Karneval
Mid-late February
Cologne Carneval takes place over a weekend - from Thursday, to the
following Monday – in February every year. The whole city (and,
obviously, many tourists) turns out to celebrate ; usually
decked out in ridiculous clothing. The fancy-dress outlets make a
killing, as do the kiosks, as thousands take to the streets to drink,
sing ridiculous and catchy ditties and enjoy the various parades as
they travel through the city.
The largest of these parades takes place on the final Monday of
Karneval and goes through the heart of the city. Thousands flock to
Cologne for this parade alone, so be sure to get out there early to
secure yourself a good vantage point. If you can't, though, it is no
great disaster : the floats are impressive so you'll still see
plenty and sweets, chocolates and flowers are thrown out into the
crowd from a-top these floats so you should still come away with a
decent haul. Alternatively, listen out for details on parades in
smaller communities on the days leading up to the climactic
Rosenmontag. I, myself, went to a parade amongst a small community
in Wesseling, which was just as fun .
Christmas
Markets
Open for a couple of months, leading up to Christmas
Cologne's Christmas markets are just what you might expect from a
Christmas market, having become somewhat of a tradition also now in
the UK – just expect a grander scale. Rather than just being
confined to one area, they spread out across the whole of the city
centre : throughout the Altstadt, around the Cathedral, at
Rudolfplatz, and Neumarkt (my personal favourite), etc. They are
also much more diverse than you would find in the UK : There
are markets on boats, along the Rhine and there is even a
medieval-themed market near the Chocolate Factory that incorporates
theatre performances.
C/O Pop Festival
C/O Pop Festival
Late June
C/O Pop is a festival that runs every year in Cologne in bars and
music venues throughout the city. The genre of the acts playing can
be quite diverse, with bands from all over the world coming to take
part, so it is worth looking into, no matter what kind of music you
prefer. The vast marjority of events are also priced very
reasonably indeed, though you may need to fork out a bit more for
some of the bigger names.
The highlight of this festival for me, though, is the 'Chic Belgique'
event ; the 'festival within a festival' – a full day's worth
of gigs played in boutiques in Cologne's Belgian Quarter that is
totally free to attend.
So, what is the best way to reach and take in the Belgian quarter ?
Leave the metro at Rudolfplatz head down Hohenzollenring in the
direction of Friesenplatz. Turn off left at Maastrichterstrasse and
follow the road around through Brüsseler Platz and Brüsseler
Strasse. Feel free to pop into any of the little boutiques that you
see along the way and browse (some sell some interesting clothing and
knick-knacks) while the bands play : An unforgettable experience
that you are unlikely to get elsewhere.
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