A New Year’s greeting to the whole world: every year at the turn of the year, the traditional Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performs from the great repertoire of the Strauss dynasty and its musical contemporaries. The concerts take place at the Vienna Musikverein.
The New Year’s Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
The Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert is the most famous New Year’s concert in the world and traditionally takes place on January 1st in the Großer Musikvereinssaal in Vienna. It is watched live on television by more than 50 million people in around 92 countries and is primarily dedicated to the works of the Strauss dynasty (Johann Strauss father and son, Josef Strauss, Eduard Strauss).
History and significance
The first concert took place on December 31, 1939, but since 1941 it has always been held on New Year’s Day. The program is closely linked to waltz music and the Strauss family, which goes back to the conductor Clemens Krauss.
Schedule and program
The concert begins at 11:15 a.m. on January 1 and lasts around two and a half hours. In addition to the works of the Strauss dynasty, pieces by other composers will occasionally be performed. In 2025, a work by a woman, the Ferdinandus Waltz by Constanze Geiger, was included in the program for the first time, and the concert is broadcast worldwide and is a musical highlight at the beginning of the year.
Tickets and raffle
The demand for tickets is enormous. Tickets are allocated exclusively via an online raffle, for which you can register in February of the previous year.
More New Year’s concerts in Vienna
Vienna offers numerous other New Year’s concerts that enjoy great popularity:
- Vienna Hofburg Orchestra: concerts on January 1 in the ballroom of the Vienna Hofburg with waltzes, polkas and operetta music by Strauss, Lehár and Kálmán, as well as arias by Mozart.
- Schönbrunn Palace Orchestra: Concert on January 1st in the Orangery Schönbrunn with works by Mozart and Strauss.
- Vienna Royal Orchestra: special concerts on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day at the Haus der Industrie.
- Feminist New Year’s Concert in the Ehrbar Hall: Since 2024 with works by female and male composers, performed by an ensemble of female members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
