New Year’s Eve 2023 in Venice

There is no person in the world who does not want to visit Venice at least once in their life: it is a jewel resting on the islets of the Venetian Lagoon, where every palace, small square and alleyway, gives us an idea of the glitz and power of the Serenissima Republic of Venice. There is no wrong time to visit Venice, but there are times when the city definitely shows its best side, such as New Year’s Eve: the atmosphere is intoxicating, with many events that allow everyone to welcome the New Year to the fullest, including festive dinners, boat rides and concerts.

What to do in Venice for the New Year’s Eve: celebrations in the square and boat rides

New Year’s Eve in St. Mark’s Square is an unforgettable experience, because it is a striking setting for the celebrations. The stage where the singers perform while waiting for the countdown to the New Year is in the shadow of Saint Mark’s Basilica, the majestic Doge’s Palace and Saint Mark’s Belltower that Venetians call “El paron de casa”. At the stroke of midnight, a toast is offered to the New Year, good luck kisses are exchanged and fireworks are launched from a barge moored in Saint Mark’s Basin.

To enjoy the fireworks from a more peaceful position, you can go to Riva San Biagio, Riva Ca’ di Dio or Riva dei Sette Martiri.

You can also enjoy the show from a vaporetto water bus or from  a gondola: it is also possible to make a dinner reservation that includes a boat ride: starting from the Cornoldi embarkation point, you can enjoy typical Venetian dishes accompanied by Champagne, while crossing the outlets of Porto Lido, the San Nicolò Canal and the Giudecca Canal.

Festive dinners and exclusive concerts

You can also spend New Year in Venice attending parties, festive dinners and masked balls in luxury hotels or historical places of Venice, starting with the Casinò, located inside an elegant seventeenth-century building overlooking the Grand Canal. Imagine celebrating the arrival of the New Year in beautiful Renaissance environments where the composer Wagner also lived, who composed his Parsifal here.

For young people there are the bacari, characteristic venues where you can taste the local tasty cicchetti appetisers, such as the delicious crostini with creamed codfish: the bacari bars are mainly concentrated in Campo Santa Margherita and in the old quarter of Cannaregio.

Venice has plenty to offer for those who love classical music, starting with the exclusive concert at the La Fenice theatre: the first edition goes back to 2004, to commemorate the rebirth of the theatre after the fire of 1996.

The concert on 1 January, directed by Daniel Harding, is accompanied by performances on 29, 30 and 31 December: on these occasions you absolutely must visit the exhibition dedicated to Callas, and then sip an aperitif in the Apolline Rooms.

Alternatively, on the afternoon of 31 December it is possible to attend the concert of the Orchestra of Venetian Musicians, with lots of baroque clothes, inside the Scuola Grande di San Teodoro. The notes of Rossini and his Barber of Seville, on the other hand, enliven the evening concert of 1 January at the elegant Palazzo Barbarigo-Minotto, overlooking the Grand Canal.

How to reach Venice

To pass New Year’s Eve in Venice, you should book your accommodation in advance, since it can be hard to find rooms at this time of year. It is advisable to opt for hotels or B&Bs outside the city the centre if you want to save money: the important thing is that the accommodation is close to a jetty, making it easy to travel from one corner of Venice to another.

To reach the city, we recommend using the ATVO public transport service, a company that boasts 90 years of experience in the sector, providing users with a reliable and professional service.