The International Women's Club gives Muscovites the chance to be transported to a Venetian carnival for the night Friday at their 16th annual Embassies of the World Dinner and Ball.

The evening begins with cocktails and dinner courtesy of the embassies of Columbia, the EU, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and the United States, who have volunteered their support.

"The night is completely one of a kind. Different ambassadors open the doors of their residences and welcome our guests," said the club's president Anu Trigunayat, "This is an opportunity for people to visit different diplomatic residences and experience the taste and flavor of the country."

The Ritz-Carlton Moscow provides a suitably opulent setting for the second half of events — the Venetian Carnival Ball. Black-tie and Venetian-mask clad guests will be treated to a plethora of entertainment: solos from mezzo soprano Henriette Serline Schenk and baritone Oleg Alexandrov, a masquerade dance by students from the Bolshoi Academy and a silent auction. The top raffle prize is two airline tickets to Abu Dhabi.

The MC for the evening will be Russia Today presenter Martyn Andrews and Moscow's Lexicon Band will provide the music with a mix of jazz, ballroom, Latin and disco.

The club was founded in the late 1970s when very few expat women lived in Moscow. Today it gas over 500 members from 65 different countries.

The ball is the IWC's largest fundraiser, and all of its proceeds will go straight to charity.

The club contributes to more than 30 different charities and focuses on helping children and the elderly. Help can come in many different ways such as food, clothing, school supplies and medical equipment or the support of day centers that provide English lessons and computer skills, and give vital support to homeless and to women readjusting to everyday life after time in detention centers.

"I hope many of you will come and join us in our noble cause," Trigunayat said.