Something is always going on in Düsseldorf: with numerous big annual events, attended by several million visitors, the NRW state capital is one of Germany’s most important event centres.
‘Kick-off’ event to the year was the ‘boot’, the boat show at Düsseldorf’s trade fair in January, presenting the biggest and most spectacular yachts the trade has to offer.
February was characterised by Carnival. With approximately 300 carnival sessions and costume balls, the city is one of the strongholds of carnival in the Rhineland.
When street carnival starts in the city centre, Düsseldorf goes topsy-turvy. The ‘foolish days’ start with ‘Weiberfastnacht’, when women symbolically take over: at 11.11am the ‘Möhnen’, as the locals call the female revellers, take the town hall by storm. They cut off mens’ ties and take command of the town for one day.
The highlight of carnival is the big parade on ‘Rosenmontag’ with around 70 floats, 80 groups on foot and 40 bands. Every year around one million visitors come to Düsseldorf to join in the fun.
The month of May is chock-a-block with events for every taste: at the beginning of the month the Metro Group Marathon gets long-distance runners onto their feet – both local amateurs and world-famous athletes. Around 10,000 participants compete for the best time and their personal record every year.
Visitors to the Night of the Museums also have to cover longish distances. The art trip, until the early hours of the morning, leads participants through Düsseldorf’s most important museums and galleries.
In mid May, the tennis world elite serves on the clay courts at the Rochusclub to compete for the Arag World Team Cup. In recent years, stars such as Thommy Haas, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and David Ferrer showed world-class tennis on the courts at Rolanderweg.
Those looking for musical rather than sporting events are well advised to visit Düsseldorf’s Jazz Rally. At Germany’s biggest jazz festival, world-famous scene musicians and also top acts from related genres perform every year.
The month of May finally ends with Japan Day Düsseldorf/NRW, a highlight of the year with around 800,000 visitors. Crowning event of the unique culture and meeting festival is the biggest Japanese fireworks display outside of Asia.
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The Ferris wheel |
A much quieter event is the Bücherbummel auf der Kö, a book bazaar that attracts more than 400,000 visitors from all over Germany to the state capital’s luxury boulevard on the second weekend of June. Every year people come to browse, listen to readings or meet authors.
The longest day of the year for Düsseldorfers is Midsummer Night; the ‘long table’, a culinary mile along the Rhine embankment, has become a popular institution.
At the end of June, the Sparkassen Cart Wheeler Tournament takes place on the picturesque Rhine embankment. The old tradition of cart-wheeling dates back to the year 1288 when, after the victorious battle of Worringen, Düsseldorf was given town rights and the children cart-wheeled for joy.
At the beginning of July Düsseldorf celebrates the French Festival on the occasion of the French national holiday. Burgplatz, the square in the heart of the city, turns into ‘little Paris’ for a whole weekend.
In the middle of the month, the traditional marksmen’s parades wind their way through town. At the same time the Kirmes, the biggest fun fair on the Rhine, attracts the masses to a ride on the big rollercoaster, Ferris wheel or rapid log flume.
From the end of July to the beginning of August the Frankenheim Open Air Cinema shows movie classics and the latest films under the starry sky directly on the Rhine embankment.
September is a cultural highlight of the year, starting with the altstadtherbst in the middle of the month, when around 25,000 visitors annually attend about 60 cultural events in the Old Town.
And when the St Martin Parades have moved through town in the middle of November, Düsseldorf gets ready for Christmas.
The traditional Christmas Market is set up at six places in the lively city centre, each one with its own theme. All around Königsallee elaborately designed Christmas worlds invite to tours of discovery. In December, the FIS Cross-Country Skiing World Cup, where the cross-country elite competes on an artificial-snow run along the Rhine embankment, complements the Christmas market.