Concordia Ball

After the Concordia journalists ‘and writers’ association was founded in 1859, the idea of ​​a carnival event soon came to mind. On January 19, 1863, the first Concordia Ball took place in the Sofiensaal, which quickly became a fixed point of social life in Vienna. From the beginning it was visited by the respective celebrities from politics, society and art and was already described in the morning post in 1865 as the crown of the elite balls. Until the 50th anniversary ball in 1914, the events only took place in 1889 – the death of Crown Prince Rudolf, who was a regular visitor to the ball – and in 1913.

After the First World War and the collapse of the monarchy, the importance of the Concordia Ball faded. At the beginning of the 1930s, he fell victim to the difficult political and economic conditions and was completely discontinued in the state. After the annexation of Austria, the Press Club Concordia was forcibly dissolved by the National Socialists. Even after the war, despite the reactivation of the Concordia press club, it was initially not possible to think of a ball.

In 1960 the Concordia Ball was revived by the President of the Press Club Rudolf Kalmar with the support of Vice Mayor Hans Mandl. Since then, the Concordia Ball has taken place in the town hall during the Wiener Festwochen.