As of: February 11, 2024, 5:23 p.m
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A motif car that shows Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner as a piggy bank with the debt brake.
© Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
At the highlight of the carnival, the mile-long Rose Monday parades roll through the cities again.
Some celebrities are there in Cologne and Düsseldorf.
Shortly beforehand, something surprising becomes known.
Cologne - In North Rhine-Westphalia, some prominent surprises arose shortly before the start of the Rose Monday parades as the highlight of the carnival.
When the approximately 8.5 kilometer long train rolls through the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) will mingle with the foot soldiers.
The Prime Minister will undertake the hour-long tour on foot side by side with the jesters from the Rocholomäus carnival society, as the Düsseldorf State Chancellery revealed on Sunday.
Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) will be part of the traditional Altstädter Funken corps, the Cologne Carnival festival committee announced.
The Archbishop of Berlin, Heiner Koch, is there, as is Mayor Henriette Reker (independent).
Tagesschau presenter Thorsten Schröder, Cologne District President Thomas Wilk (SPD) and North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament Vice President Berivan Aymaz will throw camels from the presidential car.
The Jecken can also look forward to familiar faces from culture and entertainment - such as stand-up comedian Negah Amiri or influencer Farina Opoku.
And once again many professionals from 1. FC Köln and coach Timo Schultz are taking part.
However, a central figure will be missing: the Cologne triumvirate will have to make do without the Virgin Frieda.
She was unable to attend after a completely unplanned and urgent operation on her hip joint, as the festival committee regretted.
Prince Sascha I and Farmer Werner will have to celebrate the highlight of the session as a duo and without their Frieda - embodied by Friedrich Klupsch.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) are also taking part in the largest Rose Monday procession in Germany - but only as oversized papier-mâché figures on the theme float: Scholz as a peacefully slumbering sloth, Lindner as a sweating piggy bank.
Düsseldorf also has a few celebrities up its sleeve: According to the Düsseldorf Carneval Committee, the TV-famous former red light great Bert Wollersheim and his wife Ginger Costello are taking part in the Rose Monday parade in the state capital - with the Foolish Butterflies.
The children's song maker Volker Rosin would also be at the start, it was said in advance.
The Düsseldorf artist Karin Kneffel will diligently distribute camels on the Prinzengarde Blau-Weiß car.
The committee spokesman was initially unable to say whether news anchor and TV presenter Jan Hofer would come back on board with the Prinzengarde in 2024.
And some celebrities have already completed carnival highlights before Rose Monday: Interior Minister Reul took part in the parade on Saturday in his Bergen hometown of Leichlingen as a minstrel with “Trömmelchen” - and patiently posed for photos with Jecken.
The Toten Hosen from Düsseldorf created a great atmosphere on Saturday evening in Cologne, of all places, in a party tent at Cologne/Bonn Airport, as several media reported.
According to WDR, Campino and the band also scored with Cologne carnival songs.
dpa