Kölner Karneval, Cologne, Germany

Cologne’s Kölner Karneval is a huge pre-Lent carnival where the whole city turns into a stage for costumes, parades, music, and general chaos in the best way. It’s often called the “fifth season” and officially kicks off on 11 November at 11:11, with the wildest “crazy days” just before Ash Wednesday. The festival has roots in ancient Roman and pagan winter/ spring rites and later became tied to the Christian calendar as a last blow‑out of feasting and mischief before the fasting period of Lent. People celebrate to welcome spring, poke fun at authority and social order, and enjoy a sense of shared local identity and freedom in the streets.