Burg Celebrates New Year with Unity, Music, and Cross-Border Collaboration
Residents and local leaders came together at Burg Community Hall to celebrate the start of the new year. The event featured live performances, awards for volunteers, and a premiere of a cross-border music project funded by the European Union.
Mayor Marcel Johnen opened the gathering by highlighting the role of civic engagement and solidarity in the community. His speech set the tone for an evening focused on unity and shared goals.
The choir Stimmlich took the stage with a mix of modern and classical songs, entertaining the crowd. Their performance was followed by the premiere of a music video from the Cross-Border Band Project, a collaboration between Brüggen and Beesel. This initiative is supported by the Interreg Germany-Netherlands program and co-funded by the EU. Later in the evening, the Burg Community’s Honorary Plaque was awarded to Gottfried Optenplatz and Sophia Rögels. Both were recognised for their long-standing volunteer work. Attendees also took part in a live poll, submitting keywords about their hopes for the community in the coming year. The responses appeared instantly as a dynamic word cloud, displaying the most common themes in real time. Representatives from different sectors joined residents from all districts, making the event a broad celebration of local ties.
The evening closed with a sense of shared purpose, as the community reflected on its achievements and future plans. The awards, performances, and interactive poll all reinforced the importance of collaboration in Burg’s growth. The Cross-Border Band Project’s premiere also marked a step forward in regional cultural exchange.
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