Will Berlin reintroduce fireworks after two years of New Year’s Eve bans?

Tejal PatelDecember 29, 2022

595 3 minutes read

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Will Berlin reintroduce fireworks after two years of New Year’s Eve bans?

Berlin reintroduce fireworks after two years of New Year’s Eve bans in Germany due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The city of Berlin is now considering how widespread the use of pyrotechnics should be in the capital.

Last year, and again in 2020, the federal government and states decided to prohibit the sale of fireworks and firecrackers during the New Year’s holiday season, and lighting them off was severely discouraged. During the Covid epidemic, steps were put in place to reduce the strain on the healthcare system and key services. There are no broad limitations on the selling of pyrotechnics this year, but localities are beginning to consider how they may limit their use.

In addition to the restriction on the selling of fireworks, Berlin has 50 zones where lighting off fireworks was prohibited last year. Berlin police and the Senate seek to prohibit fireworks in some places on New Year’s Eve for safety concerns. According to current negotiations, at least three “fireworks prohibition zones” are being developed, according the Senate. The prohibition zones, like in past years, will include Alexanderplatz and the so-called Steinmetzkiez in Schöneberg near Pallasstraße. In addition, fireworks will be prohibited in select Alt-Moabit streets.

The Police Union (GdP) has encouraged legislators to go even farther, calling for a full ban on New Year’s Eve fireworks within Berlin’s S-Bahn ring. This is necessary not just to “avoid the rampant violent antics against police and firemen,” according to the union, but also to combat climate change.

Buying and letting off fireworks on and around Silvester (December 31st) is a popular German pastime, although it can frequently convert numerous areas into what look to be mini-war zones. It is possible for people to sustain serious injuries. Paramedics and police officers are routinely summoned and, in some cases, assaulted.

2022 Brandenburg Gate New Year’s Eve Party

This year, Berlin’s New Year’s Eve celebration will be held at the Brandenburg Gate. The most recent large-scale Brandenburg Gate New Year’s Eve celebration occurred in 2019. In 2021, the only celebration was a televised broadcast of a performance featuring Bonnie Tyler and German Schlagermusik singer Marianne Rosenberg, but there was no live audience. Thousands of people gathered in front of the monument around midnight to ring in the new year, despite a ban on gatherings. Fireworks were prohibited across the country in 2021 to reduce hospital visits during the pandemic’s extremely contagious Omicron wave. Small gatherings were still permitted, and Berliners celebrated private parties with fireworks in numerous neighborhoods.

After a two-year hiatus owing to the coronavirus, the legendary street celebration between the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column will return to the Strasse des 17. Juni this Silvester. On Friday, organizers confirmed that the event will feature a variety of music and that the English-language motto “Celebrate at the Gate” will be used.

The tickets for New Year’s Eve Party at the Brandenburg Gate are restricted to a few thousand individuals. Admission to the New Year’s Eve events on Pariser Platz is limited to free tickets obtained in advance online. The last batch of restricted tickets will be distributed on December 29th at 10 a.m. Tickets are available through the organizer’s website, Silvester in Berlin GmbH.

This year, major national and international talents are anticipated in Berlin. The Scorpions, Alphaville, Calum Scott, Sasha, and Kamrad are among the artists performing at Party 2022. The Scorpions’ song of the century “Wind of Change” will be the centerpiece of the live performers on New Year’s Eve. Moncrieff, DJ Bobo, Münchner Freiheit, Malik Harris, Laurell, YouNotUs, Jupiter Jones, Alex Christensen, Mael & Jonas, and Aura Dione will also perform.