It’s the time of the year again when charitable citizens of Australia and their fun-loving mates break out their costumes and wallets for a night of wild partying and serious fundraising. This month, the Australian Chamber of Commerce (Austcham) hosts the 14th annual Great Australian Ball, a spectacle of costumes, fundraising activities, and good will as guests help out the underprivileged while partying hard.

The annual gala ball began in 1994 with the theme, Under the Sea and has grown bigger every year since. With themes ranging from the Sydney Olympic inspired Conquering Olympics, to last year’s Aussie Horror Picture Show, the event exemplifies the creativity and ingenuity of the Australian community.

Boom or Bust is this year’s theme with fundraising activities such as the Liquidation Live Auction, the Under the Table Silent Auction, and the Cookie Man Cash Machine. For the more adventurous, guests can ‘test their skills riding a bull and bear market’ on the automated Racks Bucking Bull. Every year, donations are collected through fundraising activities such as these and transferred to good causes.

Last year, the money raised at the ball was donated to victims of the Sichuan earthquake. A whopping total of RMB 480,000 was raised at the Aussie Horror Picture Show. The top live auction prize itself fetched RMB 40,000. Auction prizes such as restaurant vouchers, hotel stays, lifestyle packages, and signed memorabilia are donated by Austcham and community members. The funds combined with those collected from the weekly Aussie Drinks went to re-equipping the earthquake ravaged Sangzao No. 1 Primary School in the Sichuan province with drinking fountains, laser printers, and computers. Xinxing Aid for Street Kids provided psychosocial support for survivors shaken by the colossal disaster.

This year, the Aussie ball will raise money for the Golden Years Kindergarten in Qingcun, where they provide scholarships for migrant children who cannot afford tuition fees. The fundraising target for this year is RMB 200,000 and will go towards finding full and partial scholarships, school field trips, and family activity days. Irina Mach, Austcham’s Events and Marketing Manager, says, “Even in times of crisis the Australian community digs deep to help those in need.”

The event is one of the biggest on Shanghai’s social calendar, and its growing stature means its ability to help the community grows with it. “Each year the ball gets bigger and bigger than the last. We definitely see the ball continuing in the future with more inspired themes and creative Australian ideas,” says Irina. More than 700 people will be attending the ball, from established industry leaders to just arrived expats from all over Shanghai.

“The aim for each ball is to raise funds for a great cause while having a great night out,” Irina says. Guests can savour gourmet food, sip premium Australian wine, or knock back beers while dancing all night and partaking in the fundraising activities available. The costumes are another thing to look forward to. Irina expects, “everything from the gorgeous to the outrageous, booming millionaires to Aussie battlers and all things in between.” Stop by their website to browse the wild costume ideas for the ball with get-ups as crazy as a busting out Pamela Andersen, a wasted bum, and dresses made of dollar bills. Dress up as anything from a shamed, fraudulent business tycoon to a gold digger for the sensational charity.