What is the name of the Vienna Philharmonic's famous annual concert held on New Year's Day?

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The Vienna Philharmonic's famous annual concert held on New Year's Day is the Vienna New Year's Concert.

The concert is performed by the Vienna Philharmonic in Vienna's Musikverein, especially its ornate Golden Hall. Its program focuses heavily on music by the Strauss family, including waltzes, polkas and marches, although other composers can appear. The event is broadcast internationally and has become one of the best-known classical-music traditions associated with the New Year.

The first concert in the series took place on 1 January 1941. Clemens Krauss was the conductor during the concert's early years, and the event later developed into a rotating-conductor tradition involving leading conductors from around the world. The concert's program is festive rather than a formal survey of all Austrian music.

The best-known encore is usually “The Blue Danube,” followed by the “Radetzky March.” Audience members traditionally applaud along with the march, though the exact program and conductor change from year to year. Despite its name, the concert is held on New Year's Day, not New Year's Eve.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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