New Year's Eve 2024 in Italy

New Year’s Eve, also known as St Sylvester’s Feast (La Festa di San Silvestro) in Italy, falls on December 31. It is a festive time of the year for many Italians in the lead up to New Year’s Day.

Is New Year's Eve a Public Holiday?

New Year's Eve is not a public holiday. Businesses have normal opening hours.

What Do People Do?

Many Italians love to celebrate New Year’s Eve with firework displays, festivals, bonfires, concerts, and parties. Dinners may include meals such as Cotechino (Italian sausage) and Lenticchie (lentils). Italian sparkling wines such as prosecco or spumante are toasted to farewell the old year and celebrate the New Year.

Public Life

New Year’s Eve is not a national public holiday in Italy. However, It is a busy time of the year for restaurants and hotels, and city centers are often crowded due to New Year’s Eve events.

Background

New Year's Eve is celebrated in many countries worldwide on December 31. It the last day of the year and the day before New Year’s Day, January 1, which marks the start of a new year according to the Gregorian calendar.

Symbols

Pork represents the fullness or richness of life, and lentils symbolize wealth and money, so according to superstition, the New Year could bring prosperity if these meals are eaten on New Year’s Eve.

About New Year's Eve in Other Countries

While we diligently research and update our holiday dates, some of the information in the table above may be preliminary. If you find an error, please let us know.