Winter in Vienna: New Year's Eve Trail Cancelled, Vienna Ice Dream Still On Track
The Covid-19 related cancellations of events were a common theme in the recent months. Now, Vienna's New Year's Eve Trail is the next victim of the pandemic. The popular event will not be held in 2020, while the organizers of the Vienna Ice Dream are still confident to see visitors gliding along the ice tracks.
Although some winter festivities, including Vienna's New Year's Eve Trail, are cancelled, plans for the Vienna Ice Dream are still on track. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Jakob Reiter / CC BY-SA 3.0 AT (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/at/deed.en)
Vienna has proudly carried the title "Most livable city in the world" for ten years.
For the city, it is important to maintain this high quality of life in challenging times within the bounds of possibility.
This requires a responsible rethinking in many areas and this also and especially applies to the event highlights, which are popular both at home and abroad.
With a view to the cold season, the basic requirement for the realization of events is more than ever that all Covid-19 related requirements and preventive measures can be implemented without interruption.
With this in mind, the city will therefore only make those events and experiences possible that offer a safe and enjoyable time together in wintery Vienna.
Even if cancellations are currently booming - Christmas will take place, that much is certain.
Of course, the approaching arrival of this immovable event should also be visible and perceptible in the appearance of the city.
The planning for this has been running at full speed for weeks, the corresponding concepts have been adapted and submitted to the authorities.
If everything goes according to plan, the small Vienna Ice Dream will again be built in the left half of the town hall park this year, where an area of 3,000 m² will be available for outdoor activities.
In the right-hand part, as usual, visitors can expect an atmospherically staged Christmas world, including of course the Viennese Heart Tree.
Design and offer are conceived in such a way that all necessary protection and safety measures are kept and at the same time an uncomplicated participation with high experience value is made possible.
In order to let the city hall park shine also in time in Christmas splendour, the first preparatory work was already begun locally.
A Viennese institution is taking a break - the New Year's Eve Trail, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, is celebrated in the hearts of residents and fans this year.
Despite intensive considerations and consultations with security experts, no solution was convincing for this major event that would allow the complete compliance with the Covid-19 related requirements for an event area of around 50,000 m² over a length of four kilometers.
Prescribed measures such as distance regulations, registration or visitor restrictions are simply not feasible for the New Year's Eve Trail, where the entire city center is transformed into a large party zone where visitors, residents and working people mix.
The City of Vienna together with the organizer therefore came to the conclusion that the Vienna New Year's Eve Trail 2020 will not take place. A realization for 2021 is already being worked on with optimism.
For the Viennese Ice Dream on the city hall place a concept has already been submitted.
And also the date for the popular winter meeting is already found:
The 26th Vienna Ice Dream is to take place from January 20 to February 28 2020 on 8.300 m², once again across two stages.
At ground level and with an impressive terrace on the first floor, the City of Vienna is thus offering an open-air sports facility, where visitors can glide along in the most beautiful ambiance in a swinging and safe manner.