Life Ball - The Event

The Event

The Life Ball—one of the biggest and most spectacular annual charity events in the world—has attracted strong international interest and attention. The main priority of the Ball is, however, not only the exuberant celebration of the party people or spectacular live acts, but especially the fight against AIDS.

To ensure that the meaning of this major event is not forgotten, the opening ceremony on Vienna’s city hall square includes moments of silence and speeches by international stars and partners, which focus on raising awareness for AIDS. Since the establishment of this society highlight, which has become a real tradition, numerous celebrities (designers, actors, musicians, politicians, and models) show their personal commitment to the issue with breathtaking live performances and send a strong signal of solidarity. They make use of their popularity and position as role models for a good cause.

The number of tickets for the Life Ball is limited to 3,780. To maintain the unique and extravagant style of the event, different ticket categories are available: a fixed number of tickets called “Style Tickets” are available at half price and are for those who meet the dress code of the Life Ball Style Bible. The costumes should correspond to the theme of the Ball. These are also the only guests—besides the stars—who are allowed to walk down the red carpet, which leads from Ringstrasse Boulevard across city hall square to the main stage in front of Vienna’s city hall. In the run-up to the 2008 Ball, Gery Keszler voiced the wish that guests try to be less provocative and more creative. As Chris Lohner put it: "A penis is not yet a costume". Guests can apply for Style Tickets on the Style Bible webpage. Guests in normal evening attire pay the full ticket price. In 2001, a ticket sales system in which interested parties register in a raffle for tickets via text message was introduced. Usually, as many as 60,000 ticket registrations are received within the two-day sales period. The lucky ticket winners in both categories are selected randomly from all applications. A small number of tickets is issued through various campaigns (e.g., Life Ball Warm Up, eBay auctions, types of raffles where the ticket win is hidden in condom packages that are sold in selected bars and restaurants, a.s.o.) International guests can book Life Ball Packages including plane tickets and hotel as well as table bookings, which cost 4- to 5-figure euro amounts. In 2009, early table bookings slowed down due to the new Austrian anti-corruption act. that entered into force in 2008.

The opening gala features a wide variety of music, from operetta to pop, national as well as international stars, and the fashion show on the huge Red Ribbon stage. Until 2008, it could be viewed free of charge on city hall square, which could accommodate 45,000 people; in 2009, however, access to the first part of the opening ceremony was limited to those who had tickets to the Ball itself and a viewers’ stand was constructed for those who wanted to view the opening ceremony. Guests can dance in the various patios and rooms of the city hall as they enjoy the offerings of the many bars and buffets. Some of the international stars perform on stages on the Ball premises.

This glamorous charity event is known far beyond the Austrian borders today. By now, over 60 TV stations and a total of 500 national and international media representatives cover the event each year. In case of repeated accreditation, the organizers check whether the topic of AIDS was also addressed in the coverage to avoid that only stars and celebrities are mentioned. Austrian public broadcaster ORF 1 has been covering the opening show live since 2007 as part of a “theme night” followed by interviews with famous guests after the opening, attracting around 400,000 viewers each year. Since 2007, the opening show has also been broadcast on 3sat with a time delay. In 2008, Austrian channel Puls 4 also had a live broadcast of the Ball after ORF's live broadcast. The new German TV station TIMM covered the event in 2009 in a 4-hour non-stop program, for which the ORF signal was used in part.