The masque had two parts. First was an 'anti-masque' performed by professional actors who generally depicted a world of disorder or vice, often combined with comic elements. The second part involved audience participation when members of the court rose up and danced, banishing disorder and bringing in harmony and courtly graces. This part gradually merged with a ball and the dancing could continue all night. The whole was accompanied by incredible illusionistic sets with mechanical devises and ingenious lighting effects.

The first masque staged in the Banqueting House was Jones and Jonson's Masque of Augurs performed on Twelfth Night 1622 when the building was in the final stages of completion. The last, performed here in 1635, was The Temple of Love by Sir William Davenant.

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