KARNEVAL
The Cologne carnival kicks off with women’s day carnival on the first Thursday before Ash Wednesday.  During the carnival season the streets will be filled with sweets, flowers, and “Jacken” (madmen) hosted by the Virgin, the peasant and the Prince.  The Köln Karneval is a centuries old tradition, and the balls, sessions, and street parties rival the famous carnivals of Venice and Rio de Janeiro.

KÖLN LICHTER
In July the whole city celebrates Cologne lights; local hotels, bars, and restaurants host Cologne light parties throughout the city, and you are invited to join in with the party atmosphere with your own sparklers, candles and lanterns.  A convoy of boats begins the celebrations with a procession along the river; waterfalls of light and fire illuminate the banks of the river Rhine and fill the sky with the sound of firecrackers throughout the night, to the delight of 1000s locals and tourists alike who congregate along the banks and in boats.  The night culminates in an amazing firework display, rivalling some of the best firework display in the world from a pontoon in the middle of the river Rhine synchronised to music.