69. Wiener Opernball
Once a year the auditorium of the Vienna State Opera is dismantled and covered with a parquet floor to become the most famous ballroom in the world. The 69th Wiener Opernball is held under the patronage of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. The programme is timed to the minute: guests enter at 20:15, the Federal President arrives at 21:00, the opening ceremony by the debutants' committee at 22:00, "Alles Walzer" at 22:45 releases the floor, the midnight quadrille, then two more quadrilles before the end at 05:00. Nine floors, five dance floors, twenty bars and buffets. Strict dress code: floor-length ball gown for women (any colour, but no Tracht or Festdirndl), black tailcoat, white shirt, white bow tie and black patent shoes for men — the Galauniform is accepted. The evening is broadcast live by Austrian public television (ORF).
Line-up : Organisation: Wiener Staatsoper — Opernball-Büro. Under the patronage of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. Opening by the debutants' committee (Eröffnungskomitee), recruited by audition. For decades the ball was the stage for Richard Lugner's international guests (Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Kim Kardashian); he died in 2024.
How to get in
Opernball-Büro der Wiener Staatsoper — the only distribution channel for entrance cards, table seats and boxes (the official site rules out any other point of sale)
Boxes from the Opernball-Büro: 27 000 € for a circle box, 25 000 € for a double stage box, 19 000 € for a premium stage box or box table, 15 000 € for a single stage box or box table; membership of the Freundeskreis of the Wiener Staatsoper (Partner+ 8 250 €, Benefactor+ 11 000 €, Donatoren 33 000 €) opens the pre-emption right on these boxes. Entrance cards 435 € by draw (registration closed for 2027), table seats 665 € including the card, spectator cards 110 to 290 €.
The turnkey stay
On 4 February 2027 the Wiener Staatsoper stops being a theatre: in some thirty hours the stalls seats disappear, a ball floor is laid and 650 floral arrangements dress the boxes for the 69th Wiener Opernball. At 22:00 the fanfare announces the entrance of the Jungdamen- und Herrenkomitee — about 150 couples in white gowns and tailcoats — who open the ball to Ziehrer's Fächerpolonaise, before the famous "Alles Walzer" hands the floor to some 5 000 guests. Seven hours of waltzing follow across eight dance spaces, with quadrilles at midnight, 02:00 and 04:00, until the end at 05:00. White tie for the gentlemen, long gowns for the ladies: in Vienna, etiquette is part of the show.
Where to stay
- Hotel Sacher Wien — Philharmonikerstraße 4, right behind the Staatsoper: you cross the street in ball dress. A Viennese address since 1876, awarded 3 Michelin Keys and listed among the 50 Best Hotels of the World 2025. Suites with a view, including the Opera Penthouse Suite, the Madame Butterfly Suite and the Wiener Philharmoniker Suite. Sacher Boutique Spa (Seed to Skin and Royal Fern treatments, massages, sauna, hammam, fitness), the Rote Bar and Grüne Bar restaurants, the Blaue Bar, and Café Sacher with the Original Sacher-Torte.
- Grand Hotel Wien — Kärntner Ring 9, on the Ringstraße, a three-minute walk from the Opera — close enough to walk home at dawn in heels. Opened in 1870. The terrace restaurant 1870 (Austrian fusion cuisine) and the Japanese table Unkai, both awarded two toques by Gault&Millau; also the Grand Brasserie, the Unkai sushi bar and the Rosengarten café. Wellness area with gym, sauna and steam bath, plus a Ladies Only zone.
Where to dine
- Steirereck im Stadtpark — Three Michelin stars since 2025 — one of only two Austrian tables at this level, along with Amador. The house of Birgit and Heinz Reitbauer, contemporary Austrian cuisine fed by the restaurant's rooftop kitchen garden, the imperial orangery of Schönbrunn and the family farm at the Pogusch. Am Heumarkt 2a, in the heart of the Stadtpark, about ten minutes from the Opera. Service Monday to Friday, lunch and dinner; reservation essential.
- Konstantin Filippou — Two Michelin stars: the first in 2014, the second in 2018. Greek-Austrian chef Konstantin Filippou, born in Graz to an Austrian mother and a Greek father, serves contemporary cuisine here; Gault&Millau Chef of the Year in 2016. Dominikanerbastei 17, in the 1st district, about fifteen minutes on foot from the Opera. Open Monday and Thursday to Saturday, lunch and dinner — note, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
What to experience
- Valse viennoise et étiquette à la Tanzschule Elmayer — The reference dance school in Vienna, founded in 1919 and housed in the Palais Pallavicini (Bräunerstraße 13). On the programme: "Ball Express Courses" to revise the essential ball dances in three sessions, specific Viennese waltz training designed as preparation for ball openings, tailor-made private lessons and an etiquette strand (seminars and etiquette dinners). Enough to arrive at the Opernball knowing how to turn left, as they do at the opening.
- Morgenarbeit des lipizzans, École espagnole d'équitation — The morning training of the riders and their Lipizzaner stallions in the baroque Winterreitschule of the Hofburg (Michaelerplatz 1), accompanied by classical Viennese music. An imperial hour with no staging: the real work, suppling exercises and figures repeated tirelessly, in one of the most beautiful riding halls in the world, about ten minutes on foot from the Opera. Sessions at 10:00 or 11:30 depending on the date, tickets 18 to 29 €.
Official event website →