All that jazz on New Year’s Eve
Book now if you want to join Berliners for a rollicking party
It’s two months away, and planning for New Year’s Eve is no big deal, if you’re just hoping to watch the fireworks on the telly. But if you want to attend Europe’s most rocking free event, you’ll need to book your trip fast.
Every year, Berlin hosts the world’s biggest, free open-air party on New Year’s Eve – or Silvester, as it’s known there. More than a million people throng to the city’s Tiergarten to celebrate, with free music concerts, dance tents, laser shows and fireworks.
But the city’s Silvester fun doesn’t stop there. If you’ve been inspired by Sally Howard’s article on Berlin’s jazz-age scene, and you can’t make it to the city’s jazz festival (3-7 November 2010), you might want to try an alternative Silvester night. Boheme Sauvage will be hosting a decadent burlesque show on the night.
If you want a more refined environment, the New Year’s Eve Gala at Brandenburger Hof is hugely popular, with guests booking up far in advance every year to stay there, but you might still be able to get tickets for the event, even though the hotel is already sold out.
Other big hotels also put on impressive Silvester parties, including a choice of three at the Ritz-Carlton Berlin, a mere stone’s throw from the Tiergarten, so you could stick it out in the free open-air event until your toes go numb from cold, then saunter back to your hotel (the Ritz-Carlton still has some availability) to continue the party until the wee hours.
As a bonus, if you’re in the city before party time on NYE, the city’s festive Gendarmenmarkt is still on, so you can get started on next year’s Christmas shopping! Now that’s planning ahead.
