New Year’s Eve in Vienna: Hofburg Silvesterball

In 2010, I experienced Vienna for the first time and I was instantly enamored with the city.  I went to the city by myself and took in the lovely buildings, silently shed a tear watching Don Giovanni, and ate the famous Sacher Torte. I returned in 2011 with a good friend, but always felt I wanted to return with someone I was in love with as the city is so romantic. Fast forward to December 31^st, 2014. My now husband and I were in our gala attire ready to embark on a fairytale journey: the Hofburg Silvesterball.  The Silvesterball marks the start of the ball season in Vienna. If you travel to Vienna during the month of January, I highly suggest you pack a ball gown or tuxedo since you will be tempted to waltz away in the lovely settings of the city. 

We arrived at the ball at 9:15pm to witness the opening of the grand staircase to begin the festivities. The opening of the Grand Staircase was quite the event. At 10pm sharp, classical music began to play and gorgeous ballerinas descended upon the staircase. The costumes were beautifully whimsical, it transported me to what it would have been like to experience such an event two hundred years ago.  We then headed to the main ball room where the Viennese debutantes, all dressed in beautiful white gowns danced with their partners a classic waltz.  A classical concert followed, performed by the Vienna State Opera. During the concert, we were enticed by the gorgeous opera voice of Barbara Payha, who swayed around the ballroom in a beautiful ball gown as she sang.  

As a guest, you can purchase tickets to a gala dinner, but they are quite expensive (465 Euros for dinner and ball). If you can afford it, I recommend it as you will have the best seats in the house once the ball commences.  It was difficult to take photos as the venue was quite crowded.  Those are the moments where you are forced to be present, live in that moment, and take in the magical atmosphere.  Our seats were in the adjacent room to the main ballroom.  Although our sitting area was not in the main ballroom, as a general guest you had access to the main ball room to see the performances and dance the night away.  There were several cash bars available to purchase drinks and even bottles of wine or champagne.  Additionally, there was even a gourmet snack bar where you can purchase your “new year snack”.  The new year snacks range from snack plates of charcuterie and cheese to the traditional wurst.

We walked around the ball areas to take in the atmosphere.  You have a mix of locals and international tourists who want to experience a traditional Viennese ball. I heard many languages from Mandarin to Spanish. These differences in cultures were also seen by the dresses seen on the dancefloor: fluffy ball gowns, eccentric evening gowns, traditional evening gowns, and even a traditional Japanese Kimono.  As for me, I wore a lovely Aidan Mattox gown I purchased earlier this year from Neiman Marcus. My intent was to wear it to a friend’s wedding but my father passed away the day before the wedding. I kept the dress knowing there will be another occasion to wear it.  Wearing the gown with my wedding jewelry and shoes made me think of the special moments and how my father was probably in Vienna, in spirit seeing me do what I love: dance and chronicle.

We danced some more and had our New Year snack. It was pretty surreal to eat a wurst (sausage) with a roll wearing a ball gown but apparently it is very traditional to do so in Vienna. The music continued way after midnight with a series of Soloists from the Vienna State Opera performing. It was an epic way to conclude the evening.

By 2am, my feet were sore and we were both tired. Needless to say, I’m not the rockstar I used to be. The challenging part was leaving the Hofburg Palace as taxis were far in between. It was pretty cold out and we stood in line for almost thirty minutes waiting for a taxi.  It occurred to me to check Uber and see if they had service in Vienna. Thankfully they did! In a few minutes we were on our way to the hotel.