by Derio from Indonesia

I have to tell you about my New Year’s Eve in Hamburg! I went with my Indonesian volunteer friends and it was just amazing. We took the train, which took about five hours, but it was totally worth it. To make the trip even more beautiful, we prepared food from home that we enjoyed together. This made the whole experience even more special.

We arrived at the jetties at the harbour where the atmosphere was just incredible. It was quite cold – around 5°C – and there was a bit of a wind, but that didn’t stop anyone from having fun. The crowd was full of energy and the excitement was palpable as the clock ticked ever closer to midnight.

When midnight came, the place was packed. I heard there were about 25,000 people around St. Pauli, all ready to celebrate the year 2025. Fireworks lit up the sky and the whole harbour was alive with cheers and laughter. It was such a beautiful moment to see everything reflected in the water.

But as with any big celebration, there were also a few unpleasant moments. Some people went too far and threw fireworks at rescue workers in Steilshoop. Luckily, the situation calmed down quickly, but the police had additional forces on site when fireworks were thrown at them in St. Georg.

Unfortunately, there was also a tragic incident – a 20-year-old man died after a homemade firecracker exploded in Ochsenwerder. This is a sad reminder of how careful one must be with fireworks.