The carnival in Cologne has opened. In the city, special corona rules apply at the celebrations. Jan Böhmermann has sharp criticism – the situation in the news ticker.
- Today, November 11th, the Cologne Carnival starts *
- Strict Corona rules apply in Cologne * – only those who have been vaccinated or recovered are allowed to celebrate
- The situation on site in the news ticker.
3.45 p.m.: The Mayor of Cologne, Henriette Reker, defended the start of the carnival despite the high incidence of corona. “What if we had said: We’ll do it like last year, there is no carnival celebrated,” said the non-party politician at a press conference on Thursday. “I am firmly convinced that we would not have succeeded this year.”
There are very many people who are 11.11. would no longer simply be banned because it is part of the custom in Cologne. “I think they just won’t put up with that anymore,” said Reker. “I also believe that a complete ban would no longer have been legally possible.”
Carnival in Cologne: Mayor Reker defends parties on November 11th
The situation is now very different from a year ago, when the carnival on November 11th. had actually been canceled. There are now a large number of people who have been vaccinated, said Reker. She pointed out that 2G applies in all closed party zones, so only those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered are allowed there. There was an exact admission control.
11/11 in Cologne: Jan Böhmermann criticizes carnival celebrations sharply
3.15 p.m.: Satirist Jan Böhmermann has been critical of the crowds in Cologne at the beginning of the carnival. “Alaaf! Today as a “sexy nurse” on Zülpicher Strasse, at Christmas as a “sexy intubate” in the university clinic! ”Wrote the moderator on Thursday – shortly after the new carnival season had started.
11/11 in Cologne: Böhmermann criticizes carnival party
He was referring to a video from the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. The video showed a crowd celebrating in the Zülpich district. The quarter is considered a party stronghold – especially among the younger ones. The 2G rule applied to the area on Thursday. Only vaccinated and convalescent people had access to the closed, open-air celebration zone.
3 p.m.: Despite the large number of visitors, the situation in the carnival hotspots in Cologne is under control, according to the city. This also applies to the locked celebration zone in Zülpicher Straße, said a city spokesman on Thursday. Police President Uwe Jacob said that this area is now 100 percent full, but people are now being forwarded to adjacent relief areas. “The rush is great,” said Jacob.
The start of the carnival on 11.11. in Cologne has attracted thousands of partiers despite rising corona incidences. In order to be allowed into the cordoned off areas, one must be vaccinated or recovered.
Carnival in Cologne on November 11th: Prince with an emotional corona statement
1 p.m.: The news of the positive corona test of the designated carnival prince on Wednesday evening (November 10th, 2021) shocked the revelers on the one hand, and the prince himself on the other.
Carnival in Cologne: Prince Sven reacts with an emotional statement on November 11th.
11/11 Prince Sven I is now responding with a statement. He was “very emotional”, he emphasized in an interview *. He was “depressed for a long time”.

12.30 p.m .: There is a party around Zülpicher Platz. There is currently no getting through in Zülpicher Straße, thousands of people are celebrating 11.11.
Carnival on 11/11 in Cologne: No way through on Zülpicher Strasse
The people stand there close together. If you want to celebrate there, you have to go through an inspection to prove 2G (vaccinated or recovered) and to get a stamp.

12.15 p.m.: When there was a big rush, the new carnival season opened on Thursday at 11.11 a.m. with thousands of celebrants. In Cologne, where the eleventh eleventh is traditionally celebrated particularly large, the queues in front of the cordoned-off celebration zones were sometimes hundreds of meters long. The 2G rule applied everywhere there – only those who had been vaccinated or who had recovered had access. The same regulations applied to the Rathausplatz in Düsseldorf, where the carnival figure Hoppeditz woke up at 11.11 a.m. In his speech, Hoppeditz dealt against vaccination opponents and conspiracy theorists, among other things.
Live: Carnival in Cologne – “The crowd is big”
“The rush is great, but manageable,” said a spokesman for the city of Cologne. “There is pressure on the locks.” Now we have to see how things go on. The Mayor of Cologne, Henriette Reker, told the German Press Agency: “All restaurateurs, all organizers and we as a city have taken numerous measures to make celebrations as safe as possible.” Countless people had waited a long time to hear the carnival songs live again can and not only in the live stream. The non-party politician also referred to the many international guests who had come to the city to celebrate. Among them were descendants of Jewish Cologne residents who had been an integral part of the carnival during the Weimar Republic before they had to flee to America from the Nazis. Reker said the grandchildren are now in Cologne for the first time and are “overwhelmed”.
The singer Peter Brings from the Kölschrock band of the same name said that Corona was somewhere in your head, but he hoped that everything would go well anyway. “We have to learn to live with it. I think: We’ll get a lot sicker if we just stay seated in our booths, ”said Brings on WDR television. “The soul is destroyed. At least mine. ”However, he had the advice:“ Maybe this year just smooch your partner! Otherwise we won’t get through the session. And next year we can all make out together again. “
Cologne Carnival under the sign of the corona pandemic
A year ago it was on 11.11. nothing was going on for the first time in decades. Due to the pandemic, it was a completely normal weekday. This year it is different because a large part of the population is vaccinated. However, a positive corona test with Cologne Carnival Prince Sven I showed that this does not necessarily protect against infection. Instead, the children’s triumvirate appeared on the big stage in Cologne’s old town at 11.11 a.m.
11.48 a.m.: The carnival atmosphere is exuberant on Cologne’s Heumarkt. “Everything is fine and relaxed,” explains a security officer on site. In many places “Kölle alaaf” is called.

Carnival in Cologne: lateral thinking demo in the afternoon
11.35 a.m.: The city of Cologne wishes the junkies a lot of fun on Twitter – but of course also reminds them to be safe.
11.25 a.m.: On the sidelines of the carnival opening in Cologne, there should be an anti-corona demonstration, among other things. So-called lateral thinkers want to protest under the motto “Cologne active – What the mass media are hiding”, as a Cologne police spokesman confirmed. * The demonstration is to start around 3 pm.
Cologne: Carnival officially opened
11.15 a.m.: Despite the sharp rise in corona incidences, the new carnival season opened on Thursday at 11.11 a.m. with thousands of celebrants. In Cologne, where the eleventh eleventh is traditionally always celebrated in a particularly big way, many had gathered. The queues in front of the locked party zones were sometimes hundreds of meters long.
You have Corona somewhere in your head, but he hopes that everything will go well anyway, said singer Peter Brings from the Kölschrock band Brings. “We have to learn to live with it. I think we will get a lot sicker if we just stay in our booths. The soul is destroyed there. At least mine. ”However, he had the advice:“ Maybe this year just smooch your partner! Otherwise we won’t get through the session. And next year we can all smooch together again. ”A year ago it was on November 11th. nothing was going on for the first time in decades. Due to the pandemic, it was a completely normal weekday. This year it is different because a large part of the population is vaccinated. In the strongholds of Cologne and Düsseldorf, the 2G rule applies: Only those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered have access to the cordoned-off areas under the open sky. A negative corona test is not enough.
11.11 a.m.: The countdown is counting down at the Heumarkt in Cologne. Now the carnival is officially open. “This is the start of the carnival,” shouts Ralf Schlegelmilch, President of the Willy Ostermann Society.

Carnival in Cologne: crowds celebrate on the Heumarkt
11.00 a.m.: The start of the carnival in Cologne evidently meets with great interest. On Thursday morning, a queue in front of the locked party zone in the old town already stretched hundreds of meters. “I haven’t expected the queue for so long,” said Tim (35), who had come from Berlin and was disguised as a cardinal.

The high corona incidences would not have deterred him, he said. “In itself it is the safest thing there is. It’s 2G, it’s outside, we are all vaccinated, we have no previous illnesses. ”The trip with the ICE from Berlin to Cologne was riskier, said a friend of Tim.
10.55 a.m.: In a few minutes the time has come. Then it is 11.11 a.m. in Cologne …
10.45 a.m.: Corona violations can threaten high fines at the Carnival in Cologne. * For example, if you visit a pub without 2G proof, you have to pay 250 euros, according to the city of Cologne. Anyone caught with a falsified vaccination or health record, even has to pay 1000 euros.
Carnival in Cologne: high corona penalties threaten
But it can also be expensive for Cologne hosts who do not adhere to the Corona rules. If you do not check the 2G certificates, this costs 500 euros per guest, according to the city. A temporary closure of the company would then also threaten.
An overview of penalties for the Cologne Carnival:
- Visits to restaurants / bars without 2G proof: 250 euros each for guests
- If guests come with falsified G-certificates: 1,000 euros per guest
- If hosts do not check 2G certificates: 500 euros per guest
10.35 a.m.: For the professionals of 1. FC Köln there will be on 11.11. the first training of the new session takes place. As video recordings of the club on Twitter show, numerous professionals of the FC have disguised themselves: striker Anthony Modeste, for example, as a doctor, trainer Steffen Baumgart as a unicorn.

10.30 a.m.: The Heumarkt in Cologne is filling up. Backstage, behind the big stage, more and more carnivalists arrive – including the Prince Guard, the old towners and the loyal hussars.
Carnival on 11/11 in Cologne: Heumarkt is filling up
The “Appelsinefunke” from the Nippes vigilante are already on site. For the revelers, meanwhile, in frosty temperatures: coffee instead of Kölsch. At 11:11 a.m. at the latest, most of the celebrants should turn around here.
10.15 a.m.: The Mayor of Cologne, Henriette Reker, has the traditional reception in the town hall on Thursday (11.11.2021) for the start of the carnival on 11.11. canceled. The reason for this is that Carnival Prince Sven I was infected with Corona. The Cologne triumvirate, consisting of prince, farmer and virgin, has therefore canceled all appointments.
Cologne: Carnival on November 11th – OB cancels town hall reception
After all: The normally on 11.11. The due signing of the session contract would have been canceled this time anyway because the triumvirate signed for two sessions last year. Due to Corona, the triumvirate remains in office for two years as an exception.
On the other hand, it’s a shame: guests from Israel and the USA also took part in the reception this time. They are descendants of members of the Small Cologne Club (KKK), the only Jewish carnival club in Cologne during the Weimar Republic. Some of the members escaped from the Nazis abroad after 1933. Today the Kölschen Kippa Köpp see themselves in the tradition of the Small Cologne Club.
Carnival in Cologne: high corona incidence on 11.11
Update from November 11th, 10:00 a.m.: The corona incidence in Cologne continues to climb. The value is now 212.5. The day before (November 10th, 2021) the value was 205. The State Center for Health reports that there were a total of 363 new corona infections in Cologne. Nevertheless, the Cologne Carnival starts.

The WDR will broadcast the opening of the session on November 11th. live from the Cologne Heumarkt: An overview of what the broadcaster broadcasts on TV and radio. *
Update from November 10th, 8:22 pm : Shock before the start of the Cologne Carnival. The designated prince of the Cologne triad, Sven Oleff, tested positive for Corona *.
Carnival in Cologne: Prince infected with corona virus
For 11.11. As a precaution, all appearances of the designated triumvirate around Prince Sven I *, Jungfrau Gerdemie (Dr. Björn Braun) * and Bauer Gereon (Gereon Glasemacher) * were canceled by the traditional corps of Old Town Cologne.
The prince is double vaccinated and has no symptoms. According to the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee, he tested positive for the virus in a routine corona test. “Sven Oleff feels good under the circumstances.” The Cologne triumvirate * had met several times in the past few days. Therefore, as a precaution, the public appearances were canceled.
Carnival Cologne: Incidence jumps over 200 – strict corona rules on 11.11.
First report from November 10th, 3:27 p.m .: Cologne – The Cologne Carnival traditionally starts on November 11th. at 11:11 a.m. But in 2021 everything will be a little different. It is a carnival that takes place despite the corona pandemic. Thousands of people come together on Thursday in many different places and places in Cologne to celebrate together. More than 10,000 people are expected at the carnival opening at Heumarkt in Cologne’s old town * – even though the incidence in the carnival stronghold is over 200. Like Cologne on 11.11. the carnival starts *, reports 24RHEIN * live in the news ticker.
Carnival Cologne on November 11th: Strict Corona rules
- At the start of the Cologne Carnival on November 11th. the 2G rule applies
- Only those who have recovered or have been fully vaccinated are allowed to celebrate
- 2G applies at Heumarkt and around Zülpicher Platz
- 2G applies in pubs and bars when carnival is celebrated there
- 2G applies to outdoor and indoor carnival events
Just a few days before 11.11. the city of Cologne tightened the corona rules that apply at the start of the carnival. If you want to celebrate the Carnival in Cologne, you have to observe the 2G rule *. Only those who have been vaccinated or recovered can celebrate with it. The 2G rule applies to carnival events, in pubs and in the closed party areas * in the city. However, there are exceptions – for example for people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.
11/11 in Cologne: This is how Cologne celebrates the start of the carnival
- Opening of the session at the Heumarkt
- Area around Zülpicher Platz
The main event will take place on November 11th at two locations. focus: Cologne city center * and Zülpicher Platz. The area around the Heumarkt in the old town is cordoned off. Only those who have a ticket and have been vaccinated or recovered can come in here. Strict Corona rules also apply to the popular student and party district on Zülpicher Platz *.
Cologne: “Corona carnival and not a carnival as we otherwise know it”
“In view of the increasing number of infections and the situation in the intensive care units, we have decided to take this step,” said Cologne’s Mayor Henriette Reker *, explaining the stricter corona rules. The incidence in Cologne has been climbing steadily for days *, after the value 192 on Tuesday, the incidence rose to 205 on Wednesday. Can you celebrate carefree under these circumstances?
“But it is still a Corona carnival and not a carnival as we otherwise know and would like to have again,” said North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul *. “The pandemic is not over yet, on the contrary – the number of infections is higher than ever.” want to celebrate in Cologne: observe the corona rules, get tested and “keep your distance!”
11.11. in Cologne
11.11. is the traditional beginning of the carnival session. The start of the 5th season will be celebrated at 11:11 a.m. In Cologne in particular, there are individual parties and events throughout the city that celebrate the start of the session. The motto of the 2022 carnival session is “Everything has a zig” *.
There is criticism, also from experts. “The carnival can become a superspreader event *,” said the SPD politician and health expert Karl Lauterbach *. 2G must strictly apply to interiors, including controls. “But even then, indoor events are a huge risk.” (Red with dpa / AFP) * 24RHEIN is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA




