The 2024 Purple Ball, hosted at the elegant Mount Nelson Hotel, was an unforgettable evening filled with purpose, passion, and profound generosity. This flagship black-tie event is the highlight of the Iris House calendar and plays a critical role in sustaining and expanding the life-changing work we do for special needs children and their families.

Thanks to the incredible support of our guests, donors, and sponsors, we are proud to announce a net profit of R528,816.00 raised on the night. These vital funds enable Iris House Children’s Hospice not only to continue offering free professional respite care and therapies to our existing families but to grow our team and expand our reach—bringing hope, care, and dignity to even more children with life-limiting conditions.

Founded in 2011, Iris House is dedicated to supporting children with complex needs and their families through home-based and hospice-based care, specialised therapies, counselling, family support services, and joyful community outings. We provide all of this completely free of charge, relying heavily on donor support and fundraising events like the Purple Ball.

The 2024 Purple Ball featured a powerhouse entertainment lineup with the fabulous 3 Tonnes of Fun bringing their energy and soul to the stage, beloved MC Danilo Acquisto keeping guests engaged and inspired, and dynamic auctioneer Stef Olivier driving spirited bidding in support of our cause.

We were honoured to welcome several high-profile guests, including Premier Alan Winde, our gracious Patron Tracy Winde, and the iconic Jan Braai with his wife Deetjie, whose presence reflected the deep commitment of civic and cultural leaders to the Iris House mission.

With heartfelt gratitude to our generous sponsors:

• Raats Wine
• Talinger Champagne
• Lionel Smit
• Martin Osner
• The Mount Nelson Hotel
• Angala Boutique Hotel
• Bush and Brush
• Jan Braai
• The Office of the Premier of the Western Cape
• Nitida Wine Estate
• Reyneke Organic Wines
• Once Upon a Dome

Your generosity ensures that we not only sustain our services, but expand our footprint, grow our care teams, and deliver an even larger basket of support to those who need it most. The success of this year’s Purple Ball means more children can be reached, more families can receive a break, and more lives can be touched by compassion.

Thank you for making this vision a reality.

Together, we are building a community where no special needs child is left behind.

A Night of Elegance and Generosity: The Success of the 2023 Purple Ball

We are thrilled to share the remarkable success of the 2023 Purple Ball, a night that combined sophistication, entertainment, and heartfelt generosity. Held on the 26th of August 2023 at the prestigious Mount Nelson, this event was a triumph for Iris House, raising an impressive R190,000.00 to support our mission.

Unforgettable Entertainment:

The enchanting evening began with the dulcet tones of Carol Thorns, setting the perfect ambiance at the French Champagne reception. Her performance added a touch of magic to the air as guests mingled and savored exquisite French Champagne against the backdrop of the iconic Mount Nelson.

Moving into the ballroom, the atmosphere was electric as Keanan Eksteen and his band took the stage. Their captivating performance not only delighted our esteemed guests but also contributed to the vibrant energy that characterized the night.

Distinguished VIP Guests:

Among the attendees were esteemed VIP guests who added an extra layer of significance to the evening. Premier Alan Winde and his wife Tracy, our Patron, graced the event with their presence, embodying their steadfast support for Iris House. Geordin Hill-Lewis, the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, added to the distinguished company, further emphasizing the community’s commitment to our cause.

Mrs. de Klerk of the FW de Klerk Foundation, along with Jan Braai and his wife, long-term supporters of Iris House, were also in attendance. Their unwavering dedication to our mission has been a source of inspiration, and we were honored to have them join us for this special occasion.

Heartfelt Contributions:

Under the skillful guidance of auctioneer Stef Olivier, the auction segment of the evening was a highlight, as guests eagerly bid on an array of exclusive items. The generosity displayed was awe-inspiring, and we are deeply grateful to all who participated, contributing to the substantial amount raised for Iris House.

Masterful Hosting:

The seamless flow of the evening was expertly orchestrated by our charming Master of Ceremonies, Danilo Acquisto. His wit and charisma added an extra layer of enjoyment to the event, ensuring that every moment was filled with laughter and a sense of community.

Supporting Iris House:

The funds raised during the 2023 Purple Ball will make a significant impact on Iris House’s ability to continue providing essential care and support to those who need it most. This success is a testament to the collective compassion and commitment of our community, coming together to make a difference in the lives of families in need.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed, attended, and made the 2023 Purple Ball an evening to remember. Your generosity enables Iris House to continue its vital work, making a positive impact on the lives of families in need.

As we celebrate the success of the 2023 Purple Ball, we look forward to future events that will further strengthen our mission and deepen the impact of our collective efforts.

Thank you for being a part of this extraordinary evening.

Sadly 2018 was the final year we hosted the Purple Ball at the wonderful Table Bay Hotel, we had simply outgrown the ballroom.  It was also the final year that Premier Helen Zille was our guest of honor. The evening was a spectacular success, event sponsor de Vere Acuma were extremely generous and sponsored the entire cost of the ball. Meaning that 100% of the profit from the evening reached Iris House. The evening raised just over R500 000 for Iris House Children’s Hospice. Highlights included a beautiful flower wall, reception entertainment from the amazing Carol Thorns (The lady in the bubble), as well as a performance by Jarrad Ricketts and DJ Rene.  VIP guests included The long term supporter Jan Braai, Mr. Analjit Sing and his lovely partner Nicolett, Minister Alan Winde, and his beautiful wife Tracy, and Barbara Lenhard.

Every year our Grand Ball just seems to get better and better, This year’s Crystal theme was beautifully carried through the whole event even including our guest’s complimentary gifts of a Crystal pen sponsored by Jack Friedman. Our auction items and auctioneer Stef were world-class, and included art pieces and a Tag Hauer watch from new sponsor Top Watch. We beat all previous records and raised over R750 000 on the night. Special guests included Gavin Smith CEO of our sponsors the de Vere Acuma group, Minister Alan Winde, Tim Harris CEO of Wesgro Miss SA, Mr. SA, Jan Braai, and Iris House super supporter Craig Capper.  It was a truly magical evening. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this event the success it was. A  special thank you to Boutique Styling who’s a unique brand of magic made sure our event sparkled.

Our Grand Ball is in it’s 4th year and remains the highlight of our fundraising calendar. This year was very special as the De Vere Group South Africa came on board as our event sponsor.  We were honoured to have Premier Helen Zille as our guest speaker, as well as VIP guest’s Minister Alan Winde,The FW de Klerk Foundation, Jan Braai and Doctor Darren Green.  MC Danilo Acquisto was wonderful as was our amazing line up of entertainment including Zoe and Friends, DJ Rene, Afrodizzyacts, The Oyster King, Belly Dancers, Poi Dancers and more. The evening raised an amazing R310,000.00 in donations and gifts in kind. A special thank you to the Enov8 Team for their fabulous event organising skills and the Table Bay Hotel for hosting our guest in such style. Next years ball will be held on the 27th of August 2016 and has a Great Gatsby Theme.

This year’s Parisian Winter Wonderland Ball held on the 23rd of August at the Table Bay Hotel raised the bar on the standard of our biggest event of the year by a mile. Event Management specialist’s EnOv8 Events took on the organizing of the Ball pro bono and pulled off an evening of glamour and fantastic entertainment. MC / Auctioneer Danilo made sure the evening went off without a hitch. Entertainment from soulful singer Phoenix and DJ King “DJ Rene“, The Oyster King and the wonderful Dance Xtreme dancers ensured everyone had a wonderful time.  Premier Helen Zille was in attendance, as was Tim Harris (the sexiest man in politics) MEC Alan Winde and Mr David Steward of the FW de Klerk Foundation. Premier pledged R20,000.00 towards the repairs of our new building as did the FW de Klerk Foundation. New guests at the Ball, The De Vere Group stunned the audience with their generosity and pledged an eye-popping R40,000.00. In total after all expenses were paid Iris House raised R104,000.00 on the night. 

The 2nd annual Iris House Vega Ball was held on Saturday the 17th of August at the Table Bay Hotel. The evening was a huge success with several of our family’s joining us on the evening. What was really fantastic was the amount of people who “paid it forward” paying  the ticket price for some of our of less fortunate family’s to attend. A long term supporter of Iris House Susan Bohler sponsored 4 of our Mfuleni families to attend two of our own families Deborah Calitz and Justine Quinn both sponsored families. Thank you so much for your generous gesture ! The evening was Mc’d by the wonderful Danilo of Hectic Nine 9 fame, entertainment was in the form of  Barbara Kleinpenning who wowed our guest with her talented piano playing , Charles Summerfield and the URJ, our very own Robin  “Elvis”, Magician Marcel Oudejans and the wonderful dancers from Dance Xtreme led by another one of our Moms, Michelle. The auction was conducted by our director Gavin Robinson who despite having just come out of hospital did us proud. Our guest speaker was  Western Cape Premier Helen Zille who delivered a moving speech and reinforced her support of Iris House.  A huge thank you everyone involved in the Ball, our Fantastic Fundraising Team, David Fisher (photographer), Steve (Video), Sam and Lee Ann of Crimson Edge events, Maureen Summerfield, Tracy Winde and everyone mentioned above. We made R24,000.00 profit from the evening, compared to R8000 in 2012.

Our Masked Ball committee pulled out all the stops and pulled off what can only be described as a wonderful evening. The premier Helen Zille spoke from the heart and is well aware of the need for our services, during her speech she mentioned that the tragedy was not the Children in the care of Iris House but those we have not reached yet. It reminded us all just how much work we still have to do. Our MC for the evening Dan Skinstad was in a word “amazing” For those who don’t know Dan was born with Cerebral Palsy and has overcome so many obstacles in his life, a true inspiration. A big thank you to Michelle “Julia’s Mom” for bringing her talented dancers to perform for us. Total raised was R8000