Kerpen Carnival Parades

Kerpen — Kolping City in the Rhein-Erft District

The city of Kerpen, with around 65,000 inhabitants in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis west of Cologne, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, is the largest city in the district and officially calls itself Kolpingstadt — named after Father Adolph Kolping, founder of the Kolpingwerk, who was born in Kerpen in 1813. With its nine districts — including Horrem, Sindorf, Blatzheim, Buir, Brüggen, Mödrath, Langenich — Kerpen is one of the largest medium-sized cities by area in the western Rhineland.

Four Parades, Several Districts

The Kerpen Carnival is spread across the entire Carnival Festival Weekend 2026 and passes through several districts — not just one, but several. This makes Kerpen one of the cities with a particularly dense carnival choreography in the Rhein-Erft district. Four central events are confirmed for 2026: the Horrem Ghost Parade on Saturday, February 14, at 6:30 PM; the Blatzheim Carnival Parade on Sunday, February 15; the Kerpen Rose Monday Parade and the parallel Horrem Rose Monday Parade on Monday, February 16, both at 2:00 PM; and the Sindorf Children's Parade on Tuesday, February 17, at 10:00 AM.

Kerpen Rose Monday Parade — Route 2026

The central Kerpen Rose Monday Parade starts on Monday, February 16, 2026, at 2:00 PM on Albertus-Magnus-Straße. The route leads via Friedensring, Hahnenstraße, Bachstraße, Broichmühlenstraße, Feldstraße, Neustraße, Filzengraben to the Jahnhalle, where the parade ends. The parade is organized by the Festkomitee Karneval Kerpen-Mödrath-Langenich von 1986 e.V. (internally: "Kleines Festkomitee"). The focus is on Rhenish Carnival — floats, walking groups, dance maids, music bands, and candy for the revelers along the roadside.

Horrem Ghost Parade — The Kick-off

The Horrem Ghost Parade on Saturday evening is the nocturnal start to Carnival week. Dressed as ghosts, with torches, lanterns, and eerie music, the revelers parade through the Kerpen district of Horrem at 6:30 PM — a relatively young but rapidly growing carnival tradition, inspired by the "Ghost Parade" tradition of other Rhenish cities.

Sindorf and Blatzheim Carnival Parades

The Sindorf Children's Parade on Tuesday, February 17, at 10:00 AM, is particularly family-oriented — children participate, floats with sweets, and activity stations along the route. The Blatzheim Carnival Parade on Sunday, February 15, is a parade in a rural district — somewhat smaller, but with the same established "Stammtisch" atmosphere of the local clubs.

Carnival in the Rhineland — Rooted in Kerpen

Carnival in Kerpen follows the Rhenish tradition: the season begins on November 11th, the main festivities are in the Carnival week before Ash Wednesday, with a focus on parades, sessions, costumes, and district pride. The Festkomitee Kerpen coordinates the central events, while the district committees in Horrem, Sindorf, and Blatzheim operate independently — but are interconnected.