It’s Official! The Nurses’ Ball Will Return to General Hospital in May!

General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini announced to hundreds of fans attending the First Annual General Hospital Convention in Burbank on Saturday that the annual Nurses’ Ball will be happening in Port Charles starting Monday, May 22.

“How could we not do it?” Valentini rhetorically asked fans. “It’s so much fun. It’s a lot of work and very, very expensive to do.”

The Nurses’ Ball may be a lot of work but at least one GH star is already up for putting on her dancing shoes (or doing whatever other talent the show may ask of her)!

“I want to perform in the Nurses Ball,” said Laura Wright (Carly).

The Nurses’ Ball debuted on GH 23 years ago. It was founded by Lucy Coe to shine a light on HIV and AIDS awareness and serve as a fundraiser. The event ran annually through 2001 and remained dormant until the show’s 50^th anniversary year in 2013.

That’s when nursing student Sabrina Santiago reached out to Coe and enlisted her aid in reviving the fundraiser in no small part due to her devotion to Dr. Patrick Drake. While soaps had bigger budgets in the 90s, GH has pulled out all the stops to make the more recent balls be just as entertaining as ones in the past.

Acts at the last few balls have included “Magic Milo” and other Port Charles hunks doing a male strip dance, Anna and Duke recreating their famous tango from the 80s, Dr. Obrecht showing a tender side by singing “You Were Always on My Mind” to her kids, and Epiphany, Monica, and Tracy (!) dancing to The Pointer Sisters’ song “Jump (For My Love).”

The crowd-pleasing “You’re Not Alone” traditionally closes out the ball.

There’s been plenty of drama at the talent galas, too, including Brit revealing (lying, actually) to Patrick and a petrified (can you blame her?) Emma that she was pregnant with Patrick’s child, Lucy’s affair with Scott being exposed, and Ric being called out as the man who hired Hayden to claim she was Jake’s (really Jason’s) wife so he could have Elizabeth for himself.

No word yet on if Herring will reprise Lucy to act as mistress of ceremonies. However, the Nurses’ Ball is still near and dear to the actress’ heart.

Last December 1, Herring tweeted: “On #WorldAIDSDay thank u @GeneralHospital & @valentinifrank 4 continuing 2 support fight against HIV/AIDS thru the annual GH Nurses Ball!”

Valentini added that this year’s ball was still in the planning stages. “If you’re wondering if your favorite people will be there, hopefully, they will be,” the exec says.

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