Vienna New Year's Eve Trail Will Return this Year
The Vienna New Year's Eve Trail will take place again this year after a break of two years due to the Covid pandemic. The City of Vienna has now announced the first details of the program. It is also the 31st edition of the popular event, which was last held in 2019 and is one of the largest New Year's Eve celebrations in Europe. Read more about New Year's Eve in Vienna!
The Vienna New Year's Eve Trail will take place again this year after a two-year break due to the pandemic. / Picture: © WienTourismus
This year, visitors from Vienna and all over the world can look forward to a 12-hour spectacle in the heart of the city. The party is free of charge and takes place at a total of six locations in Vienna's city center. The total stage program of more than 70 hours begins on New Year's Eve at 2 pm and lasts until 2 am.
Numerous caterers along the path will be providing culinary delights for guests from 11 a.m. onwards, offering not only food but also drinks and, of course, sparkling wine, so that they can toast the new year together at midnight.
The comprehensive musical program includes numerous genres, which are assigned to the six stages. Pop and rock can be found as well as blues, funk, soul or groove. You can dance into the new year to disco sounds, Caribbean and Latin American rhythms and DJ beats. Those who prefer a more classical welcome to 2023 can look forward to stylish dance music and big bands.
In addition, a special children's program will provide the best entertainment in the early afternoon and shorten the exciting time until midnight for the youngest guests. Those who want to ring in the New Year to the sound of the Pummerin with a successful waltz can get tips from the professionals beforehand, who traditionally offer free dance classes.
This time, the New Year's Eve Trail extends over a length of about 1.5 kilometers. It leads from the Freyung over the square Am Hof, the Graben, the Stephansplatz and the Kärntner Straße to the Neuer Markt. Six stages are planned, but the Rathausplatz is not among them and there will be no fireworks.
The Rathausplatz is "not available for logistical reasons," according to a statement by Stadt Wien Marketing GmbH. While the Rathausplatz is not available and therefore pauses, another location in the heart of the city celebrates its revival: The Neuer Markt, which was redesigned in recent years, is part of the program again for the first time since the turn of the year 2018/19.
For the sake of people, animals and the environment, the City of Vienna will once again forego fireworks as part of the New Year's Eve Trail. Fireworks were part of the New Year's Eve Trail for the first time in 2012 and even had to be canceled last time (2019) due to strong winds.