As of: February 4, 2024, 7:47 a.m
By: Franziska Kaindl
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Split
Do you want to enjoy the hustle and bustle on the streets again in February?
This doesn't just happen at home, but also throughout Europe.
Ten carnival strongholds at a glance.
1 / 10When the mayor ceremoniously hands over the keys of the city to the triumvirate, the carnival in Cologne is officially opened: from the women's carnival to Ash Wednesday, hundreds of thousands of jesters ensure a colorful hustle and bustle on the streets while chanting “Kölle Alaaf”.
The highlight is the Rose Monday procession, which is the largest in Germany with up to 1.5 million visitors.
© Christoph Hardt/Imago
2 / 10The Rhenish merrymakers in Düsseldorf also let it rip during the carnival: the fifth season starts with the awakening of the prankster Hoppeditz punctually on November 11th at 11 a.m. and 11 minutes from a mustard pot.
The highlights of the carnival take place between Old Women and Shrove Monday, with the Shrove Monday procession with its decorated floats and foot groups - like in Cologne - casting a spell over the entire city center.
The celebrations finally come to an end on Ash Wednesday, when the Hoppeditz is buried again amid loud lamentations.
© Jochen Tack/Imago
3 / 10The town of Villach in Carinthia celebrates the most famous carnival in Austria.
Here, as in southern Germany, the festivities are called carnival.
The crazy hustle and bustle also begins on November 11th, but most of the hustle and bustle takes place on Carnival Saturday sometime in February or March.
Then loud music groups and masked groups take over the streets in a wild parade in front of tens of thousands of visitors.
© Edwin Stranner/Imago
4 / 10If you are looking for the biggest carnival festival in Switzerland, you will find it in Basel: The Basel carnival begins at four in the morning on the Monday after Ash Wednesday with the so-called “Morgenstraich” and puts the city in a state of emergency for three days.
The traditional carnival costumes include the Harlequin, the Waggis (see picture), the Dummpeter or the “Alti Dante” (German: Old Aunt).
It ends on Thursday morning, also at four in the morning, with the “Ändstraich”.
© Peter Widmann/Imago
5 / 10The Carnival in Venice is one of the most famous celebrations in Europe - although it hasn't existed for a long time.
It was only around 1970 that the city's residents remembered the old tradition, which had its origins in the 12th century.
Back then, the festivities were quite bloody, with bulls being hunted and oxen being slaughtered in St. Mark's Square.
In its current, modern form, the Venice Carnival is a colorful spectacle, with extravagant costumes and impressive masks.
The celebrations begin on the Sunday before Carnival with the “Volo dell'Angelo”, the angel's flight, in which an artist in an elaborate costume floats from the Campanile to St. Mark's Square.
The city is then transformed into a stage for concerts, shows and costume parades for ten days until Ash Wednesday.
© Nataliia Makarovska/Imago
6 / 10 Things will also be colorful and cheerful on the island of Madeira in February.
The main parade, which takes place on Carnival Saturday in the capital Funchal, is somewhat reminiscent of the carnival in Rio de Janeiro with its colorful costumes and samba troupes.
Another parade, the “Trapalhão,” takes place on Shrove Tuesday and is also used to engage in political satire.
© GlobalImages/Imago
7 / 10The Binche Carnival in Belgium is one of the oldest in the world and has been a UNESCO Oral and Intangible World Heritage Site since 2003.
The tradition is said to date back to the 14th century, when Margaret of Hungary hosted a festival in honor of her brother, Emperor Charles V.
The carnival takes place over three days in February, which is characterized by musical parades and masquerades.
The main characters of the carnival, however, are the Gilles (see picture), who only take to the streets on Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday.
But not everyone is allowed to dress up as Gille - this is only reserved for locals.
© Kobby Dagan/Imago
8 / 10Venice is not the only place in Italy where Carnival is celebrated.
In the coastal town of Viareggio in Tuscany, elaborate papier-mâché floats drive through the streets in a large parade every weekend and on Shrove Tuesday for a month.
They are among the largest in the world and deal with explosive topics in world affairs or rub politicians the wrong way.
© Enrico Mattia Del Punta/Imago
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9 / 10When the carnival season begins on Tenerife, jecken - unlike in this country - don't have to freeze.
At a pleasant 20 degrees in February and March, visitors can look forward to the second largest carnival in the world.
The tradition includes the election of the Carnival Queen of Santa Cruz, the large carnival parade “Corso” and the “Burial of the Sardine”, a custom with which the celebrations come to an end.
© Frank Bienewald/Imago
10 / 10The most important carnival in France takes place in Nice and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
With its elaborate masks, colorful dance troupes and papier-mâché floats, it has a little bit of everything - and Carnival in Nice is celebrated under a different motto every year.
A highlight that cannot be seen anywhere else is the flower parade, where floats beautifully decorated with mimosas, gerberas and lilies roll through the streets.
© Farjon Philippe/Imago