Let’s waltz! - ball season 2019

Around 60,000 ball fans from all over Austria and the rest of the world experience Viennese ball tradition at its finest in the opulent state rooms of the Hofburg each year, boosting the city’s tourism sector in the process. On 31 December 2018, around 2,500 guests from 50 countries rang in the New Year in style at the HOFBURG Silvesterball. The Viennese ball season (during January to March) continues to dazzle with an exceptional variety of events.

Highlights include the sweet Zuckerbäckerball, the rocking WU, TU and BOKU student balls, and events with a distinctly Austrian flavour such as the Jägerball and the Steirerball where guests dress in traditional Alpine fashion. And then come the classics like the Wiener Ärzteball, Juristenball and the Ball der Pharmacie. Each and every one has a charm all of its own that guarantees a captivating and memorable night’s entertainment.

With more than 2,000 hours of dancing and celebrations, the ball season is not just a highlight of the Viennese cultural calendar – it is also a major contributor to the local and national economy. The former imperial residence is the most popular ball venue in the nation’s capital. On average, guests spend EUR 275 on a night at the ball. As the host of a wide variety of ball events once again in 2019, the Hofburg Vienna plays a major part in the sector’s success, and will help to drive up the number of overnight stays in the city thanks to its unique atmosphere.

MOTTO Catering treats guests with its delectable food and drinks deep into the early hours. Over the course of the season, the company supplies 20,000 bottles (wine, Sekt, champagne), up to five tonnes of crushed ice and more than 3,000 portions of its ice cream specialities. And then there are the ever-popular Sacher-Würstel sausages, sandwiches and snacks – with Faschingskrapfen doughnuts a firm favourite.