Beueler Weiberfastnacht

A Unique Tradition Since 1824

The Beueler Weiberfastnacht is unique in German Carnival in this form. Its roots go back to 1824, when the washerwomen of the Beuel Rhine banks had had enough of their husbands squandering household money on Cologne's Rose Monday. They founded the Alte Beueler Damenkomitee von 1824 — Germany's first women's Carnival committee — to 'publicly judge the misdeeds of men'. In 2026, the Thursday of Weiberfastnacht falls on February 12.

The Washerwomen of the Rhine

Historical context: In the 19th century, Beuel was the washerwomen's quarter of Bonn. The women washed the laundry of wealthy Bonn citizens on the Rhine bank — hard work that was poorly compensated. The Beuel washerwomen, under their first 'Obermöhn' (chief woman), founded the ladies' committee, which soon became a model for similar groups throughout the Rhineland. The 'Wäscherprinzessin' (Washer Princess) — the main figure of the Beueler Weiberfastnacht — was introduced in 1958 as a symbolic embodiment; she reigns throughout the entire Carnival season parallel to the Bonn Three Kings.

The Town Hall Storming — The Central Act

The central theatrical act takes place every year at the Beuel Town Hall: The women's procession — in 2025 with over 2,300 participants in 61 groups and 13 women's committees — starts from 10:00 a.m. in Siegburger Straße, passes through the Beuel city center, and ends in front of the Town Hall. There, the 'Storming of the Beuel Town Hall' takes place — introduced in 1957 as a playful reinterpretation of historical gender conflicts: The Washer Princess and her ladies storm the Town Hall with symbolic means, the mayor ceremoniously hands over the key, and thus symbolically the power over Beuel.

Motto 2026: 'Wievefastelovend es trendy on schick'

Each Carnival season is under its own motto. For 2026, it is 'Wievefastelovend es trendy on schick' — Kölsch for 'Weiberfastnacht is trendy and chic'. The motto shapes the costume choices, speeches, and stage shows of the ladies' committees.

Bonn and the Rhenish Carnival Region

The Bonn Carnival season is — alongside Cologne, Düsseldorf, Mainz, and Aachen — one of the five major strongholds of Rhenish Carnival. Beuel, as a right-bank district of Bonn, has developed its own Carnival profile, strongly shaped by the Weiberfastnacht tradition. While Cologne and Mainz were traditionally considered 'male bastions' of Carnival, Beuel has always been the center of female Carnival culture on the Rhine.