Beate Ritter (Adele), Thomas Sigwald (Eisenstein), Ulrike Steinsky (Rosalinde, Klaudia Nagy (Ida), Günter Haumer (Falke), Martina Mikelić (Orlofsky), choir, Vienna State Ballet

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New Year's program and New Year's concerts in Vienna

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Where the bat flutters

Two opera houses perform the most famous of all operettas, Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus, over the New Year period: The Vienna Volksoper (December 31 and January 1) and the Vienna State Opera (December 31, January 1, 3 & 6). Rarely has a work with such immediacy left its mark on Vienna like this one. From the premiere in 1874 onwards, the pieces has been performed incredibly often and almost always over New Year's since 1900. Die Fledermaus takes a light-hearted look at the varieties of erotic and social affectation and gets the bourgeois façades dancing, political and social commentaries included.

New Year's Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic

The most famous concert in the world – the New Year’s Concert – takes place on the morning of January 1st every year in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Music Society (preview and New Year’s Eve concert with the same program are held on December 30 and 31). Christian Thielemann will be conducting the first concert of 2024. As always, the program includes works by the Strauss dynasty and their contemporaries and represents an expression of pure joie de vivre. You can be there again this year by watching the event on TV in over 90 countries.

A few days before that, the Tonkünstler Orchestra of Lower Austria, conducted by Alfred Eschwé, will get the audience in the mood for the New Year with its New Year’s Eve concert at the Vienna Music Society. In addition to waltzes and polkas, there will be rousing orchestral works, grand overtures and vocal delights from operetta and opera (December 28, 29).

The musicians behind the Vienna Ring Ensemble are members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. This chamber orchestra ensemble will perform another classical New Year’s Eve concert in the atmospheric Brahms Hall of the Vienna Music Society. (December 30 & 31)

Beethoven and Strauss at the Konzerthaus

A densely packed musical New Year’s Eve program makes the Wiener Konzerthaus the place to be – a performance will be held in every concert hall:

  • The Strauss Festival Orchestra Vienna will deliver lively Viennese melodies from the Strauss dynasty in its program “Mit Dampf ins neue Jahr!” (December 28 & 29).
  • “New Year’s Eve: 101 years of Gerhard Bronner & Georg Kreisler”: For all those who enjoy Viennese humor, but also something a little dark, this concert and reading will strike the right note. (December 28)
  • “Franzensfeste. A new Schubertiade”: the East Tyrolean Musicabanda Franui and the duo of Viennese folk singers Die Strottern will be performing music ranging from classical to jazz, folk and revival songs. (December 29)
  • Nikolaus Habjan is one of the rare species of artistic whistlers  and can be heard performing with friends as part of his program “Abpfiff 2023” (December 30).
  • The Wiener Symphoniker will bring the year to a close with Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, conducted by Omer Meir Wellber (December 30 and 31, January 1).
  • Cabaret on New Year’s Eve with Dirk Stermann (“Hallelujahr!”), followed by a duo with Grissemann (“Das Ei ist hart!”) and Gernot Kulis (“Best of 20 Jahre Ö3-Callboy”). (December 31)
  • The New Year’s Eve Gala will be a roaring party with Jansoka Ensemble & Friends as they perform “The Big Mulatság Reloaded” (December 31).

Wienerisch and different

Naturally, there are also unusual stage art formats at New Year's: in the crypt of the Peterskirche (Church of St. Peter), the operetta ensemble Oper@Tee thrills in a lively and punchy way with its Fledermaus performance with piano accompaniment (December 28, 30 & 31). Really close to the very small audience.

For the more courageous: the L.E.O – Letztes Erfreuliches Operntheater takes a humorous, entertaining and downright strange approach at the L.E.O. New Year’s Eve Gala, combining opera highlights, chansons, hits and operetta earworms and – watch out! – audience participation. There will also be snacks and drinks (December 31). On January 3 and 4, the L.E.O. will present works by composers celebrating anniversaries in 2024, from Puccini to Bruckner, at its New Year’s Concert 2024.

L.E.O. Theater
© L.E.O. Theater

Finding your favorite event

There’s even more happening on Vienna’s stages at the turn of the year – from concerts (Karl Ratzer New Year’s Eve Special at the Porgy & Bess jazz club) to theater (The Magic Flute directed by Nils Strunk and Lukas Schrenk at the Burgtheater, Brecht’s Threepenny Opera at the Theater in der Josefstadt) and musicals (Rock me Amadeus - The Falco Musical and Rebecca). 

Events in Vienna

Musikverein

Musikvereinsplatz 1
1010 Vienna
  • Opening times

    • The Box Office is open 9am-7pm (Monday-Friday) and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.

      For all concerts organised by the Musikverein the Box Office opens one hour before the beginning of the performance (also on Saturday, Sunday and on public holidays). 

  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • no steps
        via ramp, automatic sliding door (opens with button from the outside)
      • Ramp 164 cm wide
    • Elevator available
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Comments

      Ring the bell by the entrance to the concert box office (Bösendorferstr. 12); the box office staff will come to assist with ticket purchases at the door.
      Wheelchair-accessible elevator: to all floors. Brahms Hall: 6 wheelchair seats. Grand Hall: 2 wheelchair seats in orchestra, about 16 in balcony. Glass Hall/Magna Auditorium: 4 wheelchair seats.

      Visit with seeing eye dog: please give notice in advance.

Vienna Konzerthaus

Lothringerstraße 20
1030 Vienna
  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • no steps (Automatic sliding doors 140 cm wide)
      • Ramp 435 cm long
    • Car parks Main entrance
      • 2 Parking spaces for people with disabilities
    • Elevator available
      • Door 90 cm wide
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Special offers for people with disabilities

      “Klangberührt": 4 inclusive concerts in the Schubert Hall, recommended from 16 years; https://konzerthaus.at/abonnement/id/3131

    • Comments

      All halls accessible via elevator, inner ramp.

      2 elevators from ground floor (door width: 90 cm, cabin depth: 190 and 140 cm, cabin width: 94 cm).

      Wheelchair seats: 18 in the Grand Hall, 6 in the Mozart Hall, 3 in the Schubert Hall and 4 in the Berio Hall. Seeing-eye dogs permitted (by prior arrangement).

      "Klangberührt": 4 inclusive concerts in the Schubert Hall, recommended for ages 16 and up: https://konzerthaus.at/abonnement/id/2670

Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper)

Opernring 2
1010 Vienna
  • Accessibility

    • Side entrance
      • 2 Steps (Swinging doors 87 cm wide)
    • Car parks Main entrance
      • Parking spaces for people with disabilities
        Operngasse, Opernring intersection
    • Elevator available
      • Door 80 cm wide
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • 22 Wheelchair spaces available (4 in the stalls/orchestra, 18 seats in the gallery as needed)
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Special offers for people with disabilities

      Tours in ten languages, prior notification for wheelchair users necessary (Tel. +43 1 514 44–2606). Language display.

    • Comments

      Portable ramps available for steps inside building.
      To reserve wheelchair and companion seats for performances, tel. +43 1 514 44-2653 (Mo-Fri, 9.00 am – 4.00 pm)

Vienna Volksoper

Währinger Straße 78
1090 Vienna
  • Accessibility

    • Elevator available
      • Door 80 cm wide
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • 2 Wheelchair spaces available (in stalls, 13 additional wheelchair seats possible, prior notification via phone required 10 days before performance)
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Comments

      Elevator not suitable for wheelchairs.

St. Peter's Church (Peterskirche)

Petersplatz
1010 Vienna

L.E.O. - Last Enjoyable Opera Theater (L.E.O. - Letztes Erfreuliches Operntheater)

Ungargasse 18
1030 Vienna
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