A Viennese Christmas is about the lights, the sights, the smells…and the sounds. Expect fewer sleigh bells and more violins, though: after all, you’re in the concert capital of classical music.
Here are my tips for finding the best classical concert, church and choir performances during the Advent season.
- Book a Christmas concert experience* for your trip
- See also:
Jump to:
- Mozart, Strauss & light classical
- Church & cathedral concerts
- Musikverein
- Konzerthaus
- The opera houses
- Concerts elsewhere
- Christmas markets
- Choirs
Classical concerts for 2025
Goodness, Vienna has so many. All the popular venues continue their concert programmes through late November and December.
However, here are Christmas-themed highlights from the major concert & church locations at the time of writing (late March, 2025), as well as details of some smaller and seasonal venues.
It’s still a bit early for specifics, but I add suggestions at regular intervals as venues expand their concert schedule.
Mozart & more for visitors
(The Alte Börse old stock market…now a venue)
Throughout the year, various orchestras and ensembles perform the music of Mozart, Strauss and/or other famous composers with visitors in mind.
These concerts typically feature accessible, light classical music in an authentic historical venue. Seasonal changes to the usual routine are common, with many such venues offering special Christmas concerts*.
Concerts in churches
Many churches hold advent concerts and choral recitals through December. Here are some of the more popular locations…
Stephansdom
(This Viennese landmark dominates the centre of town)
The grand cathedral is the heart of the city and obviously worth visiting in its own right or to attend, for example, one of the regular giant organ concerts.
Expect a dozen or so additional seasonal concerts from late November through to Christmas. The Wiener Symphoniker orchestra, for example, holds their annual Advent Concert there on December 11th in 2025.
Peterskirche
(The dome mirrors that of its Vatican namesake)
A beautiful Baroque church in the centre, which hosts concerts in the church itself and also in the crypt.
Notable for the regular performances by the Classic Ensemble Vienna (which I attended with a friend and thoroughly enjoyed).
Karlskirche
(The entrance is actually on the right hand side)
The mighty and magnificent Baroque church on Karlsplatz square also has a fair few concerts in the advent season programme.
In 2025, for example, the Orchestra 1756 puts on regular evening performances of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.
Minoritenkirche
(This ancient bastion dates back to the 1200s)
Home to the Italian congregation in Vienna, this large gothic church also sits in the city centre.
Unlike many similar locations, the Christmas concerts* tend to be an eclectic mix of different performers and works (so check the programme for what’s happening on any one day).
Kapuzinerkirche
(Home to many former Emperors and Empresses)
In 2025, the Wiener Kaiserquartett & Friends performs a selection of seasonal music and songs in the Capuchin Church on various dates from late November to the end of December.
The church sits above the Imperial Crypt. So you can enjoy some festive classical music and also see the last resting place of those who ruled at the time the pieces were written.
Annakirche
(The interior decoration in the Annakirche is mindblowing)
And another gorgeous church in the old town with concerts typically focusing on the peak era of Viennese classical music (think Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart, etc.).
The previous three Advents also had festive tunes performed on trumpets. And the trumpets return in 2025.
Votivkirche
(Impressive, but not as old as it looks!)
This neo-gothic giant had, for example, a Christmas concert by Monika Ballwein and performances by Stella Jones & The American Christmas Gospel last time around.
The Musikverein
(The façade above the front entrance)
The Musikverein ranks as probably the world’s most prestigious and best classical music venue. They have daily “normal” performances, but seasonal events and concerts always pop up.
The Wiener Mozart Orchestra perform here* across much of Advent 2025 in period costume, too.
Christmas-specific performances scheduled at the time of writing:
- The Cappella Istropolitana give us Christmas in the Wiener Musikverein with famous arias and songs on December 11th
- The Wiener Domorchester and Domchor perform a Christmas concert featuring the music of Haydn and Homilius on December 21st
- The Imperial Philharmonic and Vienna Tenor Trio offer their traditional The Sound of Christmas on December 22nd
As mentioned, various other seasonal performances normally appear nearer the time, which I’ll add at future updates.
If we stretch out the concept of the Christmas period a little, then a reliable annual constant is the rather excellent New Year’s Concert from the Wiener Philharmoniker.
This major cultural event traditionally takes place on December 30th and 31st, as well as January 1st. Though you must have applied for tickets early in 2025 to have a chance of attending.
(More info and tickets on Musikverein events available at their website.)
The Konzerthaus
(The Konzerthaus main entrance)
Another prestigious venue is the Konzerthaus, which usually has a more eclectic advent choice.
The venue always hosts Christmas in Vienna: the rather-apt title of a traditional gala music event held annually. The provisional 2025 dates are December 19th (preview edition) and December 20th (the main event).
International singers typically accompany, for example, the Vienna Boys Choir, the Konzerthaus’s own choir (the Wiener Singakademie), and the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra for a seasonal sing-song and feel-good evening of entertainment.
The program can range from traditional carols and songs to pop classics, opera arias, and orchestral compositions.
Should you miss out on tickets, the national broadcaster (ORF) usually shows it on TV (as do many other countries, I believe).
Other Christmas-themed performances appear in the programme at the Konzerthaus, which I’ll add in future as they become available. At the time of writing, for example:
- Opera star Elīna Garanča gives us Advent mit Elīna Garanča on December 10th
- The Schick Sisters present a live performance of their A Sisters Christmas album on December 17th
- Singer-songwriter Julian le Play has an unplugged Christmas show on December 18th
- The Wiener Symphoniker perform parts I, II and VI of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio on December 22nd and 23rd
(More info and tickets for Konzerthaus events available at their website.)
The opera houses
- The Staatsoper traditionally performs Strauss’s Die Fledermaus on New Year’s Eve (and again on January 1st), but I await confirmation
- The Volksoper has a traditional Christmas concert in December, too. Again, I await confirmation of dates
Bonus Concerts in Museums etc.
One intriguing option is the Fever candlelight concerts, which typically feature classical interpretations of more popular or modern music.
Among the Vienna venues used in past Christmas periods: the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Albertina and Palais Coburg.
The amateur tradition
A special bonus mention for the Concentus21 orchestra, as they uphold the Viennese tradition of amateur orchestras and musicians.
The orchestra usually brings us a special performance at Advent. In November 2025, it looks set to be Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Jan Kalivoda’s Symphony No. 5 in B minor.
The Mozarthaus
This is where Mozart once lived and the location of the main museum dedicated to the composer. Keep an eye out for concerts there. The Wiener Ensemble, for example, played many dates last December.
Frankly, it’s rather cool listening to, for example, Mozart’s music in the same house he composed it in.
The Christmas markets
(The entrance to the Christkindlmarkt)
Keep an ear open when visiting the various Christmas markets, as several may have public music performances.
Promising options include the Christkindlmarkt: the main market in front of the Rathaus (city hall) had brass ensembles performing most days in the evening last time out. See also choir singing below.
Choirs
Vienna Boys’ Choir
The Wiener Sängerknaben tend to be quite busy at the end of the year. The choir’s website has a calendar of all their performances, with appearances in the Hofburg court chapel usually continuing through advent.
Check the website of their own venue for in-house events, which usually include several Christmas performances by the choir.
Rathaus
(Imposing architecture and international choirs)
The main hall of the neogothic Rathaus behind the Christkindlmarkt often hosts choirs on Advent weekends (Fridays to Sundays). In the season just past, we had performances every half hour from 3.30pm to 7pm and free entry.
Still not found something?
Simply keep your eyes open for flyers and posters as you wander through the city centre! And check my broader guide to Christmas 2025 in Vienna for other activity and event suggestions.
Enjoy!