NYE in Berlin - Suggestions?
 

My husband and I are visiting Berlin for the first time from Dec 28 to January 3, and we'd appreciate suggestions for New Year's Eve. We are young (26 and 31), and while we would enjoy a couple of drinks and some dancing, we're not big party animals. We'd love to be part of the festivities without being in an overly "hard core" crowd. Any ideas? We thought about doing a "pub crawl" that evening with a tour company, but the thought of being trapped with 25 stupid-drunk tourists for 5 hours is unappealing.

The major outdoor party will be at Brandenburg Gate.
But you can do a "pub crawl" on your own at any of the hotspots in the city - or with that tour company. Chances are good that you won't spend the night with just 25 stupid-drunk tourists but with many, many, many more ;-)
Depending on your taste, you can start at Savignyplatz for a bit more upscale bars, or Hackescher Markt (bit touristy, but who care), or around Eberswalder Str., or Görlitzer Bahnhof for more "alternative" clubs and bars. All those places have subway or S-Bahn stations with that same names.
Have fun.

I'm with Cowboy on the Savignyplatz or Hackescher Markt bar start. If you start at Hackescher, you could even try to have an early meal at say Brauhaus Lemke (under the train line at Hackescher Markt station) to fill up (don't worry, you'll likely have a Currywurst later!) then wander up Unter den Linden to join the throng at Brandenburg Gate. There is often a massive party with stages and music all along Strasse des 17te Juli so you can join the crowds there and make your way (slowly) around each section. Fireworks are visible from most places in the city, so you won't miss them. The only thing about being outside all night is to dress well for it, including very warm boots/shoes. Nothing worse than numb toes at 10.30pm on NYE!

Thank you both. I think that doing a pub crawl on our own is more our style (vs with a tour), so I appreciate the specific bar suggestions. I will have to buy some warm boots, since I live in Houston, TX. I wonder if I can wait until we get to Europe for that? Our first stop will be Prague. I will go investigate...

>if I can wait until we get to Europe for that?
Most people wear they "office shoes" during the week :-). You leave your flat in the morning, go to the underground car park, drive to work, park your car, enter the office building. In the afternoon, the heating system of you car has warmed it up already, so you can just enter and drive away.
Same thing, the next day. So yes, you can wait. :-). Shopping "between the years" is fun too.