Karneval Kürten — Carnival Parades in the Municipal Area

Four Carnival Parades in the Bergisch Region — One Municipality, Four Districts

The Bergisch municipality of Kürten, north of Cologne, celebrates its Karneval 2026 with no less than four independent carnival parades, spread across the entire municipal area. From Thursday, February 12, to Shrove Tuesday, February 17, 2026, carnival clubs will parade through their respective districts — an unusually dense concentration of carnival activity for a municipality of only 19,000 inhabitants.

The Four Carnival Parades at a Glance

• Thursday, 12.02.2026, 2:11 PM–6:00 PM — Bechen Carnival Parade (Weiberfastnacht Parade)
• Saturday, 14.02.2026, 2:11 PM–6:00 PM — Grand Parade Kürten-Ort
• Rose Monday, 16.02.2026, 2:11 PM–6:00 PM — Rose Monday Parade Dürscheid
• Carnival Tuesday, 17.02.2026, 2:11 PM–5:00 PM — Children's Parade Bechen

All main parades start at 2:11 PM — a nod to the lucky carnival hour of 11:11.

Bechen, Kürten-Ort, Dürscheid — The Carnival Locations

The municipality of Kürten consists of several districts, three of which maintain their own carnival tradition:

• Bechen — combines the Weiberfastnacht Parade (Thu) and Children's Parade (Tue) in one season
• Kürten-Ort (main town) — the Grand Parade on Saturday is the highlight
• Dürscheid — its own Rose Monday Parade, which stylishly concludes Carnival Monday

Road Closures and Glass Ban

The carnival parades entail extensive road closures: closures begin approx. 30 minutes to 2 hours before the parade starts along the parade routes and are lifted approx. 1 to 1.5 hours after the parade ends. A general glass ban applies to all festival zones — glass bottles, glasses, and similar containers are not permitted for safety reasons.

Detailed Route Maps from the Municipality

A detailed PDF route map with all streets, waypoints, and closure zones is available for download on the website of the municipality of Kürten. The municipality explicitly thanks the carnival clubs, volunteers, and local businesses for their support — Karneval Kürten is not professionalized like in Cologne or Düsseldorf, but a community-driven event.

Bergisch Karneval: Less Mega, More Village

Karneval in the Bergisches Land has its own character — it is neither as mass-market as in Cologne nor as politically intellectual as in Mainz. The format in Kürten is village-like, personal, and open to participation. Standing along a Kürten parade route, you might know every second float or the carnival participants personally — a form of Karneval that has almost disappeared in modern big-city carnival culture.

Kürten in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis

Kürten belongs to the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis north of Cologne, in the southern Bergisches Land. The municipality is located on the A4 motorway and is characterized as a residential community in the commuter belt of Cologne/Leverkusen. Kürten is famous as the hometown of composer Karlheinz Stockhausen — a cultural address that remains alive in the Stockhausen Archive and the Stockhausen Festival days.