The 2027 programme is not out yet
Let's start here, because it is the real question: at the time this page was last updated, Rome City Hall had not yet announced the concert for the night of 31 December 2026. In recent seasons the announcement with the names of the artists has come in December, just a few weeks before the date. If you come across posters with a 2027 line-up, they are recycling last year's: we will update this page when the official announcement is made.
How the last edition went
On 31 December 2025 the concert was held at the Circus Maximus, the fourth year running at the same venue, organised by the City of Rome with the radio station RDS. On stage were Alessandra Amoroso, Fabri Fibra and Tananai, plus the DJ set that carried the crowd through midnight. Entry was free, the music started at 9.30pm, and according to City Hall more than seventy thousand people came over the course of the evening: far more than the forty thousand expected beforehand. In recent years the city has built a wider programme of events around the concert, in the centre and in the neighbourhoods, running well beyond the night of the 31st.
How to get in
Entry is free with no ticket, but the area is fenced off and you go in through entrance gates with security checks. The gates open early in the evening, a few hours before the start: if you want to be near the stage, arrive early; if you are happy just to hear the music and see the midnight show, you can turn up later. Glass bottles, cans, aerosols and blunt objects are not allowed through the checks; the exact rules are published each year in a city ordinance, together with the list of streets closed around the area.
How to get home
This is the part that ruins more evenings than anything else. On New Year's Eve ATAC, Rome's public transport company, normally extends metro services and some bus and tram lines, but at reduced frequency and with a crowd that all moves at once as soon as the show ends. The nearest stations to the Circus Maximus are Circo Massimo and Colosseo on line B, and both are packed when the concert finishes; walking to a station further away is often quicker than waiting. Taxis are impossible to find at that hour, and private cars cannot get into the area closed to traffic. The final times are released with the transport plan at the end of December: we include them in our guide to getting around Rome on New Year's Eve.
Square or venue, and why many people do both
The concert is free and outdoors: that means cold, crowds and nowhere to sit, but also the only way to see in midnight among tens of thousands of people without spending a cent. If you want the full evening, you do the opposite: dinner in a venue and then a move, or a venue inside the ancient city walls from which you can walk to the Circus Maximus. If that is what you are after, start with the venues in the City Centre; the Boscolo Circo Massimo looks right out over the concert area, and Heaven at Porta Ardeatina is just a few minutes away. If you would rather see in midnight at the table, start with New Year's Eve dinner in Rome.
Quick questions
Do I need a ticket? No, the City of Rome's concert is free and does not need booking. What time should I arrive? To be under the stage, when the gates open; just for midnight, an hour beforehand is enough. Can I bring drinks? No glass and no cans at the security checks. Who is playing in 2027? It has not been announced yet: this page will be updated as soon as City Hall makes the announcement.