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Eight events you won’t want to miss in Germany in November 2019

November, and the dreaded German winter, is quickly approaching. But don't let this be a damper on going out and experiencing Germany's culture. Here's a lineup of events to keep your heart warm as the daylight hours dwindle.

Published: 30 October 2019 09:25 CET
Eight events you won't want to miss in Germany in November 2019
The Hamburg DOM lights up on 2019's spring opening day. Photo: DPA

Diwali: The Festival of Lights, November 2nd, Stuttgart

Diwali, the five-day long festival of lights celebrated in autumn in India, has already passed. However, It@Stuttgart, a social club connecting Indian expats in the city, is hosting a single day dance celebration with Bollywood fusion songs followed by an Indian dinner. 

Tickets start at €15, with discounts for students and families. Remaining spots are limited, so follow the link to register.  

Photo: DPA

Haunted Hike in Westerwald, November 2nd, Bad Marienberg

Celebrating Halloween doesn't have to end on October 31st. At 7:30 pm on November 2nd hikers will be guided through the forest in Bad Marienberg to find hidden jack-o'-lanterns. Whoever finds the most wins a candy prize. 

The hike costs €5 per person, but children up to six years old can enter free and kids under 15 pay half price. Online registration isn't necessary; Just show up and have fun!

Children celebrate Halloween in Brandenburg in 2015. Photo: DPA 

The First Reel, November 6th-10th, Berlin

The first and only Filipino film festival in Berlin, The First Reel has been a biennial production since 2015. The festival is organized by founder Lola Abrera, a media anthropologist, and curated by Trinka Lat, a Filipino filmmaker and producer. 

The nonprofit festival is part of a larger collective aiming to embrace Filipino creatives all over the globe. Screenings begin November 6th at Kino Moviemento near Görlitzer Park. 

Winter DOM, November 8th – December 8th, Hamburg

The biggest public fair in northern Germany, almost 10 million visitors pass through every year. The Hamburg DOM boasts rollercoasters, firework shows and fair foods like Currywurst and Schmalzkuchen. 

Entry into the fair is free, with discounts for certain rides and attractions every Wednesday. 

30-Year Berlin Wall Anniversary, November 9th, Berlin

Certainly one of the largest events taking place this month, the 30-year anniversary of the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall will be celebrated nationwide.

Soldiers stand on the West Berlin side of the Wall at Brandenburg Gate two days after its opening on November 11, 1989. Photo: DPA

From memorial concerts to guided tours, click on the link above to get an overview of the events taking place in Berlin. 

Conor Drum: Solo, November 11th, Munich

Looking for some English-language stand-up in Munich? Irish comedian Conor Drum is making his first appearance in Germany, performing at The Shamrock… an Irish pub, naturally.

The show centers around Drum's teenage years, rediscovered after his parents decided to turn his childhood bedroom into an Airbnb. Tickets start at €10. 

Christmas Markets, from late November onward

The Christmas Market on the Fraueninsel on the Chiemsee in Bavaria. Photo: DPA

Christmas markets are opening earlier and earlier every year, so your choices and chances to see the stunning variety of Germany's celebrations are getting broader. Click here to read more about the best Christmas markets in Germany. 

Tollwood Winter Festival, November 26th – December 31, Munich

Munich’s eclectic Tollwood festival is an “alternative” Christmas market dishing up international and organic foods.

The festival grounds also serve as the stage for cabaret, theatre and circus acts. This year, Tollwood will feature the Hungarian Recirquel circus company. 

The event focuses on international exchange, tolerance and acceptance. This year’s theme is “Values, people!” and topics like re-evaluating ethics standards will be dissected at their multimedia Welt Salon tent.
 
This will include poetry slams, panel discussions and concerts. As they say on their website: “Saving the world is exhausting, but can also be fun!”

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EVENTS

How Cologne is preparing for the start of Carnival on Friday

Dressing up, singing, and drinking: On Friday, countless Jecken (revelers) in Cologne will once again celebrate the start of the Carnival session.

Published: 9 November 2022 10:29 CET
How Cologne is preparing for the start of Carnival on Friday

Dubbed Germany’s “fifth season” by locals, the event starts every year on November 11th at 11:11 am, and typically stretches into February or March, when colourful parades spill into the streets.

Carnival stronghold Cologne in particular is preparing for the onslaught of tens of thousands of people who will flock to its Altstadt (old town), and especially to the student quarter, starting early Friday morning. 

READ ALSO: 10 unmissable events in Germany this November

“Far too many people want to celebrate in far too small a space,” city director Andrea Blome told DPA. “We can’t stop anyone from coming to Cologne now.” 

More security this year

In the popular Kwartier Latäng student quarter, there have been regular bouts of drinking by young partygoers in the past, who crowded into a confined space, leaving litter everywhere and publicly peeing on the corners of buildings. 

Google Maps shows the location of the so-called Kwartier Latäng part of Cologne.

But with a new security plan, the city and police hope to keep the situation under control.

Several checkpoints and road closures have been set up to secure the safety of the revelers and relieve the burden on worried residents, according to Blome. Visitors will only be able to enter the closed-off area around Zülpicher Straße via a single access point. 

On Friday, Cologne is also set to send a total of 150 employees from the Ordnungsamt (public order office) onto the streets, who will be supported by 520 private security guards. 

A glass ban will again apply in the celebration zones, and several hundred toilets will be set up at the hotspots, “which nevertheless will probably not be used by all visitors,” Blome predicted.

READ ALSO: 10 words you need to know at Cologne’s Carnival

Up to 1,100 police officers are expected to be on duty on the day – about 200 fewer than last year, said head of operations Rüdiger Fink. But he expected to keep the situation “under control with a new security plan.”

What to expect

On Cologne’s Heumarkt, there will be a stage program all day with bands such as the Bläck Fööss, the Paveiern and Brings. 

Google Maps shows Cologne’s Heumarkt along the Rhine River.

According to the Willi Ostermann Society, about 10,000 tickets were sold in advance for the event, which will be aired by German WDR for several hours.

Meanwhile, in Düsseldorf, the day will start at 11:11 a.m. with the “Hoppeditz Awakening” in front of City Hall. 

According to a spokesman, the police will be adequately prepared for the start of the season, with a particular focus on the Altstadt, where there will certainly be celebrations.

“But 11.11. is a very different event here in Düsseldorf than in Cologne,” he said, referring to a more orderly start and fewer guests.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about celebrating Carnival in Germany

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