The BUT Ball danced on the edge of the unknown

On December 6, the Brno Exhibition Center transformed into a cosmic stage where technology and space met on the dance floor. The largest ball in the Czech Republic, the BUT Ball, which was also the grand finale of the university's 125th-anniversary celebrations, attracted nearly 4,000 guests. An evening full of light effects, breathtaking design, and futuristic motifs once again confirmed that Brno’s technology doesn’t fear the edge of the unknown and, on the contrary, aims to continue pushing it forward.

This time, BUT Ball teleported its guests to space. “When choosing this year’s theme, we based it on the idea that curiosity and the desire to explore the world are innate human traits. From exploring the smallest particles to distant galaxies, science and technology help us daily push the boundaries of what we know and open doors to the unknown. The team members are proud graduates and students of BUT, a university that has been helping to push the boundaries of knowledge for 125 years, and so the goal of this year’s ball was to support the anniversary of our alma mater as much as possible,” explains Anna Kruljacová, who was also the coordinator of this year's BUT celebrations.

For the organizers, the edge of the unknown represents space, which is all around us, and the entire pavilion interior was designed with a space theme. Visitors could admire, for example, the hanging inflatable Sun in the center of the pavilion or the ten-meter Astrosphere, which was loaned to the university by the Brno Observatory and Planetarium. Additionally, there were thematic photo booths throughout the pavilion, created in collaboration with student organizations and teams such as ArcSiola, YSpace, TU Brno Racing, and strojLAB. The unique stage, light design, and technical coordination were once again handled by VISUALOVE, alumni of BUT.

“The BUT Ball is traditionally the pinnacle social event of our university during the pre-Christmas season and this year especially, as it was the grand finale of the 125th-anniversary celebrations of BUT’s founding,” says Ladislav Janíček, rector of BUT, and continues: “Perfect design, an amazing audiovisual show, technical solutions, impressive space-themed effects, and great music created an uplifting atmosphere and became a convincing showcase of the professionalism and skill of our students and alumni. And I sincerely thank them with great pleasure and pride for this. Special thanks also go to the ball’s partners, without whose support the event would not have reached the scale it did, allowing us to wonderfully conclude the anniversary celebrations of our university this year.”

The BUT Ball, organized by students and alumni of the university, has a tradition dating back to 2015. Only the first edition took place at ZONER Bobyhall; subsequent editions have been held in the pavilions at the Brno Exhibition Center. For the 125th anniversary of the university, the BUT Ball utilized the full capacity of Pavilion P, which had only been used previously in 2019 when the university celebrated its 120th anniversary. Each year, the ball is themed differently. Every edition brings an original theme – engineers have danced in worlds of magic, under the stars, and even in a winter fairy tale.

The organizers of the BUT Ball have already announced the date of the 9th edition. “Mark your calendars for Friday, December 12. What will the theme be? We won’t reveal that just yet, but we’ll probably unveil it in the fall. It will definitely be worth it. All information will be shared on our social media in due time,” adds Anna Kruljacová with a smile.