Germany’s 4th Biggest City and One of its Liveliest
Those of you who know me well will know that there’s a special place in my heart for the wunderschönes Deutschland and especially for Köln (Cologne) ever since I first visited two years ago. Apart from the obvious touristic things which you can see all year round in Germany’s 4th biggest city like the famous Cologne Cathedral, the love lock bridge over the railway tracks which rivals even that of Paris (although the concept in general is a bit too mushy for me), and its mouthwatering Lindt chocolate museum, there are certain times of year when Cologne really comes to life, and I was lucky/impulsive enough to experience a few of these great festivals and events…
Karneval in Köln (Nov. – Feb.)
This may seem like the most obvious holiday/all-round party in Cologne, certainly in Germany and mainland Europe, but personally I, and several friends of mine from Ireland/UK, had no idea that Cologne pretty much rivalled the carnival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro and Venice with its “fifth season” of the year. The carnival season officially begins on 11th November at 11:11, and whilst the main celebrations take place in February, starting on Weiberfastnacht (Shrove Thursday), the 11/11 is still an unmissable day for both residents of Cologne and visitors. For me personally, the celebrations reminded me of a sort of mix between St Patrick’s Day- lots of drinking and even some people dressed as leprechauns!- and Halloween as we tend to celebrate it today (less scary), with an added Kölsch flavour. With our friend Tobi who’s from the region guiding us, it really felt like we were a part of the something authentic and special to the city as opposed to being just tourists. The locals sang their traditional Carnival songs, knowing every word in the Kölsch dialect which is really quite different to “standard” German, and drank lots of beer, of course, with the local Kölsch beer being a crowd favourite. PS almost forgot there was one guy who got a bit too excited for Carnival and just kept getting naked… There’s always one!
For anyone interested in going to the “real” crazy celebrations in February, which take place all over Germany but are biggest in Cologne, this year the most important dates are 4th to 9th Feb. 2017. I’m most likely going to go again, too…
Weihnachtsmärkte (Nov. – Dec.)
It goes without saying that Germany is famous for having some of the best Christmas markets in the world. In fact, personally I think that Germany is the homeland of Christmas because of how seriously they take this festive holiday. Cologne is no exception, and indeed it has some of the nicest Christmas markets I’ve ever seen- although I may be biased since they were the first German ones I’d ever visited. Nevertheless, Cologne’s Weihnachtsmärkte are sure to impress anyone with its seven festive markets spread all over the city. One of the most famous and most beautiful is the market in front of the Cologne Cathedral with its breathtaking lights and impressive range of traditional food, glühwein (mulled wine), and other festive products. Another interesting one is the Christmas market at the port with its nautical/seafood theme, right next to the Chocolate Museum. This year the markets are open between 21st Nov. and 23 Dec. 2016, so get looking at flights/trains/automobiles…
Christopher Street Day/ Cologne Gay Pride (July)
One major event in Cologne which I have yet to tick off my list is Christopher Street Day (CSD), Cologne’s annual Pride celebrations, which take place just a couple of weeks before the Cologne Lights (see below) in early July. Whilst the event is huge in almost all of Germany’s major city’s like Berlin and Munich, it is especially big in Cologne, which has established itself as one of Europe’s centres for LGBT+ life. As well as a lot of partying, stage performances and colourful costumes, the event has a political undertone under a different motto each year. Next year, CSD will take place from 7th to 9th July 2017, so there’s plenty of time to organise a trip there.
Kölner Lichter (Mid-July)
I found out about the Cologne Lights, or Kölner Lichter, two years ago when I was browsing Skyscanner- my favourite hobby- in a youth hostel in Granada. Seeing that the flights from Dublin to Cologne were less than £20 return in mid-July when the event takes place, I didn’t even think twice about booking them; in fact, I booked first and asked my then-boyfriend from Cologne after if he would take me… But as we all know, impulsive decisions often make the best decisions and I have no regrets about seeing the fireworks and synchronised music display which is still not familiar to a lot of people outside of Germany. Every year, the ‘lights’ have a different theme and that year (2015) was ‘love’- cheesy, but an amazing show! During the day, there are also food and drink stalls and live performances by the river. At night, watching the fireworks over the Rhine against the backdrop of the Cologne Cathedral is just breathtaking and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a lesser known German event.
