The start of the carnival period on 11 November means that the new ball season is just around the corner. Party-goers will dance the night away at the 20 traditional ball events hosted by the Hofburg this year. The ball season kicks off with the Kaiserball on 31 December. This year’s event is billed as “Aspects of Love”. Melodies by legendary stage musical composers such as Andrew Lloyd Webber and Leonard Bernstein will set the tone for a New Year’s Eve devoted to romance.
Every ball event at the Hofburg has a charm all of its own – from the sweet treats at the Confectioners’ Ball (Zuckerbäckerball)and the party nights for students of the universities of Economics and Business (WU), Technology (TU), and Natural Resources (BOKU), through to more elegant affairs such as the Hofburg Ball of Viennese Commerce (Hofburg-Ball der Wiener Wirtschaft), Officers’ Ball (Ball der Offiziere), Viennese Physicians’ Ball (Wiener Ärzteball) and Lawyers’ Ball (Juristen-Ball). In 2012 the ball season is expected to draw around 60,000 guests. The Hunter’s Ball (Jägerball) and Coffee House Owners’ Ball (Kaffeesiederball) each attract some 6,000 revellers.
The ball season is not just a highlight of the Viennese cultural calendar, but also a major factor for the economy of the city and Austria as a whole. A report by the Vienna Economic Chamber puts the economic impact of this much-loved carnival tradition at over EUR 100 million, and residents of the Austrian capital account for just under three-quarters of total spending. Every year, the balls at the Hofburg generate about EUR 10 million in induced GDP.
The former imperial residence is the most popular ball venue in Vienna, if not the whole world. And what better reason for the organisers of the balls held at the Hofburg to publish their own brochure? This is available at city cafés and hotels, the Tourist Information Office in the first district, and reception at the Hofburg Vienna.
