Kö-Treiben Düsseldorf 2023: Carnival Sunday

22. February 2023 Mia Jaap 0 Comments carnival, duesseldorf

What could force a person from Cologne to join the carnival event Kö-Treiben in Düsseldorf on a Sunday? This is one big carnival event in the Dorf.

Kö-Treiben is named after the Königsallee, Düsseldorf’s premium shopping street. This street was blocked on Sunday 19th and became the location for this festival. The biggest event of the street carnival is of course Rose Monday, when big parades with floats are held in cities like Cologne and Düsseldorf.

BYOF

…or “Bring Your Own Float”. Kö-Treiben is like a warm-up for Rose Monday. There’re no elaborately designed floats mocking politics, but people come to the streets in their carnival costumes. Some even had their own floats and probably had the best view of the street.

Our group was mostly happy to take shelter in front of one of the Alt beer vendors. Despite the bad weather, the street quickly became crowded with people ready to party. Carnival music filled the streets.

Costumes

Not being originally from this area, I’m not a hardcore carnival person. But I’m ready to join a party when there is one. So when a couple of friends from Düsseldorf announced that they would go to the Kö-Treiben, I took my cat costume and headed to Düsseldorf.

Speaking of costumes, it’s not like people without one were looked down upon. Most people were costumed of course, usually wearing one of the many costumes you could buy at local carnival supply or online shops.

Of course, some people are making their own costume and make-up, or invest heavily into their costume. These costumes qualify as cosplay and we were wondering if a street carnival is really the right place for it. But if you appeared in great costume & makeup or as a group, you surely made an impression at the Kö-Treiben.

Kö-Treiben Conclusion

Whether simple, elaborate or non-costumed – the most important thing was for everyone to have a good time. Personally, I enjoyed Kö-Treiben more than Rose Monday. Rose Monday can get a little bit aggressive on the spectator’s side, when everybody is shouting for candy.