HOLLYWOOD — The Nurses Ball is once again underway on “General Hospital.” That means you can buckle up for some big surprises!

Viewers will be shocked – more than once! Well, that’s a Nurses Ball tradition. Beyond that, though, the ball came to be 31 years ago to raise awareness in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

The character Lucy Coe, played by Lynn Herring, once again takes the stage to steer the Nurses Ball.

This “General Hospital” fan favorite weeklong event always seems to set new things in motion – for better or for worse!

“This year, it’s pretty smooth sailing until the very end and then everything falls apart,” said executive producer Frank Valentini.

“This time I am so excited about this ball because of what happens and how the audience is going to be thrown into chaos by this whole thing,” said Herring. “I can’t wait to see the reaction. It’s two barn burners, literally, no pun intended, that happen.”

“It couldn’t get possibly bigger and yet this Nurses Ball brings even more drama than we ever could have imagined,” said Lisa LoCicero, who plays Olivia Quartermaine.

“I can’t give it away but it’s pretty good,” added Valentini.

Valentini would say you can expect a couple of giant story reveals – and one big casting surprise. What else is around the corner?

“I’d say you are in for a big surprise with people who are very close to me. And I think you are going to see me getting a lot closer to certain characters after the Nurses Ball,” said Braedyn Bruner, who plays Emma Scorpio-Drake.

And at the Nurses Ball, you can always expect the unexpected.

We’ve already seen the show’s violin virtuoso take the stage. Actor Giovanni Mazza, who plays Gio Palmieri, performed an original song he released when he was just 12.

And Kristina Wagner is involved in a western number with her co-stars.

“We are doing things out of our comfort zone and, you know, we are doing things that might even be a little out of character,” said Wagner. “It’s a fun opportunity for us to just have a good time.”

The Nurses Ball fun and drama continues all week on ABC Daytime. “General Hospital” airs weekdays on ABC and next day on Hulu.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC and this ABC station.