Graz Opera Ball puts love at centre of 2027 event

The 26th Graz Opera Ball will take place on Jan. 30, 2027, under the theme “Love is in the Air!”, ORF Steiermark reported as organisers unveiled the programme on Monday.

Opera director Ulrich Lenz said the theme was inspired by the many couples in the current season’s productions, including Faust and Margarete, Mimi and Rodolfo, Romeo and Juliet, and Tinja and Pino from “Perfect Matsch”. Overall director Bernd Pürcher said the event aimed to preserve familiar traditions while trying new ideas. He has organised and shaped the ball since 2000.

Verena Scheitz and Christoph Wagner-Trenkwitz will host together for the first time. Both also appear in Iiro Rantala’s “Perfect Match” at Graz Opera. The Grazer Philharmoniker, conducted by first Kapellmeister Johannes Braun and joined by the Graz Opera Choir, will open the evening with John Paul Young’s “Love is in the Air”. Debutantes will enter to ABBA’s “Honey, Honey”, followed by performances featuring couples and romantic entanglements from opera and ballet.

Isabel Toccafondi will take charge of the ball’s decor for the first time. Lenz highlighted her focus on using materials carefully and reusing stage sets. About 800 square metres of parquet flooring will link the auditorium and stage to form the ballroom. Florist Christian Kober will provide around 10,000 blooms, with Blumen Grollitsch adding exotic plants on loan.

About 1,000 people will work on the event, and organisers expect 2,500 guests. Tickets cost 280 euros, with additional options including tables, seats and boxes. Pürcher said a study of the previous ball estimated it generated around four million euros in value for the regional economy.