Cologne commemorates 200 years of carnival with thousands of revellers

Carnival has arrived in Cologne.

Dubbed Germany’s ‘fifth season’ by locals, the party starts every year on 11 November at 11:11 am local time.

It typically stretches until Ash Wednesday in February or March, when colourful parades spill into the streets.

Thousands of revellers have also descended into the roads in Düsseldorf and Mainz.

According to the local police, there were heavy crowds in Cologne’s main party district, with 1100 officers on duty. Cologne South Station had to be closed for crowd control.

This year’s carnival commemorates 200 years of the festivities.

Watch Euronews’ report in the player above.