Germans rush to buy fireworks as sales start ahead of New Year’s Eve
Shoppers in Germany rushed stores that opened at midnight to buy their supplies of fireworks for New Year’s Eve, which can make some German cities sound like a war zone during turn-of-the-year celebrations.
In Meppen in Lower Saxony’s Emsland region, not far from the Dutch border, a long queue formed in front of a shop that opened early Monday. People with shopping trolleys could be seen waiting in the cold for the doors to open.
In the port city of Bremerhaven, many people waited overnight in front of a fireworks manufacturer that started selling on Monday morning. Many came in groups and passed the time with games and music.
There was also a rush in Hamburg, as more than 100 people queued to get their supplied.
“At 5:30 am [0430 GMT] we had a queue of 100 to 130 people, and it’s not getting any shorter, but rather getting longer,” fireworks dealer and pyrotechnist Oliver Graetzer told dpa. Graetzer has around 250 items on offer.
German law allows pyrotechnics for New Year’s Eve to be sold nationwide starting at midnight on Sunday. Online shops are also allowed to deliver pre-ordered fireworks to customers’ doorsteps on the last three working days of the year.
The Association of the Pyrotechnic Industry (VPI) expects 10% to 15% more goods to be sold than last year. According to its own figures, the industry recorded sales of €197 million ($232 million) in 2024, compared to €180 million in 2023.
