Where Can I Watch Musicals In Vienna?
October 5, 2025
Johann Strauss, the Waltz King, continues to define Vienna’s musical identity. In 2025, celebrating the 200th anniversary of his birth, the city will pay tribute to his legacy with a series of concerts. These concerts offer an array of events for Johann Strauss 200th birthday that blend tradition and innovation.
There’s no better way to celebrate Johann Strauss 200th Birthday and welcome 2025 than with his music at the stroke of midnight. Held in the historic Wiener Konzerthaus, the concert will feature the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Petr Popelka. The internationally acclaimed puppeteer and director Nikolaus Habjan will take the stage, bringing a host of surprise guests to life in a performance that combines Strauss’ effervescent waltzes with a creative twist.
This midnight concert is a longstanding Viennese tradition, and this year’s event is going to be an unforgettable experience filled with elegance, joy, and festive spirit.
When Johann Strauss Jr. died in 1899, Vienna mourned the loss of the beloved composer whose uplifting music had become an essential part of Viennese life. To honour his memory, Vienna’s Friends of Music organized a memorial concert in January 1900, showcasing his vast repertoire, from operettas to waltzes. This year, nearly 125 years later, this event will be revived by the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra and Vienna Singverein, led by Oksana Lyniv. Highlights will include Strauss’ Kaiser-Walzer and selections from Die Fledermaus. This special concert will celebrate the immense breadth of Strauss’ music, from waltzes to marches, capturing his versatility in music.
Date: 19 January, 2025 (11:00 AM)
Location: Wiener Musikverein, Musikvereinsplatz 1, 1010 Vienna
In this innovative take on Strauss’ greatest hits composer Wolfgang Mitterer reimagines 19 of Strauss’ most famous waltzes, polkas, and marches. Few people know that Strauss’s Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka (‘gossip Polka’) comments on humanity’s enduring fascination with gossip. The phenomenon Strauss captured in his composition resonates just as strongly today as it did in 19th century Vienna – from the whispered rumors of his era to our modern world of viral social media posts and fake news. The composer himself was no stranger to being the subject of such chatter, frequently finding himself in the crosshairs of the aptly named Viennese magazine “Tritsch-Tratsch.” The publication took particular delight in speculating about his romantic entanglements. In response, Strauss crafted his famous polka, transforming society’s penchant for gossip into a piece of music that would endure far longer than any passing scandal.
Date: 27 January, 2025
Location: Wiener Konzerthaus, Lothringerstraße 20, 1030 Vienna
Operettas hold a special place in Strauss’ legacy on Johann Strauss 200th Birthday, and this pastiche performance is a tribute to his playful, light-hearted works. Under the baton of Christian Thielemann, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a mix of well-known favourites from Strauss’ operettas. Joined by soprano Christiane Karg and tenor Piotr Beczała, this concert will excite you with its blend of humour, wit, and irresistible melodies.
Date: 29 March, 2025
Time: 3:30 pm
Location: Wiener Musikverein, Musikvereinsplatz 1, 1010 Vienna
Johann Strauss II’s operetta “The Queen’s Lace Handkerchief” is returning to its original venue in January 2025 for his 200th birthday celebration. The 1880 operetta was Strauss’s most successful to date, cleverly satirizing Habsburg Crown Prince Rudolf through a story set in Portugal.Set around a political intrigue in 18th-century Portugal, a lace handkerchief becomes a crucial plot device in determining the fate of the queen and her romantic interests. The plot follows a corrupt prime minister’s attempt to sell Portugal to Spain, while the disinterested young king pursues food and women instead of governing. The Spanish writer Cervantes appears as a character who saves Portugal while gathering inspiration for Don Quixote. After Crown Prince Rudolf’s 1889 suicide, the operetta was pulled from performance. Strauss later reused its main melody in his famous waltz “Roses from the South.” The operetta is notable for its memorable tunes and its use of Viennese waltzes in a Portuguese setting – a clear jab at the Habsburg monarchy.
Date: 18th to 28th January, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Theater an der Wien, Linke Wienzeile 6, 1060 Vienna Vienna
The Strauss’ operetta The Gypsy Baron (Der Zigeunerbaron), originally performed in 1885, was a resounding success. To mark the 200th anniversary of Strauss’ birth, Andreas Schett and Roland Schimmelpfennig have updated this work with a contemporary twist, delving into the societal tensions within its plot and reimagining it for today’s world. Conducted by Andreas Schett and featuring the Arnold Schoenberg Choir, this performance offers a fresh and bold take on a beloved classic.
Date: 25th March and 3rd April, 2025
Location: Museumsquartier Wien, Hall E, Vienna
In 2025, the Volksoper will celebrate Johann Strauss’ operetta A Night in Venice with a brand-new production. Set against the backdrop of the Venetian carnival, this operetta is one of Strauss’ most light-hearted works, filled with romance, intrigue, and infectious melodies. This new staging promises to bring fresh energy to this classic, inviting you to join in the fun of the Venetian carnival.
Date: June 2025
Location: Volksoper Vienna, Währinger Straße 78, 1090 Vienna
Inspired by Strauss’ waltz Seid umschlungen, Millionen (You Millions, I Embrace You), this grand gala ball unites music and dance into a dazzling celebration on Johann Strauss 200th Birthday. Chris Haring and Liquid Loft collaborate with the PHACE ensemble to create a multisensory experience that blends tradition with futuristic dance. This event is a utopian ball, a “Gesamtkunstwerk” that celebrates Strauss’ enduring legacy.
Date: 1st March, 2025
Location: REAKTOR Vienna, Geblergasse 40, 1170 Vienna
In a unique and humorous homage to Johann Strauss, the Rabenhof Theatre presents Waltzes, Wines, and Rich Men’s Paunches, a witty feature by Viennese author Stefanie Sargnagel. This bold and satirical production highlights the world of the Opera Ball, one of Vienna’s most prestigious events. It intertwines this with the life and works of Johann Strauss, the celebrated “Waltz King,” whose music has become synonymous with the lavish celebration.
The stage adaptation, arranged by Christina Tscharyiski and Fabian Pfleger, takes a contemporary look at the Opera Ball, using Sargnagel’s sharp, irreverent humour to unpack the excesses of Vienna’s high society.
Date: February 2025
Location: Rabenhof Theatre, Rabengasse 3, 1030 Vienna
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