Strauss concerts you can book now
Every listing below puts Strauss waltzes and polkas at the centre of the programme, usually alongside Mozart. Check the venue and start time on each event page.
- Imperial Gala Concert - Palais AuerspergMozart, Strauss, Vivaldi and Schubert highlights with soloists, soprano and ballet in the imperial Palais Auersperg – concert or 4-course dinner & concert.Sep 19, 2026 - EUR 39.00
- Schönbrunn Palace ConcertsDaily evening concert at Schönbrunn Palace with music by Mozart and Johann Strauss. Concert starts at 20:30, admission from 20:00, duration approx. 1 hour 45 minutes including an interval.Sep 19, 2026 - EUR 58.00
- Strauss Dinner ShowJohann Strauss show with the Strauss Philharmonic Orchestra, ballet and world-class sopranos, including a four-course gourmet dinner.Sep 19, 2026 - EUR 79.00
- Wiener Residenz Orchester - Wiener Klassik KonzerteKlassische Konzerte mit Mozart, Strauss, Beethoven, Vivaldi und weiteren Komponisten. Einlass 30 Minuten vor Beginn, Dauer ca. 90 Minuten.Sep 19, 2026 - EUR 45.00
- Wiener Hofburg Orchester - Strauss & Mozart KonzertMozart- und Strauss-Programm mit Solisten und Ballett. Einlass 20:00 Uhr, Dauer ca. 90 Minuten.Sep 23, 2026 - EUR 55.00
- Wiener Hofburg Orchester - Neujahrskonzert in der Wiener HofburgNeujahrskonzert mit Startzeiten am Vormittag und Abend. Einlass jeweils 30 Minuten vor Beginn, Dauer ca. 90 Minuten.Jan 1, 2027 - EUR 70.00
Johann Strauss and Vienna
Johann Strauss II was born in Vienna in 1825, the son of Johann Strauss I, whose Radetzky March still closes the New Year's Concert. Against his father's wishes he formed his own orchestra at nineteen, and by the 1860s he had turned the waltz from a ballroom dance into concert music: An der schönen blauen Donau in 1867, Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald in 1868, Wiener Blut in 1873 and the Kaiser-Walzer in 1889. His operetta Die Fledermaus of 1874 remains the most performed work of its kind.
Strauss died in Vienna in 1899 and is buried in the Zentralfriedhof beside Brahms and near Beethoven and Schubert. The city marked his 200th birthday in 2025 with a year of celebrations, and his music has never left the concert programmes: almost every Viennese orchestra that plays for visitors ends the evening with the Blue Danube and the Radetzky March.
- Blue Danube, 1867The waltz that became Vienna's anthem; encore of the Philharmonic's New Year's Concert.
- Die Fledermaus, 1874The definitive Viennese operetta, staged at the State Opera and Volksoper around New Year.
- Kaiser-Walzer, 1889The Emperor Waltz, a staple of every palace concert programme.
- Radetzky March, 1848By Johann Strauss I, the clap-along finale of Viennese concerts.
Where to hear Strauss in Vienna
The Vienna Hofburg Orchestra devotes its main series to Strauss and Mozart, with waltzes, polkas, operetta arias and a ballet couple, in the Hofburg halls and the Mozart Hall of the Konzerthaus. Its New Year, New Year's Eve and Christmas concerts in the Hofburg Festival Hall are the closest most visitors get to the Philharmonic's sold-out event. At Schönbrunn, the Palace Orchestra plays Mozart and Strauss every evening in the Orangery, with dinner and palace-tour packages.
For a Strauss evening with a show character, the Strauss Dinner Show in the Prater combines the Strauss Philharmonic Orchestra, ballet and sopranos with a four-course dinner. The Imperial Gala Concert at Palais Auersperg and the Vienna Residence Orchestra's Vienna Classic Concerts mix Strauss waltzes with Mozart, Vivaldi and Schubert in baroque palace rooms. Even the Vienna Mozart Orchestra at the Musikverein ends its Mozart programme with Strauss encores.
- Hofburg OrchestraStrauss and Mozart with singers and ballet, Hofburg or Konzerthaus, about 90 minutes, from EUR 55.
- Schönbrunn Palace ConcertsMozart and Strauss in the Orangery every evening at 20:30, from EUR 58.
- Strauss Dinner ShowOrchestra, ballet, sopranos and four-course dinner in the Prater, about three hours, from EUR 79.
- Imperial Gala ConcertStrauss, Mozart, Vivaldi and Schubert at Palais Auersperg, 18:00 start, from EUR 39.
Strauss at New Year
New Year is Strauss season. The Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert at the Musikverein is allocated by ballot and cannot be bought through agencies, but the Vienna Hofburg Orchestra has played its own New Year concert in the Hofburg since 1980, with morning and evening performances on 1 January, and a New Year's Eve concert on 31 December. Both are built around Strauss and Viennese operetta and are listed above. Schönbrunn also runs Christmas and New Year concerts in the Orangery.
Book December and January dates as soon as your trip is fixed: each seasonal concert has only one to three performances.
How to choose your Strauss concert
Decide first between a concert and a show. Concerts in the Hofburg, at Schönbrunn, in the Konzerthaus and in the palaces are seated performances of about ninety minutes to two hours with singers and often a ballet couple; the Strauss Dinner Show is a three-hour evening with dinner served between the numbers. Then decide on the room: an imperial palace, the Orangery at Schönbrunn, a baroque palais or a concert hall. Prices, start times and inclusions are on each event page, and every ticket price includes all fees.
Strauss concerts compared
| Concert | Venue and start | Character and price |
|---|---|---|
| Hofburg Orchestra: Strauss and Mozart | Hofburg or Konzerthaus, 20:30 | Concert with singers and ballet, about 90 min, from EUR 55 |
| Schönbrunn Palace Concerts | Schönbrunn Orangery, 20:30 | Mozart and Strauss, about 105 min, from EUR 58 |
| Strauss Dinner Show | Mirage, Prater, 19:00 | Show with four-course dinner, about 3 hours, from EUR 79 |
| Imperial Gala Concert | Palais Auersperg, 18:00 | Strauss, Mozart, Vivaldi, Schubert, about 105 min, from EUR 39 |
| Hofburg New Year concert | Hofburg Festival Hall, 1 January | Strauss and operetta, about 90 min, from EUR 70 |
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy tickets for the Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert?
No. Those tickets are allocated by the orchestra's ballot. The Hofburg Orchestra's New Year concert on 1 January and its New Year's Eve concert on 31 December are the bookable alternatives, and both are Strauss programmes in the Hofburg Festival Hall.
Which concert plays the Blue Danube?
Almost all of them. The Blue Danube and the Radetzky March are the traditional closing pieces of the Hofburg Orchestra, Schönbrunn, Imperial Gala and Strauss Dinner Show programmes.
Are Strauss concerts suitable for children?
Yes, waltzes and polkas are the most accessible classical programmes for families. Check the minimum age and duration on the event page; the 18:00 start at Palais Auersperg is the easiest for younger children.
Do Strauss concerts include dancing?
Most include a ballet couple dancing to selected waltzes and polkas. Guests do not dance; the concerts are seated performances.