In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The free Silvesterpfad runs on 31 December 2026 from 14:00 to 02:00 on eight sites in the old centre, and at midnight the crowd dances to the Blue Danube and the Pummerin, the cathedral bell. Fireworks are banned across the city. The Philharmonic New Year’s Concert (1 January 2027, 11:15) was a lottery that closed on 28 February 2026; it is shown live on screens at Stephansplatz and the Riesenradplatz. The State Opera plays Die Fledermaus on 31 December. Shops close at 17:00. Or book a concert: the Advent, Christmas and New Year’s concertsad are from €25 for 70 minutes.
⚠️ Not allowed on the Silvesterpfad. Glass bottles, cans, PET bottles and alcohol you bring in. Strollers are banned in the Stephansplatz, Graben and Kärntner Straße area from 22:00 to 03:00. The Ringstrasse is closed on the morning of 31 December for the New Year’s Eve Run.
The Silvesterpfad
The city’s New Year’s Eve Trail runs from 14:00 to 02:00 on 31 December, and the food and drink stalls open from 11:00. The 2026 edition is the 35th. It is free, and the city counts about 700,000 visitors. The sites, according to the organiser:
- Freyung, Am Hof, Graben, Stephansplatz, Kärntner Straße and Neuer Markt: the trail through the old centre, from the Freyung to the Neuer Markt.
- Rathausplatz: in front of the City Hall.
- The Winter Market at the Riesenradplatz: in the Prater, open to 02:00 on 31 December.
Each site has a stage with pop, rock, blues, funk, soul, Caribbean and Latin rhythms, disco or DJ sets, with video artists on the LED screens. The Graben is the waltz site: the Tourist Board says Vienna’s dance schools give quick waltz courses there in the afternoon, and the city lists interactive waltz workshops. The city also lists a children’s party and a public screening from the State Opera.
The Graben at night, with the Plague Column. Photo: C.Stadler/Bwag, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
At midnight the crowd dances to the Blue Danube and the Pummerin, the cathedral’s big bell, which rings only on special occasions and is broadcast on radio and television, followed by the waltz (Vienna Tourist Board). The cathedral’s towers and catacombs are in St Stephen’s Cathedral tickets.
The organiser’s FAQ sets the rules. Weapons, sticks, glass and PET bottles, cans and pyrotechnics are banned; so is bringing alcohol; security staff may check bags and refuse anyone who is strongly intoxicated. Bicycles, scooters, skateboards and skates are banned on the premises. Dogs must be muzzled and on a lead, and are banned in the Stephansplatz, Graben and Kärntner Straße area from 22:00 to 03:00 except guide and assistance dogs. The organiser recommends public transport. Vienna public transport has the tickets, and the S-Bahn through the centre is closed from 7 September 2026 to the end of October 2027.
The Philharmonic concerts
The Vienna Philharmonic plays the same programme three times: the Preview Performance on 30 December 2026 at 11:00, the New Year’s Eve Concert on 31 December at 19:30 and the New Year’s Concert on 1 January 2027 at 11:15, in the Musikverein, under Tugan Sokhiev for the New Year’s Concert. Tickets for all three were allocated by an online draw. Applications ran from 1 to 28 February 2026, the time of application made no difference, and results came out in March (Vienna Philharmonic).
| Concert | Date | Prices | Tickets per application |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preview Performance | 30 Dec 2026, 11:00 | €25 to €545 | Up to 4 |
| New Year’s Eve Concert | 31 Dec 2026, 19:30 | €30 to €980 | Up to 4 |
| New Year’s Concert | 1 Jan 2027, 11:15 | €40 to €1,320 | Up to 2 |
The Golden Hall of the Musikverein. Photo: C.Stadler/Bwag, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The orchestra sells tickets only through the draw and advises strongly against buying from ticket platforms or the secondary market at inflated prices, because it cannot assess those offers. The draw for the 2027/28 concerts will be announced on the orchestra’s website. You can still hear the music:
- On screens. The concert of 1 January 2027 is shown live from the Musikverein onto Stephansplatz and the Riesenradplatz, from 11:15, and some Vienna hotels show it at brunch (Vienna Tourist Board).
- At a church concert. Vienna: Advent, Christmas and New Year’s Concertsad is from €25 for 70 minutes, in the Minorite Church. Christmas & New Year’s Concert in St. Peter’s Churchad is from €49 for an hour, with the Classic Ensemble Vienna.
- In a hall. Vienna classical concerts sorts the halls’ own programmes from the tourist concerts and gives their prices.
Die Fledermaus
The Tourist Board says the State Opera performs Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus on New Year’s Eve as a tradition, and the Opera’s calendar lists it for 31 December 2026, in the production directed by Otto Schenk. The Volksoper also lists a Fledermaus that evening. At the State Opera, seats are sold for the current month and the next two; standing places cost €13, €15 or €18 and are sold online from 10:00 on the day or at the standing-room box office from 80 minutes before. Every place has a subtitle screen with English. See Vienna State Opera tickets.
The auditorium of the State Opera. Photo: C.Stadler/Bwag, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A ball on the night
Two ballroom evenings take the waltz past midnight. The Silvestergala in the Rathaus Festsaal opens with a dance school’s young couples, has a waltz orchestra and a live band, a glass of sparkling wine at midnight and the Blue Danube (silvestergala.com). The Tourist Board also lists a Silvestergala in the House of Strauss. The rest of the ball season starts on 11 November: Vienna ball season.
The Festsaal in the City Hall. Photo: Manfred Werner / Tsui, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
What is open on 31 December and 1 January
| What | 31 December 2026 | 1 January 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Shops | General trade to 17:00, food shops to 18:00 (WKO Wien) | Closed, a public holiday |
| Prater Winter Market | 12:00 to 02:00 | 11:00 to 22:00; open to 6 January |
| Schönbrunn Christmas market | 10:00 to 19:00 | 10:00 to 19:00 |
| Belvedere Christmas market | 11:00 to 17:00 | Closed |
| Rathausplatz ice rink | Closed | 10:00 to 22:00; open to 6 January |
| Kunsthistorisches Museum | 10:00 to 21:00 | 10:00 to 18:00 |
| Danube Tower | 10:00 to 18:00 | 10:00 to 22:00 |
Dates and hours for every Christmas market are in Vienna Christmas markets. The sun sets at 16:09 on 31 December and the average December low is -0.4°C (GeoSphere Austria).
Where to stay
The Silvesterpfad runs through Stephansplatz, the Graben and the Kärntner Straße, so a hotel in that corner of the first district puts you on the trail. If you travel with a pram or a dog, read the rules above before you go out after 22:00. Hotels near St Stephen’s lists the hotels within 850 m, and where to stay in Vienna compares the districts.
Next
For the days before, see the Christmas markets and 3 days in Vienna. For the weather and the other seasons, see the best time to visit Vienna, and for the tickets that need booking, what to book before you go to Vienna.
Common questions
What is the Silvesterpfad?
Vienna's free New Year's Eve street party in the old centre, on 31 December from 14:00 to 02:00. In 2026 it is the 35th, on eight sites: Rathausplatz, Freyung, Am Hof, Graben, Stephansplatz, Kärntner Straße, Neuer Markt and the Winter Market at the Riesenradplatz. The city counts about 700,000 visitors.
Are there fireworks in Vienna on New Year's Eve?
Not at the Silvesterpfad. The city forbids pyrotechnics there and throughout Vienna, and the Tourist Board says rockets and firecrackers from category F2 up are banned across the city. At midnight the Silvesterpfad dances to the Blue Danube and the Pummerin, the cathedral's big bell.
Can I still get tickets for the Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert?
Not from the orchestra. The 2026/27 tickets for 30 December, 31 December and 1 January were drawn by lot from applications made between 1 and 28 February 2026, and results went out in March. The orchestra sells no other way and warns against resale sites.
Where can I watch the New Year's Concert without a ticket?
The Tourist Board says the concert of 1 January 2027, which starts at 11:15 in the Musikverein, is shown live on screens on Stephansplatz and at the Riesenradplatz in the Prater. Some Vienna hotels show it at brunch.
Is the Vienna State Opera open on New Year's Eve?
Yes. The State Opera performs Die Fledermaus on 31 December 2026. Standing places are sold online from 10:00 on the day or at the standing-room box office from 80 minutes before.
What are the Silvesterpfad rules?
No glass bottles, cans, PET bottles or alcohol brought in, no weapons or pyrotechnics, and no bicycles, scooters or skates on the site. Strollers are not allowed in the Stephansplatz, Graben and Kärntner Straße area from 22:00 to 03:00 and wherever the crowd is dense. Dogs must be muzzled and on a lead.
