Thousands of people took to the streets at exactly 11:11 a.m. on Wednesday to mark the start of the new carnival season in Germany’s carnival strongholds along the Rhine. With chants of “Alaaf” and “Helau”, revellers and carnival-goers kicked off the fifth season in cities including Cologne, Düsseldorf and Mainz.
In Cologne’s Old Town, carnival-goers celebrated under cloudy skies, swaying along to the music alongside the designated Carnival Triumvirate, consisting of the Prince, the Farmer and the Maiden.
This year’s carnival season in Cologne is being celebrated under the motto “Morje es, wat do drus mähs” (Tomorrow is what you make of it). In Düsseldorf, the Hoppeditz, a traditional carnival character, awoke at 11:11 a.m. and emerged from his mustard pot, marking the start of the celebrations. Düsseldorf’s carnival season is taking place under the motto “Karneval – Grenzenlos vereint” (Carnival – United Without Borders).
In Mainz, carnival-goers traditionally celebrate the beginning of the Fastnacht festivities at Schillerplatz. This year’s celebrations are being held under the motto “Die Schwellköpp in de Fassenacht gehör'n zu Meenz wie's singt und lacht” (The oversized heads are as much a part of Mainz’s carnival as its singing and laughter). The occasion also marks the 100th anniversary of the oversized papier-mâché heads.
The street carnival will officially begin on Weiberfastnacht (Women's Carnival Day) on February 4, 2027, before the season reaches its peak with the Rose Monday parades on February 8.
After that, the carnival season will begin winding down. Everything comes to an end on Ash Wednesday, when carnival-goers will have to wait until November 11, 2027, for the next carnival season to begin.
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