On Saturday, January 25, the diversity, acceptance, solidarity, and visibility of the queer community were celebrated for the 27th time at the Vienna Rainbow Ball at the Austria Trend Parkhotel Schönbrunn. An evening in the tradition of the classic Viennese ball, and at the same time the most colorful ball of the year. The coveted ball tickets were completely sold out after just 4 days this year.

Once again, the evening was hosted by Peter Schreiber, known from the music and event industry. As usual, the ball evening was opened by the dance committee, under the guidance of dance master Bernard Bach from the Schwebach dance school, in the historic ballroom. Dancing took place to the lively music of the Vienna Ladies Orchestra Johann Strauß.

The highlight of the ball evening was the midnight performance: The Baroness of Soul Monika Ballwein enchanted visitors with her incomparable voice and hits such as “Ain’t Nobody,” “This Is Me,” and “Defying Gravity.” Additionally, Grazia Patricia, Metamorkid, and Ryta Tale with their DOLL HAUS – Trio Edition as well as the band A-live provided good vibes and entertainment.

Thanks to the support of the L’Oréal Groupe, a wide range of offers was available for all guests: two photo booths – one from La Roche Posay and one from the parent company L’Oréal Groupe itself, a 360-degree video booth, as well as the popular Styling Corner, where guests could have their makeup refreshed by professional make-up artists. Furthermore, the tombola once again offered fantastic prizes and grand prizes, and even the last bag of ball giveaways was handed out.

For dance-loving guests, not only the ballroom (including taxi dancers) was open, but also the dance floor (powered by Tanzschule Schwebach) and the ball disco with DJ MART.i and DJ Shane. Alternatively, DJ NicA and DJ J’aime Julien provided music of all genres in a relaxed atmosphere at the Gloriette Bar of the Parkhotel.

The 4th Rainbow Ball Award went to the project “Communityraum” of the Homosexual Initiative Linz. Thanks to the kind support of Out@L’Oréal, the internal LGBTQIA+ network of employees of the L’Oréal Groupe, our sister association was pleased to receive prize money of €2,500.

It is not only thanks to the kind support of sponsors and partners that it is possible to organize the ball in this form, but above all due to the commitment of the activists of HOSI Vienna and countless volunteers. I would like to thank them all from the bottom of my heart, because without them an event like the Vienna Rainbow Ball would not be possible.