December 19, 2025

What to do on New Year's Eve in Florence

Our guide to all events to celebrate the start of the New Year

From Michelin-starred gala dinners and outstanding restaurants to open-air events in the city’s iconic squares, Florence once again offers a rich and diverse programme to welcome the New Year. From refined, elegant settings to lively outdoor celebrations, the city is ready to embrace New Year’s Eve 2025 with a calendar of events designed to suit every taste.

For those wishing to ring in the New Year in the name of style and fine dining, here is a curated selection of menus from Florence’s best restaurants, perfect for celebrating the final night of the year in grand style, surrounded by exceptional cuisine and iconic settings.

If, on the other hand, you want to spend New Year's Eve by the sea, the Grand Hotel Principe di Piemonte has organized a dream New Year's Eve celebration. We've told you more about it here!

If gala dinners are not your cup of tea and you prefer to welcome 2026 under the stars, Florence offers a wide array of free concerts and city-wide events across its main squares, featuring music, live performances and some of the biggest names on the Italian music scene.

At the heart of the celebrations, Piazza Santa Croce will host a major live music show featuring some of the most influential artists of contemporary Italian music. Taking to the stage will be Paola Iezzi, pop icon and judge on the latest editions of X Factor; Tiromancino, led by Federico Zampaglione; Franco126, one of the most distinctive voices of the new indie singer-songwriter scene; SARAFINE, a singer-songwriter and producer blending electronic and pop sounds; and two breakout stars from X Factor 2025, LAYANA and TOMASI.

Opening and closing the night will be an exclusive DJ set by Lele Sacchi, a leading figure on the international club scene. Hosting the evening is Leo Di Bello, a familiar face on Sky Sport, who will guide the audience through the event, weaving together music, storytelling and conversations with the artists. The show will run from 9.00 pm to 1.00 am, unfolding in three key moments: an opening DJ set, a live concert, and a closing DJ set.Alongside the main stage in Piazza Santa Croce, Florence will also offer a series of free events designed to highlight different musical genres and some of the city’s most emblematic neighbourhoods. In Piazza Santissima Annunziata, beneath the loggia of the Spedale degli Innocenti, the spotlight will be on Gospel Symphony – Florence Welcomes the New Year, curated by the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina. From 10.30 pm to 1.00 am, The Pilgrims Gospel Choir and Light Gospel Choir, together with the orchestra, will take audiences on a musical journey ranging from a cappella spirituals to traditional and contemporary gospel, with unexpected pop and rock reinterpretations, all set within one of Florence’s most evocative Renaissance settings.

In Piazza del Carmine, jazz takes centre stage with Piazza del Carmine in Jazz, organised by the Music Pool Association. From 10.30 pm to 12.45 am, the church square will host the Nico Gori Young Lions, joined by special guest Fabrizio Bosso, one of Italy’s most acclaimed trumpet players on the international scene. An evening of swing, bebop, original compositions and Brazilian-inspired sounds.All events are free of charge, subject to capacity.

As the clock strikes midnight, the countdown will also light up Piazza della Signoria, with a spectacular video mapping display projected onto the façade of Palazzo Vecchio. The project is part of Florence Lights Up, curated by Fondazione MUS.E, and will accompany the transition into the New Year with an immersive and poetic visual narrative.

Alongside the open-air celebrations, New Year’s Eve in Florence also unfolds through a rich theatrical programme, ideal for those wishing to end 2025 on a high note, with offerings ranging from drama and music to opera. The selection is broad and diverse, catering to different audiences and sensibilities.

At the Teatro Niccolini, on Wednesday, 31 December, audiences can enjoy L’Acqua Cheta, a cornerstone of Florentine popular theatre written by Augusto Novelli, with two performances scheduled at 7.15 pm and 10.00 pm. A timeless classic, deeply rooted in the city’s cultural identity.

Meanwhile, the Teatro Verdi welcomes in the New Year to the sound of great music with the ORT New Year’s Concert, conducted by Diego Ceretta and featuring Giuliana Gianfaldoni (soprano) and Riccardo Della Sciucca (tenor), for an evening of refined symphonic elegance.

At the Teatro della Pergola, Paolo Genovese makes his theatrical directorial debut with the stage adaptation of the cult film Perfect Strangers, a sharp and contemporary comedy that explores the dynamics of modern relationships with irony and insight. For opera lovers, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino presents a 5.00 pm performance of La bohème by Giacomo Puccini, one of the most beloved works in the operatic repertoire, ideal for bringing the year to a close with emotion and great music.

Finally, on New Year’s Eve night at 10.00 pm, the Teatro Puccini welcomes back Maria Cassi and Leonardo Brizzi with Grand soirée – Lo sveglione di Capodanno, an ironic and surreal musical show featuring improvisation, original music and refined comedy, offering a light-hearted, intelligent and joyful way to welcome the New Year.

Here are all the other shows not to be missed in Florence during the festive season.