Life ball

The Ball of Life is one of the largest and most spectacular annual charity events in the world. In order not to forget about the main purpose of this event (the fight against AIDS), the opening ceremony in the square in front of the Vienna City Hall includes a moment of silence.

The number of tickets for Life Ball is limited to 3780. To maintain the uniqueness and extravagance of the event, the organizers divide tickets into categories: a fixed number of tickets called “Style Tickets” are available at half the base price and are intended for those who match the Life Ball Style dress code . At the same time, costumes should correspond to the main theme of the ball. In anticipation of the 2008 event, Gery Keszler expressed the wish that guests try to be less provocative and more creative. As Chris Loner said: “The penis is not a suit yet.”

Guests in the usual “evening toilet” pay the full price of the ticket. In 2001, a ticket sales system was introduced: interested parties registered to participate in the lottery that played tickets through text messages. Typically, during the two-day sales period, 60,000 requests are recorded. At the opening, there is a gala concert with a variety of music: from operetta to pop music - as well as a fashion show on the Red Ribbon stage. Until 2008, the concert could be seen for free, at the City Hall Square - which could accommodate 45,000 people.

Today, this charity event is known far beyond Vienna and Austria : annually more than 60 television stations and a total of 500 representatives of national and international media cover the event. In the event of re- accreditation, the organizers check whether AIDS was mentioned in the published material in order to avoid mentioning only stars and celebrities. The Austrian public television company ORF 1 has been broadcasting the concert program live since 2007 as part of the “thematic night”, which attracted about 400,000 viewers.

The organizer and founder of The Ball of Life is Gery Keszler. His main achievement was the participation in the opening of the show of representatives of fashion and celebrities of the entertainment industry: such as Rosanna Barr , Elton John , Catherine Deneuve , Lisa Minelli, Sharon Stone , Dita von Teese , Heidi Klum , Naomi Campbell and Jenna Jameson . Some of them play an active role in the ball program, others just enjoy the party.

Kessler was given the opportunity to present his project to then mayor of Vienna Helmut Zilk . Zilk agreed with the positive effect of this event and enabled Kessler to try to implement it. Mer even agreed to give Kessler the hall of the city hall, despite the resistance that had taken place. As a result, the first Life Ball took place on May 29, 1993. In addition to the Vienna City Administration, the event had only two sponsors: an amount of 1 100 000 Australian dollars (79 940 euros) received by the first ball was donated to the non-profit organization AIDS LIFE.

From the very first Life Ball, the fashion show presented by Thierry Mugler has become a key feature of the event. In the second year - May 28, 1994 - money received as donations doubled. The third ball - May 6, 1995 - has already attracted interest from French and Spanish broadcasters, as well as MTV . Since 2006, the American AIDS Research Foundation (amfAR), which was founded by Elizabeth Taylor and whose current president is Sharon Stone , has been a partner in the ball.

Unlike other similar events, the Vienna Ball was never intended to be an event only for the gay community : from the very beginning, it combined the traditions of Vienna with modern “bizarre” costumed performances.

Postage stamps dedicated to the ball have been issued in a limited edition for several years. On the stamp of 2005 was a picture of Heidi Klum , and in 2006 - a model of Naomi Campbell . In the same year, a limited edition of comic style stamps with Naomi Campbell was sold on eBay . German model Nadia Auerman was the face of 2007 Life Ball brands.

Each year, one or more well-known fashion designers are responsible for the fashion show at the ball. Professional catwalk models such as Marcus Schenkenberg , Alec Vek , Nadia Auerman , Heidi Klum , Eva Padberg , Eva Riccobono and Naomi Campbell appear with celebrities and celebrities such as Udo Kir , Olivia Jones, Til Schweiger , Kylie Minogue , Cindy Loper , Dolly Baster, Austrian Minister of Health Andrea Kdolski.

• Stefan Ryba. “Homosexualität in der Öffentlichkeit und im Wandel der Gesellschaft”: vom Life Ball 1993 zur Akzeptanz bunter Sexualität der Gegenwart / Fritz Hausjell. - Wien: Universität Wien, 2009.
• Wirtschaftsprüfung entlastet Life Ball- Organizer // DiePresse. - 2009. - September 2.
• AIDS-Charity-Gala - Bill Clinton auf Kurzbesuch in Wien // Wien.orf.at. - 2007. - May 24.