Vienna hosts the annual New Year’s Eve concert known as the Vienna New Year’s Concert.
Despite its name, the concert is traditionally held on the morning of January 1, not on New Year’s Eve. It is performed by the Vienna Philharmonic in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein, Vienna’s famous concert venue. The program is strongly associated with the music of the Strauss family and other composers connected with the Viennese dance tradition.
The concert was first held in 1939, during a politically dark period in Europe, and became an annual New Year tradition after World War II. It is now broadcast internationally and reaches a large global audience.
The event is often confused with Vienna’s broader New Year celebrations, which include public parties and the Silvesterpfad, or New Year’s Eve Trail. The concert’s signature repertoire commonly includes waltzes and polkas, especially works by Johann Strauss II.