The Kaiserball is a New Year’s Eve ball in Vienna that began in 1970. It takes place in the Hofburg Palace being the formal imperial residence of the Habsburg

Habsburg

The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...

 family. The first Kaiserball was organized in 1970. Each year, Kaiserball hosts about 2,500 guests from over 30 different nations.

Organizer

The Wiener Kongresszentrum Hofburg Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H (HOFBURG Vienna) is the organizer of the Kaiserball. It is a private company that rents the State rooms from the Republic of Austria. The shareholders are companies of the Viennese Hotel business and tourism industry. All in all the international congress and events center offers 182000 sq ft (16,908.4 m²). of floor space spread across 35 rooms for events for anything from 50 to 4,900 people. The main State rooms such as the Festsaal and the Zeremoniensaal are opened to the Kaiserball.

History

The Kaiserball developed from the imperial tradition of the so called “Hofball” (court ball) and “Ball bei Hof” that were organized by the imperial couple Franz Joseph (1830–1916) and his wife Empress Elisabeth (1837–1898), who is better known as Sisi. Both ball events were taking place in the Hofburg being the imperial winter residence of the Habsburg family.

The Hofball used to take place towards the end of January, with Empress Elisabeth deciding the precise date. Once the court had gathered in the Zeremoniensaal - which is still one of the most stunning rooms at the Hofburg to this day- selected guests were invited to pay their respects to the Emperor and Empress in person. The popular buffet was set up in the nearby Grosser Redoutensaal. Meanwhile the dance floor was positively brimming with activity - after all some 2,000 ballgoers were in attendance. The last waltz commenced at exactly quarter past midnight, and drew this spectacular imperial event to an end.

The “Ball bei Hof” took place just two weeks later. This more intimate event, reserved for the ruling elite, drew around 700 high-ranking royals and members of the diplomatic corps. To qualify as "Hochadel" (higher nobility), aristocrats were required to demonstrate a lineage going back at least eight generations on both the maternal and paternal sides.The most valuable porcelain in the imperial dining service was unpacked for a formal dinner which was served in the Radetzky apartments and neighbouring rooms. The strict seating order was dictated by rank. Ladies spared no expense and took every care to ensure their appearance matched the occasion, happily parting with between 300 and 500 Gulden for an evening dress - more than the annual income of a court servant.

Programme 2011

The 42nd Kaiserball at the Hofburg Vienna on 31 December 2011 will be the most romantic New Year’s Eve in history. An unforgettable evening with rhythmic and romantic melodies by legendary stage musical composers such as Andrew Lloyd Webber and Leonard Bernstein in the former imperial residence. Themed Aspects of Love, this year’s Kaiserball will treat revellers to well-loved melodies. The opening ceremony will feature stage star Maya Hakvoort who will give a rendition of “Ich gehör nur mir” from hit German-language musical Elisabeth. Singers and dancers from top Austrian stages will treat ballgoers to a spectacular midnight show with classics including “I got Rhythm” and “Big Spender”. Austrian ball tradition also has a major part to play – the Colloredo Grenadiers will welcome guests at the entrance in line with traditional military ceremonial, the debutants committee will open with the traditional Fan Polonaise, and the unmistakable tones of the Blue Danube waltz will ring in the New Year. The young and the young at heart will have a choice of numerous live bands which move between the larger ball rooms, as well as the disco sounds on offer at the Tanzpalast bei Hof. After midnight everyone is invited to join in the popular public quadrille. Great food is an important part of any New Year’s celebration – this year the culinary treats will br in the shape of a four-course gala meal or sumptuous buffet. Cocktails are served in specially commissioned Kaiserball champagne flutes which visitors are free to take home as a memento of the evening.