Germany’s New Year’s celebration was largely peaceful compared to previous years, although at least two people died and many were injured, and in some places fireworks were thrown at police officers and emergency services.
Additional police were on duty in many places, with concerns about potential violence in several cities, including Berlin, following attacks on emergency services on New Year’s Eve in previous years.
In Berlin alone, where 4,300 police officers were on duty, there were more than 400 arrests by 1 am on Thursday (0000 GMT). A total of 21 police officers were slightly injured with blast trauma after being shot with flares or resisted by suspects, police said in an update later on New Year’s Day.
In the eastern city of Leipzig, where riots broke out in previous years, police and emergency workers were attacked with fireworks.
In the western city of Bielefeld, two 18-year-old men died after suffering fatal facial injuries in separate incidents involving homemade fireworks.
Many people suffered injuries, some of them serious, such as a 23-year-old man who lost his left hand due to a firecracker that exploded near the city of Rostock in the North-East.
Berlin welcomed 2026 with a seven and a half minute firework display at the Brandenburg Gate and a number of private firework celebrations. Up to 25,000 tickets were available for the main event.
The capital’s traditional New Year’s Eve party featuring live performances has been canceled after the city government said it would no longer fund it, replaced by a DJ party at the Berlin landmark.
Meanwhile in Hamburg, thousands of people welcomed in 2026 at public broadcaster ZDF’s New Year’s show in rainy weather. For the first time, the show did not take place in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin but on a floating stage on the Elbe in front of the Westfield shopping center in the northern port city.
At midnight, there was a spectacular fireworks display, which was launched from a tug behind the stage.
Ten police officers were injured in Hamburg and could not continue working, the police reported on Thursday.
In Munich, organizers said around 10,000 people celebrated the arrival of 2026 at a huge New Year’s Eve party on the main street of Ludwigstrasse. Everything was very peaceful, said Katrin Strauch from the Gral events agency. “There were no incidents, nothing.”
Those who welcomed the New Year outside were best advised to dress warmly. In parts of Germany, the German Weather Service warned of icy and slippery conditions. In the North, on Thursday morning it was expected to become more and more stormy.
New Year’s celebrations in Berlin calmer than in the past
Berlin Police spokesman Florian Nath told dpa in a preliminary assessment that the police had “no reports of serious injuries” among officers or revellers.
“We didn’t even have any serious accidents or property damage like last year.”
The Police officers were however attacked with fireworks, 21 of them suffered minor injuries.
The police succeeded in part to fight the dynamics of criminals who moved among the crowd of peaceful revellers, they said. The concept of a large fireworks-free zone worked particularly well in the large central square of Alexanderplatz, they added.
A demonstration and party at the Victory Column in the middle of the Tiergarten park was peaceful. Instead of the 16,000 participants who had registered, only a few hundred showed up, according to the spokesperson.
The celebration at the Brandenburg Gate also went off without incident.
The police in Leipzig attacked with fireworks
In Leipzig, police and emergency services were attacked with fireworks, according to a police spokesman. Among other measures, the police set up barriers in the Connewitz district, which is known for riots.
However, accidents and fires in Leipzig were not limited to the known areas; There were also several fires in the city center of Leipzig, where garbage bins were caught, the spokesman said.
In recent years, there have been regular riots in Leipzig on New Year’s Eve.
Fire brigades stretched
The fire brigades were also in continuous operation, with fires reported in several federal states during the night. The roof trusses were burnt, as well as the rubbish bins, the sheds and the cars.
Several roofs caught fire in the city of Hagen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The fire initially spread from a burning tree to a house, said a police spokesman. From there, the flames lit the roofs of two other objects in a building complex. The building was completely burnt down. It is now being investigated whether the fire was caused by fireworks.
A fire in the roof of a historic building in the square in front of the cathedral in the central city of Erfurt has spread to two adjacent houses. According to the fire union, New Year’s fireworks likely started the fire.
Discussion of the fireworks ban
This year, as in the past, many groups, from health professionals to environmentalists, have called for a ban on fireworks before New Year’s Eve.
Doctors’ representatives, police officers and animal rights activists have all suggested a general ban on the use of private firecrackers and rockets due to the number of injuries caused.