Salzburg on New Year's Eve 2026: the Altstadtsilvester on the Kapitelplatz, the midnight firework from the fortress, the galas, and what is open on 31 December and 1 January

💡 The Short Version: The free Altstadtsilvester on the Kapitelplatz runs from 14:00 on Thursday 31 December 2026 to 1:00, with the children’s firework at 15:45, all bells at 18:00 and a firework from Hohensalzburg Fortress at midnight. Private fireworks are prohibited in Salzburg. The Christkindlmarkt is open 10:00 to 18:00 on 31 December, with selected food stalls to 1:00, and 11:00 to 18:00 on 1 January. The catacombs at St Peter’s are shut on 31 December and 1 January, and Mozart’s Birthplace opens at 12:00 on 1 January. Night trolleybuses run every 30 minutes from 23:00 to 1:00. Or book a tour: the Original Sound of Music Tourad is from €75 and the Hohensalzburg Fortress ticketad from €19.20 (GetYourGuide).

⚠️ 1 January. The Mirabell Palace and its Marble Hall are closed on holidays, the catacombs at St Peter’s are closed on 31 December and 1 January, and Mozart’s Birthplace and Residence open at 12:00. Hours are the operators’ own.

The Altstadtsilvester

Kapitelplatz · Thursday 31 December 2026, 14:00 to 1:00 · free

The Verein Salzburger Christkindlmarkt, which runs the Christkindlmarkt, organises it. From 27 December the market becomes a New Year’s market, and the Kapitelplatz stage is free from food and sales stands.

On 1 January there is a New Year’s waltz at 11:00, Robert Rias at 13:00, a Dixie band at 14:00 and the Lungau Big Band at 15:00, ending at 18:00.

The tourist board adds gun salutes from the fortress at 16:00 and, shortly afterwards, from the Staatsbrücke, and the cathedral bells at midnight. The private use of firecrackers or fireworks of any kind is prohibited in Salzburg. The ice rink on Mozartplatz is open until 20:00 on 31 December, with a punch stand to 1:00, and from 12:00 to 20:00 on 1 January. Salzburg Christmas markets 2026 has the hours of the other markets, among them the Sternadvent, which runs to 6 January.

What is open on 31 December and 1 January

What to book before you go to Salzburg has the weekly hours and the fortress page the funicular. The Neutor tunnel is closed to cars and buses until about the end of March 2027, and trolleybuses 1, 8, 10 and 22 are diverted.

A table for the night

• The St. Peter Stiftskulinarium serves a five-course gala menu on 31 December, from 17:30, and an à la carte lunch from 12:30 to 14:45. Reservations are confirmed by credit card within 72 hours.
• The Mozart Dinner Concert holds a New Year’s Eve gala at 18:00 for €287 without drinks, with evening attire requested and a 50% discount for children up to 10 on request: see Mozart concerts in Salzburg.
• Zwettler’s, Sternbräu and the other inns are in where to eat in Salzburg. The Augustiner Bräustübl is shut on 31 December and 1 January.

Getting home

On the nights before public holidays, which includes 31 December, the trolleybuses 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10 run every 30 minutes from 23:00 to 1:00, and the Salzburg Local Railway’s NachtExpress leaves the Hauptbahnhof at 0:08, 1:08 and 2:08. Overnight guests ride free on the Guest Mobility Ticket.

The night itself

The sun sets at about 16:20 on 31 December, and December’s mean daily maximum is 4.7°C and the minimum -2.0°C on GeoSphere Austria’s 1991 to 2020 normals for Salzburg. The best time to visit Salzburg has the weather by month. The UK Foreign Office says petty crime, particularly pickpocketing, is higher in big city centres, so keep bags closed in the Kapitelplatz crowd.

New Year’s Eve fireworks over the right bank of the Salzach, seen from the Mönchsberg. Photo: Nimix, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Plan the rest

Where to stay in Salzburg compares the areas, and 3 days in Salzburg fits the sights round the closed days. Salzburg’s Christmas markets cover the weeks before.