SILVESTERPFAD – NEW YEARS EVE

WHAT: SILVESTERPFAD – NEW YEARS EVE
WHY: NEW YEAR’S EVE TRAIL
WHERE: VIENNA, AUSTRIA
WHEN: 31ST DECEMBER 2019 – 1ST JANUARY 2020
COST: FREE EVENT

New Year’s Eve is known as Silvester in Austria and is the Roman Catholic feast day of the same-named pope and latterly the saint who died on the 31 December AD 335. However, this has no relevance to how the Austrians' celebrate and welcome in the upcoming year.

One of the biggest open-air parties in Europe is taking place all around Vienna and this year it celebrates its 30^th year. Silvesterpfad translates as New Year’s Eve Trail and is an event that has 12 locations and stages with live entertainment, music, and shows. The choice is varied from soul to pop and rock, funk dance and much more, just by moving sites you can party like it’s any year.

With this year being the 30^th celebration it has been promised to be bigger and better than ever. The slogan for this year’s celebration is “Vienna Connects” focusing on togetherness in Vienna with 12 hours full of celebrations, laughter, dancing, flirting along with giving luck a helping hand with comedy and magic.

Highlights of the Event

Encounter Zone – “Friends in Vienna” – this special attraction has been introduced this year at the square between Café Landtmann and Burgtheater. As well as a DJ stage and “Bussie Bar” it is a space to bring people together and meet up in a fun but uncomplicated way making sure that no one spends New Year’s Eve alone.

Street of Luck – Take a peek into your future beforehand as the Teinfaltstrasse is transformed with stalls offering free and varied entertainment such as horoscopes, fortune-telling, tarot readings and magic giving guests an amount of love, health and wealth for the forthcoming year.

Music for the eyes – bringing for the first time a visual jockey to the stage this section of the event is a visual and musical delight. Along with the jockey there will be large led screens where video artists will show impressive images and animations in real-time along to the musical performances on the stage creating an illusion of both light and sound.

Known and Beloved – Sticking to the cherished traditions of the Viennese trail the giant Christmas chandeliers will light up the pedestrian area along the street in the heart of the city. Beneath them Vienna’s ballroom dancing schools offering free waltz lessons for everyone. The Austrian mint is also out and about along the Grabben, pick up your 2020 coin available in silver or copper dedicated to the Vienna Music Association (Wiener Musikverein). Another tradition is a giant screen set up outside the Vienna state opera house showing highlights from the Staatsoper opera productions including a live broadcast of Johann Strauss’s “Die Fledermaus” from 7pm. For the little ones in the family, they can enjoy the cheeky and funny stars of the “Hallo Okidoki” Show.

To keep your energy up and make sure that everyone is fed and watered throughout the evening there is a choice of bars and restaurants available along with dozens of food stalls scattered around the Silvesterpfad. (Please note that there is a deposit scheme in place for cups and plates encouraging people to return and reuse).

The most popular highlight of the festival each year is, of course, the musical fireworks over the Rathaus. Starting at 8pm DJ’s warm up the crowds and heat up the atmosphere at the Riesenradplatz with a selection of music for all tastes. At the stroke of midnight, the spectacular show kicks off lighting up the skies in an abundance of sound, colour, and effects lasting 12 minutes, leaving a smoky haze and smell of gunpowder around Vienna.

Leave 2019 behind and celebrate the New Year with over 700,000 locals and visitors at this unique party experience in the beautiful city of Vienna.