Germany Struggles to Rein In Its New Year's Eve Firework Frenzy
- Government officials plead for restraint in annual spree
- Pollution adds to safety concerns of New Year tradition
Fireworks in the streets of Munich, Germany, on Jan. 1, 2018.
Photographer: Alexander Pohl/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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German officials are urging New Year’s revelers to show restraint in setting off private fireworks, as pollution adds to safety concerns surrounding the holiday tradition.
While an effort in Berlin officially to block parts of the capital from private fireworks failed earlier this year, there’s a growing backlash over Germany’s liberal approach to New Year’s pyrotechnics. Nearly two-thirds of Berliners say the annual tradition has gotten out of control, according to a Forsa survey conducted for the Berliner Zeitung daily.