The classic Viennese ball has a proud tradition stretching back over four centuries, and has even taken the first steps towards inclusion in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. The full spectacle extends from the opening ceremony featuring a debutant's committee to midnight stage shows with dance and music performances. There is also traditional ball etiquette to consider - from the "Damenspenden", a gift presented to the ladies, to the requisite gown, tuxedo or formal traditional Austrian dress, Austrian culture runs through every aspect of the Viennese Ball.
| Ball | Location | When | Noteworthyness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiserball | Hofburg Palace | New Year's Eve | New Year's Eve ball, international, www.kaiserball.com |
| Zuckerbaeckerball | Hofburg Palace | January | the sweetest ball www.zuckerbaeckerball.com |
| Ball der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien | Hofburg Palace | January | www.wuball.at |
| Steirerball | Hofburg Palace | January | www.steirerball.com |
| Ball der Offiziere | Hofburg Palace | January | www.ballderoffiziere.at |
| Ball der Pharmacie | Hofburg Palace | January | www.pharmacieball.at |
| TU Ball | Hofburg Palace | January | www.tu-ball.at |
| Ball des Wiener Korporationsringes | Hofburg Palace | last Friday in January | www.wkr-ball.at |
| Wiener Aerzteball | Hofburg Palace | last Saturday in January | www.aerzteball.at |
| Jägerball | Hofburg Palace | last Monday in January | traditional costume mandatory, www.verein-grueneskreuz.at |
| Blumenball | Rathaus, Vienna | Mid-January | |
| BOKU-Ball | Hofburg Palace | February | www.bokuball.at |
| IAEA-Ball | Hofburg Palace | February | www.stylearts.eu/iaea |
| Hofburg-Ball der Wiener Wirtschaft | Hofburg Palace | February | www.hofburg-ball.at |
| Philharmonikerball | Musikverein | given by the musicians of the Vienna Philaharmonic | |
| Techniker-Cercle | Musikverein | engineers, technicians | |
| Immobilienball | Hofburg Palace | February | www.immobilienball.at |
| Kaffeesiederball | Hofburg Palace | February | www.kaffeesiederball.at |
| Regenbogenball | Hofburg Palace | February | www.regenbogenball.at |
| Vienna International Spring Ball | Hofburg Palace | March | http://www.springball.at |
| Vienna Opera Ball | Vienna State Opera | Fat Thursday | government figures, international celebrities, debutants, wide televised coverage |
| St. Johanns-Club Ball | Palais Schwarzenberg | late Spring | St. Johanns Club/Jockey Club members, SMOM, historical nobility |
| Juristenball | Hofburg Palace | lawyers, judges, law students, www.juristenball.at | |
| Rudolfina Redoute | Hofburg Palace | Shrove Monday | ladies must wear masks, http://redoute.rudolfina.at |
| Elmayer-Kränzchen | Hofburg Palace | Shrove Tuesday | www.elmayer.at |
Another important location of Balls is the Rathaus.
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list, balls and/or vienna:
“A man’s interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“I am opposed to writing about the private lives of living authors and psychoanalyzing them while they are alive. Criticism is getting all mixed up with a combination of the Junior F.B.I.- men, discards from Freud and Jung and a sort of Columnist peep- hole and missing laundry list school.... Every young English professor sees gold in them dirty sheets now. Imagine what they can do with the soiled sheets of four legal beds by the same writer and you can see why their tongues are slavering.”
—Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961)
“look the spangles
that sleep all the year in a dark box
dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,
the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,
put up your little arms
and i’ll give them all to you to hold”
—E.E. (Edward Estlin)
“Grusinskaya: I want to be alone.
Meierheim: Where have you been? I suppose I can cancel the Vienna contract.
Grusinskaya: I just want to be alone.
Meierheim: You’re going to be very much alone, my dear madam. This is the end.”
—William A. Drake (1900–1965)