Happy New Year, Berlin! You’re kidding, right?
Unless you plan ahead or are safely hunkering down with a few good friends and a Raclette grill, New Year’s Eve in Berlin can be memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Here’s the problem; fireworks are generally verboten throughout Germany, but that ban is relaxed for a few days to mark New Year celebrations, giving carte blanche to anyone fancying arming themselves with cheap, often Polish-made explosives and discharging them at random.
Whilst the odd firecracker or two has long been a fixture of the final few hours of December, recent years have seen a dramatic upsurge in pyro-sales, with parts of some Berlin boroughs – notably Kreuzberg, Neukölln and Schöneberg – being transformed in to a post-apocalyptic hellscape with the acrid stench of gunpowder lingering in the cold, damp dawn of New Year’s Day.
What is more, increased tensions between kids and cops need no encouragement to boil over. In 2020-2021 and despite COVID-19 restrictions, there were still incidents of fireworks being misused. Police had to intervene in various parts of the city to manage the carnage. On New Year’s Eve 2021-2022, similar disturbances occurred, with fireworks being used aggressively against police and emergency services. This led to several injuries and arrests.
Then, during the 2023-2024 “celebrations”, 54 police officers were injured, emergency workers came under bombardment, and more than two dozen people required treatment for serious firework-related injuries, including some which necessitated amputations. Add to that, FA-FO was writ large with some 400 arrests being made which resulted in a raft of often serious convictions.
The Fabrik Hostel Hotel advice is simple; just don’t! At the first sign of fireworks being set off on the street, high-tail it in the opposite direction while you still can and before the situation escalates. “It’s all good fun until someone loses an eye”, as everyone’s granny used to say.
No Pyro, No Party?
In fairness, there are much safer alternatives to alcohol-fuelled and reckless pyrotechnic excesses. Indeed, the hugely spectacular fireworks at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate is undoubtedly one of the most impressive shows, rivalling that of any other capital on the world’s stage. So, if the weather decides to be cooperative, it is well worth wrapping up well and seeing the display in the flesh, with a Glühwein in one hand and a Bratwurst in the other.
The so-called “party-mile” extends all along the tree-lined Straße des 17. Juni avenue to the Victory Column, with tickets, at the time of writing, costing €20 per person in order to cover the expense of safely putting on such a large-scale event.
For what must now be obvious security reasons, there are identity checks at the entrance every year. Taking along your own stash of booze or fireworks of any kind is strictly prohibited, along with anything that can be used as a weapon. Expect too to be denied entry with rucksacks and bags larger than the size of a sheet of A4.
No Pyro, no thanks
If you have safely heeded our warnings about the war-zones, don’t really fancy being at a large, organised event, yet are still looking for a memorable way to mark the tripping round of the calendar, Berlin is still the right place at the right time.
Just about all of Berlin’s clubs push the boat out on New Year’s Eve, with parties which will go on for days rather than merely a few hours. Resident Advisor is the go-to source for up-to-date listings, detailed line-ups, and reliable recommendations.
Last but not least, let’s not overlook the warm welcome and the cosy atmosphere which is as good as guaranteed in any of Berlin’s 2400 pubs and bars. All the bars on and around Schlessische Straße and Wiener Straße in our kiez will be open by or soon after 22:00 in New Year’s Eve and not be in a hurry to close, and even a down-at-heel, neighbourhood drinking hole will extend the hand of friendship and convince you that the new year might be a happy one, after all.
