-chairmen of the event; regional chairmen from many states including California, South Carolina, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas recommend young women and their families for participation.
The ball is the subject of the 1989 documentary film 'Coming Out'. In his review, the New York Times critic Vincent Canby stated that it has "little to do with the kind of old-fashioned 'coming out' rituals and debutante 'seasons' that once so fascinated the social outsiders Scott Fitzgerald wrote about" and that "the escorts for the ball are ... bussed in from nearby military camps and from West Point with the promise of a free meal".