Rome New Years Eve - Updated for 2024/2025

Planning to be in Rome on New Year's Eve?

Find out everything you need to know about what to do and what to expect on this major holiday!

Rome New Years Eve - Everything You Need to Know

If you will be in Rome for New Years, here's what you need to know:

• What's Rome like for New Year's Eve?
• How and where can you celebrate New Years in Rome in 2023/2024?
  
• Where can you see the fireworks in Rome New Years Eve?
• What are some New Year's Eve concerts you can attend?
• How to get around on New Years Eve in Rome? What public transportation is running?
  
• What's the weather like in Rome New Years Eve?
• What are some Italian New Years traditions?
  
• What to do on New Years Day in Rome in 2024?
  

Rome New Years Eve - what's it like?

Rome is a great place to spend New Years Eve!

There are plenty of options for enjoying a sumptuous New Years Eve dinner (cenone), fireworks, and a general atmosphere of partying and fun.

Many Romans have dinner at home, or at friends' houses, then go out afterwards to walk around soaking up the atmosphere and to watch the fireworks.

Tourist-wise, it's generally busy in Rome from just after Christmas through the 6th of January (the Epiphany, or what in Italy is called Befana.) 

With the exception of New Years' Day, just about everything is open, the city is beautifully lit up, from the shops, to the street-decorations, to the giant trees at Piazza Venezia and in Saint Peter's Square.

New Years Eve in Rome - What to do!

OUTDOORS Things to do in Rome new years eve

The Christmas Market in Piazza Navona is on through January 6, 2025!

Where to see the fireworks in Rome New Years Eve

From midnight, there will be fireworks going off all around Rome, for about 15 minutes. 

You can see fireworks from large monuments, piazzas, and bridges in Rome, where you might already be celebrating anyway.

If you can get to a high up vantage point, you will have great views. 

Such points include the Gianicolo Hill (a fairly large, wide-open space that can accommodate a lot of people), Pincio above Piazza del Popolo, the Orange Tree Garden (a smaller space and it will be crowded), and any rooftop you can get to. 

Great viewing spots include hotel rooftops, so even if you don't go to one of their cenone (big dinner), you can try the rooftop bar (you will need to reserve).

It won't come cheaply though!

Drinks on any hotel rooftop bar are almost always steep, any time of the year.

But it might be worth it to view all the fireworks around you.

Visit my page about the best restaurants in Rome with a view.

Visit my dedicated page about the best views in Rome.

(For those asking where to watch fireworks without crowds, the only way to do this is at a private home of someone with a rooftop. All the public spaces will likely be full of people and pretty loud.)

Indoor Concerts in Rome New Years Eve

If you don't feel like being out in the cold, or dealing with large street crowds and noise, you might want to spend New Years Eve in Rome indoors.

This includes having a big cenone (dinner), but you might also want something more lively like:

How to get around in Rome New Years Eve

Public Transportation in Rome New Years Eve

On December 31 2024, Rome's Metro (lines A-B / B1-C) will be running until 2:30am 2025. 

The entire bus network will stop service at 9 PM with the exception of lines H-2-128-170-200-280-301-336-544-766-881-905 which will make the last departures from the terminus at 2.30 AM.

The night line n913 will be active from 9 PM to 2.30 AM.

Line 2 will be active by bus instead of tram.

On New Years Day, Rome's public transportation begins running at 8am.

For more about public transportation in Rome New Years Eve (and New Years Day), visit the ATAC website (much of this page is available also in English but holiday schedules are in Italian only.)

Taxis in Rome New Years Eve

Taxis will be hard to come by.

Don't count on finding one easily!

And if you are thinking you will just use Uber, think again.

Find out more about taking taxis in Rome here.

Bottom line - either pre-book a private car service, or just don't plan to count on finding taxis in Rome New Years Eve.

Weather in Rome New Years Eve

Well this one's kind of a no-brainer: In Rome, New Years Eve is cold.

It's winter.

But for some reason, and this is, of course, only anecdotal, I don't remember it raining (and definitely not snowing!) for any of the New Years Eves I've spent in Rome.

And I've been here for New Years every year since 1997.

So count on cold weather (and rain, because you never know.)

Bundle up!

Especially if you will be standing still in a piazza, or to watch fireworks.

Wear warm gloves, a scarf and a hat.

Wear layers too, starting with a kind of silk/cashmere/light wool undergarment like a tank top, camisole, henley or t-shirt.

New Years traditions in Italy

You may not be surprised to know that Italians ring in the new year with spumante or prosecco (sparkling wine) and with fireworks displays starting at midnight.

Here are some more interesting Italian New Years Eve traditions you may not have heard of:

• A very old-fashioned tradition in Italy is to start the new year fresh by literally throwing out the past. At the stroke of midnight, people would toss kitchenware, appliances, clothes and even furniture out of their windows and onto the street. This may be slightly more common in the south, in particular Naples, but is not much practiced in Rome (I've never witnessed this.) However, at midnight, just take care not to be standing underneath apartment windows. You never know.
• A big New Year's Dinner, called cenone, is another popular tradition in Rome and around Italy. This can be at someone's house or out at a restaurant. Many restaurants in Rome are open New Years Eve so they offer this dinner menu. Often there is an earlier seating, for those who might want to ring in the New Year out in the piazzas or streets; and a later seating, for those who want to toast the new year with some prosecco and....
• Lentils! This one is a biggie and a must. If you are out at a restaurant, or at someone's house, just after midnight, you simply must have some lentils. Doesn't matter if you don't like them, are too full from dinner, or just don't want to. You have to eat lentils after midnight on New Years, because it brings fortune for the coming year (the shape of those lentils is kinda like money, see?) No amount of backing away from this will save you. Have the lentils and get on with the evening. (Don't get me wrong, I love lentils, but I usually feel done eating and drinking by then. But of course I partake. When in Rome...)
• Another Rome New Years Eve tradition is wearing red underwear (men and women alike). This is because in medieval times, the color red was used to ward off sickness and bad stuff in general. If you've arrived in Rome without your red underwear, you are in luck! You can find them being sold all around town.
• My least favorite Rome New Years Eve tradition is the setting off of little firecrackers all around the city. This starts even a few days before New Years and goes until the 6th of January. People set them off at all times of day. It's generally not dangerous (unless you are the one doing it; accidents have happened), but it's quite loud and can be jarring. Just be prepared for this noise.

What to do in Rome on New Years Day

Hopefully you've had a fun-filled Rome New Years Eve, and probably got to bed late.

So sleep in and enjoy a nice breakfast in your hotel or apartment.

Now, what to do with the rest of the day?

Visit my page all about Rome New Years Day, for ideas about things to do and what to expect.

New Years in other parts of Italy

If you are spending New Years in another part of Italy, check out this informative, up-to-date page by Martha Bakerjian.

Happy New Year!!!

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