The evening opens with debutantes dancing Carl Michael Ziehrer’s Fächer-Polonaise, followed by the State Opera Ballet in costumes by Giorgio Armani and a short opera set.
Music ranges from Leonard Bernstein to Giuseppe Verdi.The ball is held under the patronage of Alexander Van der Bellen and draws a mix of politics, business and culture.
Among the international guests is Sharon Stone. Tickets sold out weeks ago, with part of the proceeds going to local charities. Broadcast live, the event remains the high point of Austria’s ball season, paused only for war in 1991 and the Covid years.