On what date does the Cologne Carnival season officially start?

On what date does the Cologne Carnival season officially start? November 11.

The Cologne Carnival season officially starts on November 11, traditionally at 11:11 a.m. This opening launches the city’s “fifth season,” with public celebrations, music and carnival events beginning in Cologne’s historic centre.

The repeated elevens are part of the tradition’s symbolism: eleven is associated with the idea of breaking ordinary order and with the carnival spirit. The season continues through the winter, but its major street celebrations arrive later, beginning on Weiberfastnacht, or Women’s Carnival, on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday.

That distinction causes a frequent mix-up. November 11 starts the carnival session, while Weiberfastnacht opens the intense week of street carnival. The season’s best-known parade is Rose Monday, and the celebrations end around Ash Wednesday, when the Lenten period begins. Cologne’s organised modern carnival tradition is commonly traced to the founding of its carnival committee in 1823.