Welcome to Europe’s greatest occasion. I’m positive none of you’re strangers to the revelries of Carnival, to fancy gown parades, big floats and the insanity occurring earlier than Lent begins. Carnival may be dated again to Roman instances, and each metropolis, city and village in Europe celebrates its personal method.
I’ve been touring Carnival celebrations for years now, and nowhere have I seen it celebrated with as a lot ardour and sentiment as in Cologne – domestically often known as Kölner Karneval. The city is actually swept away in a sea of colours, music and dance for six days. Over 1,000,000 folks take the streets and locals received’t miss the celebration for something on the earth.
It’s the occasion to finish all events – and listed here are 7 ideas so that you can get pleasure from Carnival in Cologne at its greatest.
See additionally: A Guide to Visiting Cologne, Germany
1. Choose when to go to
Carnival parades in Cologne occur over a course of 6 days, with on daily basis completely different celebrations. Festivities kick off on the Thursday earlier than Ash Wednesday with ‘Women’s Carnival’, and conclude with the burning of the ‘Nubbel’, a straw determine, on Tuesday evening.
On Friday there are events and parades throughout city, and on Saturday night the ‘Ghost Parade’ takes place, the one parade the general public is allowed to hitch. Sunday is Family Day, when teams of schoolchildren from throughout Cologne march across the metropolis with their floats. The greatest parade is the one occurring on Rose Monday, with over 70 giant floats from Cologne’s official carnival teams.
The Rose Monday parade is unquestionably spectacular, with marching bands and teams of cheerleaders opening every float, however crowds may be overbearing. Sunday is one other nice day to go to because the environment is extra subdued.
2. Choose the place to observe the parade
Being near the parade is a part of the enjoyable. You’ll get to understand the colourful floats and costumes, the music and festive environment, with folks screaming Kolle Alaaf – the carnival motto, that means Cologne above all – and throwing Kamelle (sweets) to bystanders. Make positive you convey some luggage alongside to take all of the Kamelle dwelling with you!
With as much as 1,000,000 folks within the streets, choosing a great place to observe the parade could be a problem. The space across the Dom is certainly scenic, however it’s additionally the place crowds are at their worst. We suggest avoiding the Dom and the Heumarkt space, and heading as an alternative to the backstreets simply off Neumarkt, or close to the start of the parade. Check this map for the main points of the carnival parade.
3. Pick a flowery gown
You merely can not go to carnival with out fancy gown. You can convey your individual or hire/purchase one while you get to Cologne, and even simply seize a wig or a foolish hat from one in all many stalls across the metropolis middle. If you go for a full-blown fancy gown, bear in mind you’ll be in your ft for a lot of the day, so select one thing sensible – an 18th century Venetian-style gown will in all probability be laborious to handle.
Also, don’t overlook that Carnival occurs in the course of winter so be ready for temperatures that may dip under zero – a Monsters Inc model jumpsuit or cavemen’s outfit ought to do the trick!
4. What to do at evening
The parades occur within the afternoon, and after they’re over the occasion continues at just about each single bar, restaurant and residential across the metropolis. Parties in bars and restaurant normally comply with an analogous format – copious quantities of Kolsch, Cologne’s very personal beer, streamers and confetti and Carnival music enjoying all evening lengthy. If you communicate a little bit of German, don’t fear in the event you can’t make any head or tail of the songs – they’re all in Cologne dialect.
Bars across the metropolis middle are prone to be packed – head out of town middle to a spot like Agnesquarter, Südstadt or Ehrenfeld for a extra manageable state of affairs.
5. What to eat and drink throughout Carnival
Do you need the brief reply? Eat road meals (suppose currywurst, doner kebab, falafel and the like) and drink Kolsch, Cologne beer served in tiny glasses. There will probably be stalls serving beer all around the metropolis, or you may choose up some bottles at a nook retailer.
If you’re planning on partying the entire day and complete evening, ensure you eat breakfast as these Kolsch add up actually shortly and also you don’t need to get too drunk too quickly!
See additionally: Traditional Beer and Food in Cologne
6. Burn the Nubbel
On Carnival Tuesday, the Nubbel is ceremoniously set ablaze in Cologne. This straw effigy should take duty for all wrongs dedicated through the carnival season.
People congregate outdoors quite a few pubs to absolve themselves of their previous transgressions- setting hearth to this figurine symbolically relinquishes them from any misdeeds they might have indulged in all through that interval, as per fashionable superstition.
7. Getting to Cologne and round
Carnival is tremendous excessive season in Cologne, and flight costs are typically steep. We suggest taking the practice as an alternative (seek for tickets on Kayak) – town is a really busy railway hub with a lot of trains coming from each nook of Europe, so that they’re not prone to be offered out. Most German trains don’t require reservations – we travelled into Cologne from Copenhagen and out to Paris and didn’t have to e book our seats prematurely.
To get round Cologne you should use the superb public transport system, with trams and U-Bahn reaching each nook of town. The carnival space is compact sufficient to be navigated on foot – it takes about 20 minutes to stroll from Neumarkt to Heumarkt, and an additional 15 to succeed in the Dom and Hauptbahnhof.
8. Is carnival in Cologne secure?
The environment of Carnival in Cologne is festive, relaxed and welcoming, and locals will probably be greater than prepared that can assist you in the event you’ve misplaced your method or your group. I’ve by no means felt threatened or endangered in any method – there’s a lot of police and safety across the parades.
However, as at all times with crowds, pickpockets are rife, so maintain your belongings shut.
See additionally: Easy Tips to Outsmart Pickpocketing in Europe
The Crowded Planet
We are Margherita and Nick, a author and photographer from Italy and Australia, long-term travellers and lovers of nature, wildlife and the outside.
We can’t fairly cease travelling. We could select doubles over dorms, and benefit from the comfort of getting an ensuite rest room (not too usually, although!) But in addition to that, our travelling model is identical because it was 15 years in the past.
