29. July 2006.

The Balatonfüred Anna Ball, traditionally held on the nearest Saturday to St Anne's Day, is always greatly anticipated. Every year the picturesque surroundings draw guests to this elegant lakeside resort, which served as a summer meeting place for the most eminent artists and politicians of the country as long ago as the early 1800s.

The Herend Porcelain Manufactory has been the chief sponsor of the oldest and most famous ball in Hungary since 1997. The promotion of classic beauty and cultural values has always been an integral part of the corporate culture of the Manufactory.
The event and the Manufactory are linked in a number of ways.
The famous Balatonfüred table service depicting contemporary local scenes and buildings of Lake Balaton and Füred, including the Horváth House where the first ball was held, was created in the middle of the 19th century.
Perhaps one of the most romantic stories is linked to a renowned Herend hussar figurine.
The figurine depicts Ernő Kiss, later a Martyr of Arad following the 1848-1849 revolution and fight for freedom, wearing the uniform of the Hanoverian Hussar Regiment, who met and fell in love with his wife-to-be, Anna Krisztina Horváth at the first Anna Ball.

The climax of the evening is the crowning of the Queen of the Ball. On arrival each female guest receives a numbered porcelain heart, which they wear during the ball and keep as a souvenir afterwards. Votes are cast according to these numbers.
The 181st Balatonfüred Anna Ball saw Anna Apró, a 17 year-old student from Zalaegerszeg, crowned as Queen. Her ladies-in-waiting were Dóra Lasztovicza, a 18 year-old student from Tapolca and Petra Havasi, a 16 year-old student from Üröm. The Queen of the Ball received a Queen Victoria vase, her first lady-in-waiting a Rothschild vase and her second lady-in-waiting an Apponyi vase.
The Ernő Kiss Prize, founded three years ago, went to András Sugár, the former Chief Executive of T-Mobile.
The evening was further enhanced by the serving of the festive dinner on a porcelain service adorned by the Apponyi pattern.
The ball was opened on Saturday evening by József Gráf, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Three hundred guests partook in the event, including a number of public figures and artists. On Sunday morning the Queen of the Ball and her ladies-in-waiting rode around Balatonfüred in a horse-drawn carriage, accompanied by Balatonfüred Mayor dr. István Bóka and his Deputy Mayors, Jenő Nagy and dr. Pál Kiszely.