| Willkommen 20xx | |
|---|---|
| Genre | New Year programming |
| Presented by | Andrea Kiewel (2013-) Johannes B. Kerner (2016-) |
| Country of origin | Germany |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Original release | |
| Network | ZDF |
| Release | 31 December 2010 – present |
Willkommen 20xx (English: Welcome 20xx) is the name given to the New Year's Eve show broadcast on German broadcaster ZDF since 2010/11. It is currently presented by Andrea Kiewel and Johannes B. Kerner.
Format
The show broadcasts a live New Year's party from the Brandenburg Gate to the Victory Column along the Straße des 17. Juni. Many domestic artists have performed on the show, including ; as well as international artists including the Gipsy Kings with Bamboléo in 2019/20; Johnny Logan and Nemo in 2024/25.
Due to the energy crisis affecting Germany, the 2022/23 edition was moved from the Brandenburg Gate to a smaller stage at the Pariser Platz, where, for security reasons, only a few thousand could stand in front of the stage. The next year's edition returned to the Brandenburg Gate.
In the minute before midnight, producers have usually played Europe's The Final Countdown since 2016/17 while Kiewel and Kerner chat to fill time. Thirty seconds before midnight, the clock in the top-right screen will disappear and an announcer says Deutschland, macht sich bereit. ("Germany, get ready.") before a ten-second countdown. After midnight, producers either play Ode to Joy, a cover of it; or have performers sing Auld Lang Syne.
The show's usual slogan is Celebrate at the Gate.
Broadcast
ZDF replaced RTL Zwei, which used to broadcast the party from the Brandenburg Gate, attracting impressive ratings. The first episode was broadcast live on New Year's Eve 2010 from 11pm, after the music show Die ZDF-Hitparty, which started at 9:30pm. The next year, the show was extended to start at 9:45pm, pushing Die ZDF-Hitparty back to start at 8:15pm. For the 2015/16 edition, the Hitparty was replaced by Guten Rutsch!, with no change to the start time of Willkommen... In 2016/17, the show was extended again to 8:15pm with Johannes B. Kerner joining the show, replacing Matze Knop. For the 2018/19 edition, the show returned to 9:45pm, before going back to 8:15pm the next year. In 2019/20, the show started at 9:45pm once more, yet since 2021/22 it has returned to the 8:15pm timeslot.
Episodes
| Episode | Title | Start time | Presenters | Ratings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willkommen 2011 | 23:00 | Mirjam Weichselbraun | Norbert Lehmann | 3,990,000 |
| 2 | Willkommen 2012 | 21:45 | Joko und Klaas | 3,520,000 | |
| 3 | Willkommen 2013 | 3,110,000 | |||
| 4 | Willkommen 2014 | Andrea Kiewel | Alexander Mazza | 4,110,000 | |
| 5 | Willkommen 2015 | 3,580,000 | |||
| 6 | Willkommen 2016 | Matze Knop | 3,630,000 | ||
| 7 | Willkommen 2017 | 20:15 | Johannes B. Kerner | 3,210,000 | |
| 8 | Willkommen 2018 | 2,980,000 | |||
| 9 | Willkommen 2019 | 21:45 | 3,040,000 | ||
| 10 | Willkommen 2020 | 20:15 | 2,990,000 | ||
| 11 | Willkommen 2021 | 21:45 | 3,580,000 | ||
| 12 | Willkommen 2022 | 20:15 | 2,250,000 | ||
| 13 | Willkommen 2023 | 3,050,000 | |||
| 14 | Willkommen 2024 | 3,110,000 | |||
| 15 | Willkommen 2025 | TBA | |||
References
- "Silvester 2022 am Brandenburger Tor in Berlin: Fotos zeigen wahre Dimension" ["Party at the Brandenburg Gate: Photos show the true dimension"]. www.morgenpost.de (in German). 2022-12-31. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "Willkommen 2025 - die Silvesterparty am Brandenburger Tor". www.zdf.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-12-29.
- GmbH, DWDL de. "Silvesterparty in Berlin: ZDF löst RTL II ab". DWDL.de. Retrieved 2024-12-29.