Vienna – Pop singer Katy Perry arrived in Vienna Friday among other celebrity guests from the United States for the 2009 Life Ball AIDS
charity – which is also set to host former US President Bill Clinton on Saturday evening. The guest list for Europe’s largest event for the fight against AIDS/HIV also included Eva Longoria Parker, one of the stars of the TV series Desperate Housewives, as well as actress Pamela Anderson. Perry was on a special flight from New York, together with the R’n’B act Sister Sledge, socialite Ivana Trump, and sitcom comedian Fran Drescher, of Nanny fame, who arrived in a tiger coat. The square in front of the venue, Vienna’s Neo-Gothic town hall, was converted into a giant pool filled with more than 2 million litres of water for the opening ceremony, in line with this year’s theme of ‘Let love flow.’ Bill Clinton was travelling to Vienna to receive a donation on behalf of his foundation, which is involved in a number of global issues, including the treatment of HIV/AIDS and promoting sustainable development. Clinton was expected to stay only for the opening.
Since its first year in 1993, the Life Ball has evolved to a charity attended by celebrities and politicians every year. Some 4,000 guests and thousands more at the public opening flock to the event featuring exotic costumes and a fair share of naked skin.