Zug der fröhlichen Leute Cottbus

In February 2025, the 32nd Zug der fröhlichen Leute took place in cool but dry carnival weather — filling Cottbus city center with thousands of carnival enthusiasts from Lusatia, the Spreewald, Berlin, and Saxony. The floats lined up at Berliner Platz in the late morning, and the parade set off from 1:11 PM.

The themes in 2025 ranged from the federal election to the Lusatian structural change and local jokes about FC Energie and Cottbusverkehr. The guards and dance groups performed their rehearsed choreographies, the marching bands provided the necessary noise, and the candy flew generously — four hours of city carnival, which ended with a traditional Cottbus handshake in front of the Staatstheater.