The Austrian capital of Vienna bade farewell to the iconic Life Ball AIDS charity fundraiser Saturday as its extravagant costumes and celebrity guests took over the city's town hall for the last time.
Launched by former make-up artist Gery Keszler, among others, the ball has raised around 30 million euros (USD34 million) for anti-AIDS causes within Austria and abroad since its first edition in 1993, organisers say.
Keszler announced last month that this year's edition of the ball would be the last due to a lack of funding.
This year's ball began with a spectacular opening ceremony inspired by the worlds of magic and the circus, as well as the classic film The Wizard Of Oz.
Austrian Eurovision winner and drag star Conchita Wurst was one of the "ringmasters" of the evening's festivities and kicked off the opening ceremony with a procession of acrobats, circus freaks, stilt-walkers and -- in a nod to