Overview
- NRW’s shop law treats Dec. 31 as a normal weekday, while Jan. 1 keeps supermarkets closed and allows bakeries to open for up to five hours, with station bakeries and service stations exempt.
- Aldi Nord opens from 7:00 until at least 14:00 on Dec. 31, Aldi Süd trades until about 16:00, Kaufland plans closures between 14:00 and 18:00, Lidl opens at 7:00 with local closing times, and many Edeka stores set hours individually.
- Berlin set multiple no‑fireworks zones including Alexanderplatz, parts of Neukölln, Schöneberg and Kreuzberg, reported seizing 108,000 category‑4 items, and is deploying 4,300 police and about 1,600 firefighters for the night.
- Pre‑holiday incidents include fireworks thrown at a Duisburg tram and at a Gelsenkirchen police car, while border checks in eastern Saxony confiscated prohibited F3/F4 items, prompting renewed customs warnings to buy only CE‑marked products.
- Cross‑border demand rose as the Netherlands prepares a nationwide private‑fireworks ban from 2026/27, drawing Dutch buyers to Oberhausen, while some retailers voluntarily halted sales and local initiatives expanded or enforced ban areas.