Vienna hosts the annual New Year's Day concert performed by the Vienna Philharmonic.
The Vienna New Year's Concert takes place in the Musikverein's Golden Hall and is devoted primarily to music by the Strauss family and related composers. The program commonly includes waltzes, polkas, and marches, creating a musical portrait of nineteenth-century Viennese dance culture.
The first concert in the modern series was held on December 31, 1939. After World War II, the event moved to New Year's Day, and the first January 1 concert took place in 1941. The concert has since become an international broadcast tradition, reaching viewers in many countries.
The best-known encores are the “Blue Danube” waltz and the “Radetzky March,” although the latter is usually associated with audience clapping. The concert is held in Vienna, not in the birthplace of every composer whose music appears on its program.