The Cologne Carnival in North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the largest and most famous carnival festivals worldwide and the most popular in the whole country. It goes back to the Middle Ages and is celebrated magnificently every year.

The carnival session starts on November 11th, 2020. As always, a different motto is selected every year. This year it’s „Et Hätz schleiht em Veedel“.

If you are in Cologne during the carnival season, you should definitely master the following exclamations: "Kölle Alaaf" and „Da simmer dabei! Dat es prima! Viva Colonia!“.

Alongside Cologne and Mainz, Düsseldorf is one of the three strongholds of the Rhenish carnival. Over 300 splendid meetings, balls, anniversaries, receptions, and costume parties are on the schedule during the crazy time. Also, in Düsseldorf, on November 11, 2020, with the traditional "Hoppeditzerwachen" on the market square in front, of the town hall, the carnival will begin.

The motto of this session is currently being selected. It is interesting that the Thursday, on which the Altweiberfastnacht is celebrated, is even considered an unofficial holiday in Düsseldorf. The women storm the town hall and cut off the men's ties!

In Mainz, the carnival is called Fastnacht. Besides Cologne and Düsseldorf, Mainz is also one of the carnival strongholds in Germany.

The motto for the carnival session this year is: „Humor ist Meenzer Lebensart, mit Herz und Toleranz gepaart!“ ("Humor is a Meenzer way of life, paired with heart and tolerance!"). After the session's start on November 11, 2020, the people of Mainz did not wait like the others for Weiberfastnacht to continue celebrating.

Already on January 1, 2021, the guards move through the city, and afterward, there is the traditional New Year's concert on the Domplatz (cathedral square). And then the fools meet every week until Weiberfastnacht.

Tip: A real highlight of the Mainz Fastnacht is the Rose Monday parade. It is definitely worth seeing this with your own eyes when you are in Mainz for Fastnacht. Oversized paper mache heads are presented here, which represent 30 different typical Mainz characters.

The grandstand tickets are available:
🔸 in the MCV office.
🔸 by email to mcv-kartenstelle@mainzer-carneval-verein.de

The city of Frankfurt am Main in the state of Hesse is without question one of the carnival strongholds. As in other towns, the colorful carnival celebrations begin in Frankfurt on 11.11.2020 at 11:11 a.m.

A royal couple is selected every year for Fastnacht. Last year in Frankfurt, it was Pascal I. and Selina I.

Tip: The highlight of the Frankfurt Fastnacht is the big Fastnachtszug on Sunday through the city center. You have to see that. The parade begins at 12:11 p.m. at Rotfeder-Ring and ends after 3.5 kilometers at Mainkai. Over 90 associations and organizations, almost 3000 participants celebrate the fifth season together. There is a lot of music, party, and dance.

Seat tickets for the tribunes on the Römerberg for the Frankfurt carnival train on Carnival Sunday (arrival of the train at the grandstand). Price 18.00 euros.

Carnival in Stuttgart is much more apolitical than in Cologne or Düsseldorf, where political topics are chosen as the motto.

The motto of last year's campaign in the capital of the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg was: „Ob groß, ob klein, ob arm, ob reich, im Karneval sind alle gleich!“ ("Big or small, poor or rich, everyone is equal for a carnival witch!").

The Fasnacht is called "Fasnet" or "Fasnacht" and predominantly shaped by its regional and local traditions. In Stuttgart, the traditional carnival costume is a carved mask and the haes, as the fool's dress is called.

The carnival in Munich is very different from the carnival celebrations in Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Mainz. In Munich, the carnival festival includes huge parties where tradition and modernity are combined.
For Carnival in Bavaria, Krapfen (donuts) are real specialties. These are available here with all possible colors and fillings

Tip: What you shouldn't miss during the carnival season in Munich is Carnival Tuesday on February 16, 2021, when the market women dance in traditional costumes on the Viktualienmarkt.

With a total length of more than 6 kilometers and over 5000 participants, the Aachen Rose Monday’s parade is among the ten largest in all of Germany. Like in Cologne, in Aachen is said "D’r Zoch kött!"

The street carnival in Aachen officially begins on Weiberfastnacht at 11:11 am. Then there are numerous celebrations for the opening throughout the city. Some companies even hold their own carnival meetings on Weiberfastnacht. Many people come together for parties. The custom is particularly popular, in which the “jecken Wiever” (the crazy women) cut off the men's tie.

The 36th Carnival is already taking place in Bremen this year.

The Carnival in Bremen is not an ordinary carnival, because here the focus is always on samba.

More than 1500 participants from around 100 samba, mask, and stilt groups not only from Germany but also from the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, and Great Britain will be moving through the Hanseatic city of Bremen this year.

The carnival procession in Nuremberg traditionally takes place on Carnival Sunday. Around 100,000 visitors gather to admire the festive parade. The parade begins at 1 p.m. on Bayreuther Straße and ends at Saturn. This year, the 622nd Fashing procession is taking place.

Every year a new train button with a different motif is chosen. You can buy it on Carnival Sunday at the carnival parade or the Nuremberg carnival companies. With this, you support the customs of the Nuremberg carnival procession.

In Nuremberg, as in other cities, a royal couple is elected every year. Last year the couple were Jürgen I. and Manuela I. The motto for their reign was "Whether north or south - „Ob Nord, ob Süd – mit uns wird die Stimmung nie trüb“ ("North or South - with us the mood will never be cloudy").

Tip: The highlight of the carnival in Nuremberg is the children's parade on Rose Monday. It begins at 1:00 p.m. at Lorenzkirche and moves through the city center, led by the children’s royal couple.

The carnival in Cottbus is the largest carnival parade in eastern Germany. Over 3000 people take part in this festival. The procession is led by the triumvirate, the royal couple, and Funkenmariechen. During this festival, not only camels but also Spreewald cucumbers, pancakes, and quark balls are offered for visitors.

Last year Toni I. and Jannett I. were the royal couple. And the motto for the 2018/2019 Carnival session was: "Jubel, Trubel, Heiterkeit für Fantasy(ie) ist es jetzt Zeit!" (Cheers, hustle, and bustle for fantasy (ie) it's time now!).