Life Ball Gala 2008
Europe's largest AIDS charity event

May 21 | archive | subscribe

From former US president Bill Clinton, actresses Sharon Stone and “Sex and the City” siren Kim Cattrall to Supermodel Linda Evangelista and hundreds of scantly clad models and attendees: only the 16th annual Life Ball, which was held in front of the historic Vienna’s city hall, could draw such a diverse audience.

Life Ball is Europe’s largest AIDS charity event with over 40,000 visitors enjoying “best costume” competitions, surprises, shows, music concerts, dancing points and fashion shows. Since 1992, Life Ball has raise more than 9.6mn Euros for people living with HIV and AIDS. This year, organizers are hoping to top last year’s proceeds of 1.2 million euros for HIV/AIDS charities.

Ever since the first Life Ball in 1993, world famous personalities and artists have supported the idea of the Life Ball, placed themselves in service of this charitable project, and lent their voices to the people concerned. With their appearances, personal impulses and involvement, Sharon Stone, Sir Elton John, Kylie Minogue, Catherine Deneuve, Liza Minnelli, Kelis, Dita von Teese, Heidi Klum, Dennis Rodman, Naomi Campbell and Randy Crawford and many more gave a clear sign against discrimination and ignorance while promoting the courageous and joyful sides of life. A large part of the Life Ball's success is due to their effort and commitment.

Highlights from the evening included Sharon Stone’s touching speech about discrimination and Cattrall handing over the Life Ball Crystal of Hope to Rosemary Mueni Mbaluka for her project Yier Ngima (Choose Life), an anti- HIV/AIDS project seeking to prevent mother-to-child transmission in Kenya.

They surely weren’t the typical Victoria’s Secret angels strutting on the catwalk of Life Ball 2008. Agent Provocateur tested the limits of how much eroticism the attendees could take without self-combusting or melting down from the heat of a mind-blowing, conceptual 30 minutes fashion and fantasy show.

The Life Ball is organised by AIDS Life, an independent non-profit organization with the objective to raise funds, half of which go to national relief projects and the other half to international organizations like amfAR, which support people in the most affected areas in the world. In 2007, the record result of 1.6 million US-Dollars was raised, with an additional 1 million US-Dollars at a Dinner Gala with Bill Clinton the night before the Life Ball. lifeball.org