Faced with hundreds of balls taking place in Vienna between November and March it is difficult to decide which one to attend. Each of them has something special to offer – the ‘Kaffeesiederball’ (Coffee brewers’ ball), the ‘Techniker Cercle’ (Ball of Industry and Technology), the ‘Jägerball’ (Hunters’ Ball), Opera Ball etc. We decided to go for the sweetest Ball at the Hofburg, and spend an evening among 180 pairs of debutantes, thousands of ball guests and gateaux. With all this to offer, the Zuckerbäckerball impressed us greatly, and here we can only recommend to attend it.

In our article ‘Let’s the Waltz begin` we have already described the classical course of events at a Viennese ball – there you will find all the necessary information. In this blogpost we want to give you some a lively insight what happens at a Viennese ball.

The Zuckerbäckerball is a bit different from all the other ball events – the words sweet and playful probably put it to the point. When the gates open at 20 pm, the guests will be punctually at the Hofburg, and the ladies are immediately welcomed with a sweet gift, assuring you that you won’t go home without a piece of gateau.

Already in the entrance hall you will see the amazing gateaux the confectioners have created for the ‘Confectioners’ Award’, all matching this year’s theme in Austria: The Eurovision Song Contest, to take place in May. Starting with the pictorial presentation of Conchita Wurst‘s winning song “Rise like a Phoenix” to musical gateaux, a great variety of designs were shown, in order to convince the jury.

At 9 pm sharp the wonderful opening ceremony of the ball started in the main hall.

After the entry of the first debutantes and the guests of honour a modern show-act was performed, mesmerizing all the ball guests. After that the debutantes showed the choreography they had rehearsed.

With “Alles Walzer” (let the waltzes begin) the ball was then opened. The guests stormed the ball room, turning their rounds in three-four time.

But there is more to the Zuckerbäckerball – after the opening you should also amble along the corridors of the Hofburg to discover other things: for example, the tombola, a guessing-game, roulette, the chocolate fountain or the show bakery, where visitors can watch the gateaux being decorated.

As in previous years, a special gateau was presented at midnight: The Prominent Gateau. This is created by a confectioner for a well known personality.

And on top of it all a special surprise awaits you at this ball: You can buy tombola tickets – and every ticket wins – you will be able to take away at least a gateau. In our case it was a delicious truffle gateau from K&K court confectioner Heiner, still reminding us of the ball the following day.

All in all a fantastic experience!

Have a wonderful time at the next ball – perhaps it will be the Zuckerbäckerball in 2016!

From our hotel the Hofburg, where most balls in Vienna are held, can be reached within a few minutes. For public transport it is best to take tram No. 2 in the Josefstädter Straße and descend at the Heldenplatz. From there it is about 2 minutes to the entrance. With a taxi the Hofburg can be reached in 5 minutes.