The only way to buy tickets for the famous Vienna New Year’s Day classic music concert (Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker im Musikverein) is to enter the annual official lottery. It is essential to start the ticket buying process already in February.
The annual New Year’s Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the Wiener Musikverein is arguably the most famous classic music concert in the world. The Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker is broadcast live in nearly a hundred countries. It claims a live audience of over 50 million viewers, of which only a lucky 900 are inside the concert hall. “Luck” is the key — concert tickets are allocated by ballot nearly ten months before the actual concert. Buy tickets on the secondary market at your own risk.
Applications for the 2026 New Year’s Concert are only possible from 1 to 28 February 2025. Ticket prices for the Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s concerts in 2025/2026 range from €20 to €1200.
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s New Year’s Concerts
Tickets for the three annual New Year’s concerts of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the Wiener Konzertverein are allocated by online ballot. The process is fair: no one can buy tickets by paying more. The procedure is also very strict with no flexibility at any stage of the ticket-buying process.
Tickets are available for three concerts:
- The New Year’s Concert on 1 January at 11:15 am (most prestigious, most popular, most expensive);
- The New Year’s Eve Concert on 31 December at 7:30 pm; and
- The Preview Performance on 30 December at 11:00 am (cheapest tickets and less competition).
The process for buying tickets for each of these three concerts is the same. The program and performers are the same, although the New Year’s concert has more flowers and is broadcast live. Around 900 tickets are available for each concert. Children must be at least 10 years old to attend.
How to Buy Tickets for the New Year’s Concerts in Vienna
To buy tickets for any of these New Year’s concerts in Vienna, follow these steps:
- Register for the ticket lottery during February at the Wiener Philharmoniker website. The application period is the full month of February. It is not possible to register earlier or join the process later. Ticket applications are not possible by phone, email, letter, or in person.
- This registration for the ticket draw is separate from any other account at the Wiener Philharmoniker. A new ticket application registration is required each year.
- Register an interest in tickets. Select the concert and pick a category. (Exact seats are not available.) You may apply once for each of the three concerts.
- Request a maximum of two tickets for the New Year’s Day concert and up to four for the other performances.
- Registration is confirmed by email.
- It is possible to change the application (tickets, concerts, category) during February only. Follow the link in the email.
Once this is done, the process is out of your hands. Tickets are allocated randomly by concert and by price category. The date of the original application and composition of concert requests do not influence the ballot.
During the February ticket application process, no payments are necessary. Similarly, there is no obligation to actually buy tickets if allocated.
In the first two weeks of March, all registered accounts are informed by email if the application was successful. If unsuccessful, go back to step 1 but only next February. The process starts anew from scratch every year. No waiting lists are kept. Similarly, previous success has no influence on future ticket allocations.
Before March, no secondary market has actual tickets to sell no matter what the price!
Buying and Paying the New Year’s Concert Tickets in Vienna
During the first half of March, successful applicants receive an offer by email from the Wiener Philharmoniker. This offer to buy tickets is for a specific concert and the number of tickets requested for a specific category.
The offer is all or nothing. It is not possible to change the concert, the number of tickets, or the price category.
To accept the offer, buy the concert tickets by paying online by credit card, PayPal, or bank transfer. The transaction must be concluded usually by the final business day of March.
Successful payment is confirmed by email. Keep this email safe — it is essential to pick up paper tickets in person in Vienna before the concert!
If receiving offers for more than one concert, buy tickets for one or both concerts (or none). Winning tickets in the draw does not oblige you to buy the tickets. Any ignored offer automatically expires with no influence on future draws.
Picking up Neujahrskonzertkarte in Wien
It is necessary to pick up the actual concert tickets at the Vienna Philharmonic Ticket Office at Kärtner Ring 12. This is not directly at the Musikverein building and not the Musikverein box office. Tickets are not mailed or sent electronically.
Only the email with payment confirmation is needed (and essential) to pick up tickets. Tickets can be picked up from the first working day in October. Pick up early if possible. Opening hours around year-end are generally only on December 30 (9:30 am to 3:30 pm) December 31 (9:30 am to 1:00 pm and 6:30 to 7:30 pm) and January 1 (10:00 to 11:15 am).
Tickets for the New Year’s Day concert are personalized at ticket collection — IDs are checked at the concert entrance. For tickets picked up later than around 27 December, the names of the attendants must be sent to the Philhamonik in advance.
Buying Vienna New Year’s Concert Tickets on the Secondary Market
All three Vienna New Year’s classic music concerts (Neujahrskonzerte der Wiener Philharmoniker im Musikverein) sell out every year. Only 900 tickets per concert enter the lottery with demand far exceeding supply. Other tickets go to orchestra members and supporters. (If you qualify, you already know it.)
As only the payment receipt is required to pick up concert tickets, it clearly is possible to give away (or more likely sell on) tickets. The Wiener Philharmoniker makes no comments on the legality of this but clearly hates it.
Vienna has enough concerts to enjoy (some may even advertise on this post, I have the affiliates on auto setting here). It is really unnecessary to buy from profiteers. Overpaying for concert tickets, like queuing for famous cafés while equally good ones are nearby, is enjoying Vienna (and life) wrong.