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Celebrities arrive in Vienna for Life Ball

The first of a host of celebrity Life Ball guests have landed in Vienna, direct from New York on a special Boeing plane - and were greeted with champagne, music and lots of cameras.

Celebrities arrive in Vienna for Life Ball
Gery Keszler and Marcia Cross. Photo: APA

The Life Ball, taking place on Saturday evening, is the biggest annual charity event in Europe supporting people with HIV or AIDS.

Desperate Housewives star Marcia Cross and singer Courtney Love flew in alongside pop star Kesha.

Actor Billy Zane said he was "looking forward to adding my voice to the good cause." He and Marcia Cross will be doing a reading as part of the Red Ribbon Celebration Concert this evening at the Burgtheater.

Life Ball organizer Gery Keszler said the plane journey had been lots of fun but that he hadn’t had enough sleep.

Transgender model Carmen Carrera, pictured on this year’s controversial poster for the event, said she was surprised over the debate caused by David LaChapelle’s design, which features Carrera nude with both male and female genitalia – and has attracted many complaints and a lawsuit.

"It's my first controversy, and if someone has felt offended, then I’m sorry," Carrera told reporters.

"But I think it's time to show that there is more than just male or female in this world. This is my message,” she added.

The far right Freedom Party is suing the Life Ball over the campaign, accusing the posters of being pornographic. People have been tearing the posters down, vandalising them, and painting over them.

Meanwhile actress Lindsay Lohan will fly to Vienna from London. Ricky Martin, Bill Clinton, Leona Lewis and Conchita Wurst have also confirmed their attendance.

The Life Ball will be broadcast live on ORF television, and The Local Austria will also be covering the event.  

 

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AIDS

Curtain to fall on Vienna AIDS ball after 26 years

One of the world's biggest AIDS charity events, Vienna's Life Ball, will be held for the last time in June, the organiser has announced.

Curtain to fall on Vienna AIDS ball after 26 years
In this file photo taken on June 2, 2018 artists perform during the opening ceremony of the "Life Ball" in front of Vienna City Hall. Photo: AFP

Gery Keszler said the progress achieved in fighting AIDS over the 26 years since the ball's inception meant it had become harder to raise funds to hold the event.

“AIDS has changed from a death sentence to being a chronic disease. The paradox of this success is that the number of allies for AIDS charity projects is decreasing both at home and abroad,” Keszler said in a statement.

Launched by former make-up artist Keszler, among others, and hosted in the prestigious surroundings of Vienna's Town Hall, the ball has raised around 30 million euros ($34 million) for anti-AIDS causes within Austria and abroad, according to organisers.

Rooted firmly in activism among Vienna's LGBT community, the ball grew into a major draw for celebrities, also attracting up to 45,000 spectators a year.

The event often grabbed headlines for the lavish costumes worn by famous guests — 2015's “Holy Spring” theme saw the red carpet teem with paradise birds, angels and Amazonian beauties.

Attendees have run the gamut from the world of politics — such as former US president Bill Clinton — to fashion stalwarts like Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier and Naomi Campbell.

Actors, such as Charlize Theron, Sharon Stone, Sean Penn and Antonio Banderas, have also graced the event alongside music stars, such as Elton John and Austria's own Conchita Wurst.

Eurovision winner Conchita said in a Facebook post that the ball had given her “countless beautiful memories”, adding: “It will always remain close to my heart.” 

However, the amount of money raised has progressively fallen — reaching just 1.3 million euros in 2018 — making it more difficult to justify the resources needed to organise the event.

The 26th and final edition of the ball is set for June 8, with American actress Katie Holmes among those attending.

Holmes is an ambassador for the AmfAR anti-AIDS foundation. Extra tickets will be on sale to cater to an expected rise in demand for the last ball, Keszler said.

“They were incredible, fantastic and intense years,” Keszler said, reflecting on the event's history.

“We achieved more than we ever dared hope. I am so eternally grateful,” he said, adding: “It is now time to bring this project to a fitting conclusion.”

He said that the Life+ association, which is responsible for putting the ball on, would continue to combat anti-AIDS stigma and discrimination.

Some of the previous beneficiaries of funds raised by the ball expressed their concerns over the impact of it ending.

The Aids Hilfe Wien association said it feared losing up to 200,000 euros a year which it uses to help HIV patients access treatment.

“We don't know how we will replace these funds,” association president Wolfgang Wilhelm told the APA agency.

Nevertheless Wilhelm thanked Keszler for what he called his “marathon-like efforts” over the years. 

“It has made an incalculable contribution to raising awareness as well as funds,” he said.

AIDS, or the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, is the most advanced stage of infection with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which targets the immune system.

The World Health Organization estimated around 36.9 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2017, with 1.8 million people newly infected that year and 940,000 HIV-related deaths.

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