| 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.
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. [1] 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. [2]
ZDF replaced RTL Zwei, which used to broadcast the party from the Brandenburg Gate, attracting impressive ratings. [3] 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.
| 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 | |||