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last mo.

Union Berlin’s Weihnachtssingen Fills Alte Försterei With 28,500 Candlelit Voices

The gathering has grown from 89 fans in 2003 into a ritual widely imitated by other clubs.

An der Alten Försterei wird's besinnlich – aber auch politisch!
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Overview

  • Stadium lights went out at 19:15 as the Nina Hagen club hymn opened the program, with attendees given candles and song sheets.
  • The Emmy-Nöther-Gymnasium choir led carols, stadium announcer Christian Arbeit hosted, and Pastor Ulrich Kastner delivered the Christmas reading.
  • A satirical year-in-review by the Union Weihnachtsmann referenced stadium expansion talks, bureaucratic hurdles, and the Bochum lighter case, drawing anti-DFB chants.
  • Thousands of candles formed a legal sea of lights that contrasted with the pyrotechnics often seen on the Waldseite.
  • A relaxed mood reflected the club’s standings, with the men eighth on 21 points after a 1–0 win at Köln and the women ninth on 15 after a 2–1 victory.