Kinderfastnacht mit Kleppern — Frankfurter Hof

Mainz Carnival thrives on generational continuity: children are integrated into clubs at an early age, learn the songs, dances, and rituals of hall carnival, perform in children's guards, write their first presentations, and grow into the tradition. To achieve this, the clubs need age-appropriate formats that offer children access to hall carnival in a child-friendly form. The Kinderfastnacht mit Kleppern is one of the best-known and most traditional of these formats in the Mainz campaign.

The organizer is the Mainzer Klepper-Garde 1856 e.V. – one of Mainz's oldest carnival clubs – which specifically targets children and families with this format. The Frankfurter Hof in Augustinerstraße is chosen as the venue because, with its hall, central location in Mainz's Old Town, and connection to Mainz's cultural calendar, it offers the appropriate setting. Unlike the sessions in the Kurfürstliches Schloss or the Rheingoldhalle, which are designed for adult audiences, the Kinderfastnacht has a smaller, more intimate hall character.

The date on the Wednesday before Altweiberfastnacht – that is, the last Wednesday of the campaign, shortly before the start of street carnival from Altweiberfastnacht onwards – is deliberately chosen: during this phase, children are on school holidays or can attend the afternoon session, and the date gives the Kinderfastnacht its own slot before the big adult balls and parades of the weekend. It starts at 3:11 PM – a child-friendly afternoon time with the typical Mainz 'Elferzeit' reference (five past eleven).

The program combines performances by the Klepper-Garde's children's guards, participatory songs, dance animations, short sketches, and stories in the Mainz dialect, as well as family games. The hall is traditionally decorated with streamers, confetti, and carnival decorations; the children come in costume, as do many parents. The free admission and the promise of a pretzel and a drink for every child make the format accessible and inviting – a contribution to Mainz carnival culture at the children's level and one of the most beautiful family-oriented formats of the campaign.