Vienna: Ring in the New Year in Style
Vienna's entire inner city turns into a massive party zone on New Year's Eve, which attracted up to one million people every year pre-Covid. The Silvesterpfad "New Year's Path" starts at 2 pm on December 31 and ends at 2 am on January 1. Enjoy concerts on the streets, dance to the ever-present sound of the waltz and the latest chart hits and watch the fireworks at the stroke of Midnight, accompanied by all the church bells ringing (and half the town dancing to the Blue Danube Waltz on the street!). Wondering about the stalls selling little pigs, shamrocks and chimney sweeps along the path? Austrians are big on lucky charms. Other things we quite like on New Year's (and any other winter day): mulled wine and punch to warm up!
If you prefer to count down the hours indoors, you might want to book a ticket for the New Year's Eve Ball, held at the Imperial Palace (back in 2023). On New Year's Eve and January 1, the Viennese State Opera and the Volksoper host gala performances of Johann Strauss' "Die Fledermaus" ("The Bat").