Brandenburg Gate New Year party will go ahead after all

After ZDF announced it would move its famous Brandenburg Gate New Year party to Hamburg in 2025, Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) said the capital wouldn’t host a party in its place. Now Wegner has U-turned.

Berlin Mayor U-turns on NYE at Brandenburg Gate

Since New Year 2010, German public broadcaster ZDF has hosted and televised New Year celebrations at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. But in September, the broadcaster said the party would move to Hamburg this year.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner initially took on the role of party pooper, explaining that the local authorities had no plan to organise a similar event “at the expense of the taxpayer [...]. At least not at times when the budget is restrictive.” Wegner’s government approved 130 million euros worth of cuts to culture funding in December 2024.

Now, Wegner, Economics Minister Franziska Giffey (SPD) and Culture Project Manager for Berlin, Moritz van Dülmen, have announced that doch, the city will fund an official party at the Brandenburg Gate on Silvester.

According to a press release from Berlin.de, DJs will play at the Gate starting at 10pm. The event will be televised from midnight, when a seven-minute firework display will ring the New Year in with a bang.

20.000 free tickets available for Berlin New Year party

From December, anyone will be able to get their hands on one of 20.000 free tickets available for the event on New Year’s Eve. However, it is yet unclear where prospective partygoers should go to get their tickets.

Making the announcement, Wegner said he hopes the party will make New Year celebration pictures from Berlin as recognisable as those from Sydney or New York.