When Cologne Carnival comes around, the whole city comes together. In one big party, there’s fun to be had at the larger organised events or any of the local pubs.
A tip from us: start off in the Belgian Quarter. Here’s our lowdown on where to find the best pubs, parties and alternative events for karneval.
Folklore – but not as you know it
Looking for local folklore but not keen on the big karneval parades? Then head for the pubs in neighbourhoods like the Belgian Quarter, Südstadt or Ehrenfeld, where you’ll find alternative forms of the festivities. Political, often spontaneous and often legendary with it.
- Grünfeld – In its own words, this watering hole in the Belgian Quarter is the “hottest bar not to be part of the hip crowd”. You can also play chess and table football here.
- Zum Goldenen Schuss – Vintage charm meets circus action. Five days of karneval with acrobatics and kölsch beer.
- Zum scheuen Reh – A café bar that hosts concerts, readings and other live performances. Opens at 3pm on Rosenmontag, the Monday of the main parade.
- Lotta – Managed by a collective, the speakers here usually blast out punk and ska but not when karneval takes over…
- Stiefel – A dimly lit corner pub in the Latin Quarter, with table football, billiards and a student clientele.
- Kölschbar – The regulars here come to play table football and watch the big-screen action – be it crime series, football or carnival entertainment.
- Hemmer – An institution in the Ehrenfeld neighbourhood. On Weiberfastnacht (the Thursday before Shrove Tuesday and the first day of the festivities), the partying here starts at 10.30 in the morning. On Shrove Tuesday, you can watch the traditional burning of the Nubbel (a straw-filled effigy) outside.
- Zappes – Yes, they make a good pils in Cologne too and this is the place to come for it.
- Joode Lade – A warm-hearted, rustic pub between the Belgian and Latin quarters. Life here revolves around kölsch beer and the 1. FC football club.
- Stereo Wonderland – This little rock and indie bar hosts regular concerts. Crowded, loud, legendary – especially during the carnival period!
- Der Schwarze Hase – A dance bar with good cocktails, located in the Ehrenfeld district. The music here is mainly electronic and hip-hop.
- Em Schnörres – Zum scheuen Reh’s little brother and one of the most popular pubs for karneval in the city’s Südstadt district.
Karneval clubbing
Techno and house fans will feel right at home in the city’s hidden clubs, where the bass reigns supreme in vaults, old factory buildings and other alternative locations.
- Bumann & Sohn – Six days of partying in the Ehrenfeld district. On Weiberfastnacht, proceedings get underway at 11.11am (which is when the “street carnival” officially begins).
- Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld – On Weiberfastnacht, the party gets going with trash-pop hits from the 90s and 00s. There’s hip-hop, R & B, Afrobeats, dancehall & reggaeton at YUCA and karaoke in the lounge. The dancing continues until Sunday with live music from the likes of Miljö, Planschemalöör, Stadtrand, King Loui und Fiasko.
- Odonien – After a winter break of one and a half months, Odonien comes back to life for karneval. The party at artist Odo Rumpf’s club gets started with Treibstoff Klub Spökes at 3pm on Weiberfastnacht and ends on Sunday, from 4pm, with BeatsxBassxCarnival im BeatsxBassxCologne.
- Bar Botanik at Wasserturm Hotel Cologne in the city centre will be throwing its own Weiberfastnacht party, “Jeckhouse Fever”, from 4pm to 10pm on 27 February.
Alternative Cologne Carnival events
Stunksitzung – “mother of the alternative carnival”
The Stunksitzung is an event held entirely in the local dialect, with performers poking fun at key figures on the international and local political stage as well as the clergy. The “mother of Cologne’s alternative carnival” was founded in 1983 by a Cologne student collective (one member of which was entertainer and author Jürgen Becker). Having begun life in the university’s canteen, the Stunksitzung now takes place at the E-Werk venue in the neighbourhood of Mülheim. Selling a total of around 65,000 tickets every year, it’s a huge success and is always sold out quickly. On one of the evenings, the performers storm the stage at another alternative carnival event, Fatal Banal.
E-Werk, Schanzenstr. 36, Gebäude 197, 51063 Cologne. For dates, check here.
Fatal Banal – cult satire: cheeky, political and devoid of all pomp
It all began with sketches at a student wedding. When they ran out of student weddings to play, “President” Christoph Stubbe’s troupe started looking for a new stage – and found it in Cologne Carnival. Fatal Banal‘s satirical performances are funny, cheeky, political and totally devoid of pomp. Now in their 32nd year, these cult shows have become a cherished part of Cologne Carnival.
Abenteuer Halle Kalk, premiere 1 February; plus nine more performances, Fri/Sat/Sun at 7.30pm
Rythmic gymnastics of a different kind: Team Rhythmusgymnastik’s Karnevalsport
Team Rhythmusgymnastik, aka DJs Powerfun and Bleibtreuboy, have been helping carnival revellers work up a sweat for more than 20 years. Kitted out in glittery discowear or sportswear (taking their cue from their name), they play anything and everything you can dance too. So hip-hop sometimes has to hold its own against schlager songs while soul classics take on brass bands and funk.
Karneval Saturday, 1 March, starting at 12.11pm (11 minutes past noon), Cologne-Bonn Airport, Kennedystraße, 51147 Cologne
Street performance – the unofficial fancy dress competition on Venloer Straße
Karneval in the Ehrenfeld district is a bit like a street performance and the main thoroughfare, Venloer Straße, the unofficial stage for the city’s “most creative costume” competition. From cyberpunk to trash TV icon – anything goes. Put your mind to it and your fantastic costume could get you a free drink or two. All you have to do is make sure you bump into the right people!
The Geisterzug protest march
Political and loud: the first Geisterzug (“ghost parade”) in its current guise took place in 1991 in response to the Iraq War. This is a karneval parade with a message.
The costumes are more halloweeny – faces painted in pale shades, claws attached to fingernails, white robes and the like. The musical accompaniment is provided by drums and there are no amps. Anyone can join the parade and you don’t have to sign up before. The theme changes every year, as does the route.
Check the Geisterzug website for the latest details.
The “schools and districts” parade on Carnival Sunday
Lots of people in Cologne love the Schull- und Veedelszöch (schools and districts parade) at least as much as they do the main Rosemontagszug parade that takes place on Shrove Monday. Around 30,000 karneval devotees line the streets on Carnival Sunday to watch, party and cheer as the approximately 8,000 participants march by in their wonderful, mostly homemade, costumes.
This parade is made up of pub regulars’ groups, sports clubs and music ensembles to name but a few. A jury chooses the wittiest groups and they get to take part in the main parade the next day.
Where to see it: The parade will set off from Severeinstorburg gate on Sunday, 2 March, and take the same route as the Rosenmontag parade (apart from one small change). It will finish on Stolkgasse just behind Cologne’s Central Station (Hauptbahnhof).
Shrove Tuesday in Ehrenfeld
Shrove Tuesday sees lots of fun parades in the various districts of the city. Among the most colourful ones is the parade in Ehrenfeld, which even attracts spectators from other parts of the city. It starts at Lenauplatz at 1.45pm, before moving on to Subbelrather Straße, Leyendeckerstraße, Venloer Straße and, finally, Fuchsstraße. After, the partying continues until the traditional burning of the Nubbel effigy in the late evening, which you can watch at places like Bumann & Sohn or Hemmer.
A fiery finish
Cologne’s carnival celebrations come to an end on the evening before Ash Wedneday, with pubs everywhere staging a Nubbel burning ceremony. The straw effigy serves as the scapegoat for the misdeeds committed during all that partying. At Brauhaus Sion, entertainer and Stunksitzung founder Jürgen Becker carries the Nubbel to his fiery grave. The ceremony starts at 6pm.
Ash Wednesday – what now?
Something to eat first. One place where you can get a good breakfast is Café Sehnsucht in the Ehrenfeld neighbourhood. They use environmentally friendly ingredients and bake their own bread and rolls. And the eggs are organic, of course. Take a seat and chill for a while on one of the bar stools at the window overlooking vibrant Körnerstraße.
Ash Wednesday is the start of the 40-day fasting period. In Cologne, the tradition is to eat fish on this day. If you like your food fried, you might want to try the fish & chips at em Ringstößje. The fish comes in a crispy beer batter with double-fried chips.
Cologne Carnival – the basics
When does the party get started?
Cologne’s 2025 karneval festivities get underway on 27 February (Weiberfastnacht). Then there are five days of marvellous mayhem until Shrove Tuesday on 4 March. The highlight? Rosenmontag, Monday, 3 March – when the grandest karneval parade in the country makes its way through the city.
Why does everyone keep shouting “Alaaf!”?
You’ll often hear people cheering “Kölle Alaaf” during the Karneval period. It’s a phrase that dates back to medieval times and basically praises Cologne’s greatness. Essentially, it’s one of the shortest and sweetest ways a person can profess their love for the city.
Karneval, Fasching or Fastnacht?
You may have heard the event called “Fasching” or “Fastnacht” in other parts of Germany but in Cologne the name is Karneval or, in the local dialect, Kölsch, Fastelovend.
What’s a “Nubbel” and why does it get burnt?
A Nubbel is a straw-filled effigy that symbolises all the “sins” committed during the karneval period. Nubbels are burnt in a ceremony on Shrove Tuesday, marking the end of the festivities.
What’s all this “bützje” business?
Bützje is the local dialect word for kiss. Mostly a peck on the cheek, always done out of joy and never with any sense of obligation. A bützje is a sign of karneval friendship. Kissing a stranger? Not a problem – as long as you’re both ok with it.
So? Where are you headed? Let us know! #AlternativeJecken
0 comments on “Cologne Carnival: alternative, vibrant and unexpected”