Polyball

The Polyball is the most prestigious public event of the ETH Zurich. It has a long tradition since the 1880s and takes place annually at the end of November. The Polyball is the biggest decorated ball in Europe with approximately 9000 visitors and is a classic dance event. The exact year and the location of the first Polyball - then known as Akademie - is unknown. A general assumption is that the first ball took place in 1880. In 1929, the name changed from Akademie to Polyball. Since the 1940s each Polyball has its one theme with respective decorations of the ballrooms. Since its beginning in the Stadttheater Zürich (municipal theatre, now Zürich Opera House) the location has changed several times, such as Tonhalle Zürich, Grand Hotel Dolder, Zürcher Messegelände (Zürich fair areal) as well as the ETH main building, where it takes place today. The Polyball takes place within the main building of the ETH including the multifunctional hall. It starts at 19:00 on the last Saturday in November and ends at 05:00 on Sunday morning.