New Year’s Eve in Florence, Prelude to 2025
Even though many Florentines enjoy celebrating New Year’s Eve in a cozy, homey setting, some prefer outdoor activities, which are not to miss this year either. Exciting events and activities on the last day of 2024 may be a perfect choice for city residents and visitors.
This New Year’s Eve will be filled with music throughout the streets and squares. The free events will be spread across the city center, with roaming bands moving through the streets of Oltrarno, Via Palazzuolo, and Via Maso Finiguerra, culminating in Piazza del Carmine for the midnight countdown and toast. It is worth mentioning that, for this year’s initiatives, there will not be a free concert at Piazzale Michelangelo.
Festivities kick off in the late afternoon. Families are invited to Piazza della Signoria at 5:15 pm, where Tuscan musical artist Lorenzo Baglioni, magician Mattia Boschi and the ventriloquist Nicola Pesaresi will entertain kids of all ages. Following this, the square will become the stage for a multidisciplinary live performances through 8:45 pm. Celebrations start in earnest at 9 pm when the musicians of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Academy take the stage to interpret pieces by Rossini, Donizetti and Puccini in addition to 20th century standards such as Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, and songs by Frank Sinatra including My Way and Fly Me to the Moon.
Musicians sure to appeal to all generations are the next to perform in Piazza Signoria, starting with singers Deborah Iurato and Syria, winners respectively of Amici and the Sanremo Giovani, in addition to singer/songwriter Giacomo Caccamo, another Sanremo veteran. The evening’s high point will be the appearance of Mr. Rain at 11:30 pm, one of Italy’s most well-loved rappers and singer/songwriters, who will present his hits in addition to the midnight countdown. After the midnight toast, the Florentine trio BowLand, of Iranian origin will entertain the public with trip hop, electronic music and Oriental sounds from 12:20 to 12.50 am.
Jazz music, as in previous years, will return to Piazza Santissima Annunziata (10:45 pm to 12:30 am.), headlined by jazz virtuoso Nino Buonocore with saxophonist Max Ianota and his internationally renowned quartet. Gospel performances will take place in Piazza San Giovanni, headlined by The Pilgrims and Lara Johnson & The Black Voices, the latter comprising six singers and a band (keyboard, bass and drums) from 10 pm to 1 pm. The Florence Chamber Orchestra will play classical music in front of the Basilica of Santa Croce. There will be a segue by RadioTV Moldova National Symphony Orchestra which will provide renditions of tango, rock and roll and modern dance music to accompany the choreographies of Kinesis Dance Company through 1 am.
Another way to bid farewell to the old year is through theater, as many music-filled shows are scheduled for this special day. The play titled “Incompiuti” (The Unfinished) is a unique choral performance that will take place at the Teatro di Fiesole. There will be two shows: at 7:30 pm (tickets from €25 to €34.50) and at 10:15 pm (tickets from €40 to €50). Additionally, Teatro Puccini will present “Maledetti amici miei” (My Damn Friends), which is an ironic look friendship with music. This collaborative performance by Tuscan director Giovanni Veronesi and actor Rocco Papaleo, features pieces by “Closet Music.” The event begins at 10 pm, with tickets available for €24 to €38.
For those who are not into musical shows, there will be other opportunities to visit a theater. This New Year’s Eve, director Ferzan Ozpetek returns to Florence with a special spectacle at the Teatro della Pergola. “Magnifica presenza” (Magnificent Presence) is an adaptation of a movie with the same title, telling a story of a young aspiring actor who moves to Rome and starts living alone in an apartment. However, strange things start to happen, as he suspects that someone else might also be residing there. Show starts at 8:30, with tickets available for €34 to €68. (Paulina Juzak)
