Once a year, the Vienna State Opera turns into a beautiful and elegant ballroom for the Vienna Opera Ball - a gala often described as the "ball of all balls" for being the most glamorous of the more than 450 balls that fill the city's ball season.

With television broadcasts, more than a million people enjoyed the spectacle of 150 young couples making their dream come true in Austria's illustrious tradition on this unique ballroom floor.

On Thursday night, some 5,000 guests partied away and danced into the small hours of the morning at the high-society event, including international celebrities from the world of culture, business, politics, academia and sports.