The annual media-pollie shindig is on September 18 in the Great Hall at Parliament House.

And democracy is to blame.

The ball is traditionally held in the third week of June but press gallery president David Crowe said that time was just too busy this year.

"The reason it is in spring is due to the election on May 18. We couldn't get going with a midwinter ball soon enough after the campaign," he said.

"Same thing happened in 2016 - the July 2 election pushed the ball into spring.

"I can tell you we're all hoping next year returns to normal, there is no snap election, and we can have a midwinter ball the way it's meant to be."

The ball is not just a chance for the Parly types to let their hair down and Barnaby Joyce to break out the stock whip. It's also a significant fundraiser for charities, with more than $4 million raised to date.

The ball includes auction items such as lunch with a politician - this year's list still to be revealed.

"We have auction items from Scott Morrison, Anthony Albanese, Josh Frydenberg and a great one from Defence Minister Linda Reynolds," Crowe said.

"We've raised $4.1 million for charity over the years and hope we can add to that this year.

"The charity auction is not yet finalised so I can't say more - I have to leave that to our designated organiser who will get it going next week."

Stay tuned for that.