Where to Celebrate in the Waltz Capital of Europe.

For many Europeans, the only appropriate way to celebrate New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day is in three-quarter time, literally waltzing out of the old year and into the new. Vienna is the home of the waltz, and the variety of New Year’s waltz concerts in the Austrian capital can be dizzying. Use our guide to New Year’s in Vienna to decide which is the one for you.

Wiener Musikverein: Start the Year in Style

While Americans tune in on New Year’s Eve to watch “The Ball” drop at New York City’s Times Square, Europeans near and far follow the Vienna Philharmonic’s annual New Year’s event at the Musikverein on January 1st. Sadly, unless you have recently married into royalty or won an Academy Award, you are not likely to get easily on the guest list for that unique event.
However, if you’d like to start the year in the festive afterglow at the Musikverein, you can book tickets to hear the excellent New Year’s performances by the Tonkünstler Orchestra during the first week of January.

Gala Concerts and New Year’s Eve Parties in Vienna

Put on your Sunday best and your dancing shoes and make a night of it! Don’t let the people onstage have all the fun. At these festivities, you can look forward to food, drinks, and a stint on the dance floor.

• New Year’s Eve Gala with Dinner: Palais Auersperg: Indulge in a gala concert with dinner and party at the elegant Palais Auersperg.
• Vienna City Hall: New Year’s Eve Gala 2015: Or dance the night away at Vienna’s historic City Hall.
• Strauss & Mozart New Year’s Eve Concert: If your ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three, TURN-two-three is a little rusty, take a waltz workshop to brush up on your skills. You can also choose the package without workshop, if you’ve got your steps mastered. Either way, you get a gala dinner, concert, fireworks, and dance party.

Festive New Year’s Performances in Vienna

If you are just as happy to stay off the dance floor and be entertained on New Year’s Eve, you can find festive concerts for both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in several historic locations:

• New Year’s Eve at Wiener Hofburg: The former Imperial palace offers a majestic atmosphere.
• New Year’s at Schönbrunn Palace: Schönbrunn Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the New Year’s events take place in the Baroque Orangerie.
• New Year’s at Palais Auersperg: The elegant 18th century palace has hosted concerts and balls since it’s inception.
• New Year’s at the Mozart House: If you’d like something more intimate, welcome the new year with chamber music at the Mozart House.
• New Year’s at Theater an der Wien: For a contemporary twist on a traditional theme, go to Vienna’s innovative opera house for some Kurt Weill to end the year.
• New Year’s at Volksoper Wien: For a real Viennese tradition, go to the Volksoper Wien for a performance of Strauss’ light-hearted, champagne-inspired ‘Die Fledermaus’.