Hagen Rose Monday Parade

Hagen — The South Westphalian Carnival City

When you celebrate Carnival in Germany, you first think of Cologne, Düsseldorf, Mainz — and overlook a strong regional tradition: South Westphalian Carnival. Hagen, with almost 190,000 inhabitants the largest city in the southern Sauerland region and at the intersection between the Rhineland and Westphalia, has its own Carnival tradition. While it may not reach the scale of the Rhineland metropolises, it is important for the region. The annual Rose Monday Parade is the most popular Carnival event in Hagen and the highlight of the Hagen session celebrations.

Rose Monday 2026 — February 16

The Hagen Rose Monday Parade 2026 takes place on Monday, February 16, 2026 — Rose Monday in the Carnival liturgy falls on the Monday before Ash Wednesday. The date is synchronized nationwide with other Rose Monday parades (Cologne, Düsseldorf, Mainz). Those who avoid the simultaneous mega-event in Cologne will find a more intimate, regionally anchored alternative in the Hagen parade.

Parade Route — City Hall via City Centre to Wehringhausen

The parade starts at Hagen City Hall in the city centre. From there, the route leads through the Hagen City (pedestrian zone, Friedrich-Ebert-Platz, Mittelstraße) and finally into the district of Wehringhausen — one of Hagen's traditional, vibrant districts with its own identity. This route connects the political-administrative centre (City Hall) with the popular-bourgeois Hagen (Wehringhausen) — a characteristic Carnival symbolism.

Hagen Carnival Committee as Organizer

The organizer of the festival is the Hagen Carnival Committee — the association of Hagen Carnival clubs, societies, and associations. Throughout the session (November 11 to Ash Wednesday), the Carnival Committee organizes the central Carnival events: the start of the session, the Prince's proclamation, several meetings and balls, the Kappensitzung, and finally the Rose Monday Parade. With this committee structure, Hagen follows the classic Rhineland Carnival model.

Prince and Princess as Central Figures

The central figures of the parade are the reigning Hagen Prince and Princess on their float. The Prince and Princess are proclaimed at the start of the session and represent Hagen Carnival throughout the entire Carnival season. During the Rose Monday Parade, they travel through the city on their elaborately decorated float with their Carnival court (pages, lackeys, Funkenmariechen) — the central float attraction. The children's Prince and Princess also participate — a parallel young royal couple for Hagen's children's Carnival.

Key Handover at Friedrich-Ebert-Platz

Before the actual parade, the festive key handover ceremony takes place at 1:30 PM on the stage at Friedrich-Ebert-Platz on the same Rose Monday. In this symbolic ceremony, the city (represented by the Mayor) symbolically hands over the city keys to Carnival — i.e., to the Carnival clubs. The children's Prince and Princess ceremonially receive the keys. This tradition is a Carnival classic: the city is symbolically handed over to the revellers for the festive season — a humorous act of political power transfer.

Floats, Music Bands, and Groups

The Rose Monday Parade includes numerous floats, music bands, dance troupes, and walking groups. The floats are built by Carnival clubs, schools, sports clubs, companies, and political initiatives — often with satirical themes about current politics, local Hagen events, or general cultural phenomena. Sweets are thrown into the crowd, Schwurmariechen dance, and Funkenkorps march — the classic Carnival staging in the Hagen style.

Carnival in Hagen — Overview

The Rose Monday Parade is the most popular event, but not the only Carnival date in Hagen. The session begins on November 11 (11.11.) with the start of the session. This is followed by several Prunksitzungen (gala meetings) by the individual Carnival clubs, the Hagen Prince's Ball, the Ladies' Meeting, and the Children's Carnival Parade. On Tulip Sunday (the Sunday before Rose Monday), there is a smaller procession. The Rose Monday Parade is the highlight, with the entire Hagen Carnival cycle running for three months.