Berlin, 27 December 2013 Up to a million people will flock to the party mile between the Siegessäule (Victory Column) and the Brandenburg Gate to celebrate the arrival of 2014 in Berlin. This is decidedly the largest New Year's Eve party in Europe. In comparison: About 250,000 people gather in central London each year, while on the Champs-Élysées and at the Eiffel Tower, some 340,000 Parisians gathered in 2012.

Burkhard Kieker, visitBerlin CEO, comments: "The big New Year's Eve party at the Brandenburg Gate has become a global icon. Our city is tourist destination number one in Europe for celebrating the turn of the year."

Overall, visitBerlin expects about two million people to come to the city. Berlin at top of survey: The city is the most popular New Year's Eve destination for Germans. This has been confirmed by the latest statistics from the Check24 website. Eleven per cent of trips over the 31 December that the website's visitors searched for had Berlin as their destination. A survey of the travel portal Expedia also shows that Germans especially like to spend their Christmas and New Year holiday in their capital – followed by New York, Hamburg and London.

Largest New Year's Eve party at the Brandenburg Gate – with light- and stage show

Berlin’s main party stretches for over a mile along Straße des 17. Juni. On the main stage at the Brandenburg Gate, national and international stars such as Adel Tawil, Frida Gold, Scooter, Milow and the Hermes House Band will perform for the crowd. In addition to an elaborate light show, more than 6,000 fireworks will illuminate the night sky over Berlin for over eleven minutes.

The music gets started as early as 2.00pm on 30 December when you can check out the stars in rehearsal. The show starts at 7.00pm on New Year's Eve. Admission is free.

Lodgings from hostels to five-star hotel are well booked. But last-minute party-goers can still find a hotel for New Year's Eve at visitBerlin.com or by calling the Berlin Service Center at +49 (0)30 25 00 25.

More information can be found at visitberlin.de/en/experience/wintertime-in-berlin