For weeks, the organizing committee of the Science Ball has been experiencing extremely high demand from both Austria and abroad. Tickets can now be booked in the online shop. The prices: €150 for regular tickets, €60 for students. Tables can also be booked in the online shop; the boxes are already sold out.
City Councillor for Science Veronica Kaup-Hasler: “Vienna uniquely combines science and culture. The Science Ball is an expression of this distinctive Viennese spirit: a place where the thirst for knowledge, creativity, and social dialogue meet in a meaningful and joyful way. Only through the dynamic interplay of many perspectives can a picture emerge that does justice to our diverse, knowledge-hungry city.”
Oliver Lehmann, Chairman of the Organizing Committee: “The overwhelming interest not only pleases and honors us; it also demonstrates the enormous enthusiasm that science can now generate in Vienna. Enlightenment, rationality, a thirst for knowledge, and evidence are more important than ever as the foundations of our society. And that is precisely what the approximately 4,000 guests are celebrating at Vienna’s newest traditional ball.”
The program in the City Hall’s state rooms is a sparkling mix of engaging applications of fundamental physics research, such as the molecularly precise preparation and tasting of the legendary Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe, which won the Ig Nobel Prize in September, and an astrophysical journey into the Milky Way with the legendary Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. And, as always, the excellent music ranges from waltzes and jazz to soul and tango, including an opening committee and a midnight quadrille.
The program in the City Hall’s state rooms is a vibrant mix of inspiring applications of fundamental physics research, such as the molecularly accurate preparation and tasting of the legendary Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe, which won the Ig Nobel Prize in September, and an astrophysical exploration of the Milky Way with the iconic Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Once again, the rectors, presidents, and heads of all Viennese universities, private universities, universities of applied sciences, as well as the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), the International Institute of International and Advanced Studies (IIASA), and the Institute of Science and Technology Assessment (ISTA) will form the honorary committee, thus underscoring Vienna’s relevance as Central Europe’s most important university and research center. Highlights of the program, as well as the Ball Ambassadors from science, culture, and society, will be announced in the coming weeks.
A special program highlight is the Vienna Lecture on Science Communication on the day before the ball: On Friday, 23 January, at 4:00 p.m., the renowned German media and political scientist Astrid Séville will speak in the ÖAW’s ceremonial hall under the title “Kitsch and Crisis: Clarifying Science Communication Today,” addressing strategies for positioning science in the conflict with populism. In 2022, Séville was the Sir Peter Ustinov Visiting Professor at the University of Vienna. Participation is free, but registration is required.
Prior to this, the ball committee invites everyone to the traditional ball gown swap on Monday, January 12th, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the Biology Center of the University of Vienna next to the Vienna Biocenter.