About New Year's Eve in Berlin
New Year's Eve in Berlin combines a large open-air party at the Brandenburg Gate with countless private celebrations and fireworks across the city. The party mile on Straße des 17. Juni is among the best-known New Year's events in Germany.
What happens in the city on 31 December
The big open-air party takes place between the Brandenburg Gate and the Tiergarten. In recent years the number of guests has been limited, with free tickets reserved in advance, bag checks at the entrances and a ban on bringing fireworks or large bags. Apart from that, Berliners celebrate in clubs, bars, restaurants, on the river and in their own streets, where private fireworks go off from early evening.
Closures around the Brandenburg Gate
Setting up the party area takes several days. Parts of Straße des 17. Juni close from the days after Christmas, and on New Year's Eve itself the Großer Stern, Ebertstraße, Yitzhak-Rabin-Straße and the access roads are closed early in the morning, also for pedestrians and cyclists in parts of the Tiergarten. Clearing up lasts into the first days of January. If your hotel lies within this area, ask the driver to stop on the nearest open street and walk the last part.
Firework ban zones and driving at night
The police set up zones where private fireworks are fully banned; most recently these included Alexanderplatz, the Steinmetzkiez in Schöneberg, part of Sonnenallee in Neukölln and the Admiralbrücke in Kreuzberg. Elsewhere rockets and firecrackers are set off on the streets around midnight, so drivers move slowly or wait until the busiest minutes are over. Plan your journeys for before about 10 pm or after the early hours.
When should you land?
The safest time is 30 December or the morning of 31 December. Flights landing in the afternoon of New Year's Eve are fine too, but streets in Mitte fill up from late afternoon. Allow 35–50 minutes from BER to Mitte or Potsdamer Platz and more time if the hotel lies near the closures. At the terminal taxi rank queues form when several flights arrive together; a pre-booked driver waits for you in the arrivals hall.
Getting around on New Year's night
Between about 11 pm and 2 am almost every Berlin taxi is booked. U-Bahn and S-Bahn run through the night on New Year's Eve, with extra trains on the main lines, which is usually the quickest way home. If you still need a taxi, walk to a rank away from the party mile, for example at a station, rather than hailing one in the middle of the crowd. Plan your evening close to the hotel, or pick a hotel close to the party you have chosen, for example near Potsdamer Platz & Tiergarten.
Flying home on 1 January
On New Year's Day many guests leave at the same time, and the morning streets are still full of firework litter. Book the drive from your hotel to the airport in advance via Berlin to BER and give the exact pick-up point if your street lies in a closure. The price for the vehicle is set when you book, with no night or holiday surprises at the end of the ride.
