Children's Costume Parade of the Fairy Tale Prince — Tulip Sunday (Öcher Kengerzoch)

Unique in Germany — Children's Carnival on Equal Footing

The Children's Costume Parade of the Fairy Tale Prince, in Öcher dialect Kengerzoch, is a unique carnival parade: Unlike most children's carnival parades in Germany — usually smaller appendages to the adult parades — the Aachener Kengerzoch is an independent major parade, organized by the FestAusschuss Aachener Karneval e.V. (AKIKA section). With around 100 floats and groups, it is the only children's costume parade of its kind in Germany.

Tulip Sunday as a Carnival Highlight

The Kengerzoch takes place on Tulip Sunday — the Sunday before Rose Monday. In 2026, this falls on February 15th. Start: precisely at 11:11 AM, the time characteristic of Rhenish carnival. At the head of the parade: the Märchenprinz (Fairy Tale Prince) as the annual child leader — in 2026, it is Phil II.

For the First Time on the Rose Monday Parade Route

An important innovation in 2026: For the first time, the children's costume parade will follow the same route as the Rose Monday parade. This upgrades its status in the Aachen carnival calendar — a conscious recognition of the commitment of children, parents, and associations who annually ensure the creative and colorful design of the floats.

Carnival as UNESCO Cultural Heritage

Rhenish Carnival, to which the Aachener "Öcher Fastelovvend" belongs, was added to the German list of intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2014. The Kengerzoch is part of this heritage — and thus a documented piece of living cultural tradition with special educational and transmission value for the next generation.

Aachen as a Carnival Stronghold

Aachen, the westernmost major city in Germany, is one of the carnival strongholds of Rhenish Carnival — along with Cologne, Düsseldorf, Mainz, and Bonn. Unlike its Rhenish neighbors, however, Aachen cultivates its own variant with the Öcher Fastelovvend, which differs linguistically (Öcher Platt), traditionally, and atmospherically. The Kengerzoch is a central component of this tradition.