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CARNIVAL IN DUSSELDORF
Yes We Can! on Königsallee

Cologne’s Carnival is probably more famous and was the first of the Rhineland pre-lenten celebrations, but the street party in Düsseldorf is bigger. Officially Karneval, the European version of Mardi-Gras, begins the "foolish season" on the 11th of November, the eleventh month at 11:11 am when the Fools call out the mayor in ceremonial jibberish and he must respond in kind, but the real festivities are in February on a long weekend before lent from the Thursday Women’s Carnival ‘Weiberfastnacht’ with its traditions of tie cutting and men switching roles, leading to the big parade in costumes on Rose Monday “Rosenmontag. For 2010 the dates for the Carnival in Dusseldorf run from January 23 to February 20 with Rosenmontag on the 15th - and the motto - which changes every year is - “Yes, We Can!” (wonder where they got that!).

Beginning with the ‘Möhnen’, when mad and wild women carnival revelers will take over the town hall, cutting men’s ties and symbolically taking control of the city for one day. Some gamely men of courage secure in their sexual identities will wear high-heeled shoes along the Königsallee rather of carrying them in shopping bags for their wives’. At 6 p.m. is the Queens Run “Tutenlauf” perhaps for the not so secure - which I’m sure had a slightly different meaning when the tradition started - where men in women’s clothes try to score winning points by weaving the fastest through a laid out course. The victor is the one with the highest heels, the flashiest dress and the most flamboyant performance. All other festivities are in February.

Carnival Sunday in Dusseldorf is the big day of parades in the different areas of town. The carnival parades wind their way through the city with garish floats, marching bands and dancing groups. Carnival reaches its peak with the ‘Rosenmontag’ parade. The big parade, put on by 60 different carnival clubs, with almost 70 floats, 40 marching bands, 80 groups of walking revelers is watched by almost a million spectators lining the streets every year, showered with sweets thrown from the floats while shouting the traditional greeting of “Helau!” The parade’s course leads through the Old Town, past the historic town hall Rathaus, along Königsallee and into Friedrichstraße. Revelers in costumes, mostly clowns and colorful wigs, gather in Konigsallee and the streets of old town to meet friends and strangers in costumes and have a grand time. For drinking, Dusseldorf and the North Rhine has its owned famed variety of dark beer called “Altbier” which is pretty much the only one that is expected to be guzzled. Order a wheat beer or a Pilsner and you get the true glare of disapproval! Perhaps get even more that your tie cut off, though you can drink the traditional liquor, Killepitsch. Traditional food is the Rhine Sauerbraten and a mustard roasted steak, Düsseldorfer Senfrostbraten. Parties are held throughout the season, public and private. Party Events Calendar

The Carnival season ends on Ash Wednesday when the carnival fools burn the “Hoppeditz”, a jester figure in front of the town hall from where it was erected back in November to start the season. Dusseldorf is only a half-hour from Cologne so it is possible to try out events for both if you've a mind (see Cologne Carnival Crazy Days).

If you haven’t had enough drinking and partying in Germany, after lent you can head down to Munich for the Strong Beer Season (see Strong Beer Munich). Or in Dusseldorf in July you can check out the "Biggest Funfair on the Rhine" in Rhine meadows of Oberkassel, its not Karnival but plenty of beer, fairground rides and fireworks. © Bargain Travel Europe

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These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission. Carnival photos courtesy German Tourist Board.

See Also:

NEANDERTHAL DISCOVERY MUSEUM

KOLN'S CRAZY DAYS KARNEVAL FESTIVAL

SCHLOSS BENRATH PALACE AND GARDENS

DÜSSELDORF FILM MUSEUM

DUSSELDORF CHISTMAS MARKET

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