Last year, skaters in Bonn had to do without the ice rink right on their doorstep, but this year it will reopen as usual at the Stadtgarten. In addition to the ice rink, visitors can practise curling and warm up at the mulled wine hut.

Where: Am Stadtgarten, 53113 Bonn
Opening hours: Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
4-hour ticket: 7.50 euros (young people and adults), 5 euros (children up to and including 11 years) Children up to and including 3 years have free admission, Skate hire: 6 euros (young people and adults), 5 euros (children up to and including 11 years)

"Curtain up for the revue, Godesberg crazier than ever". This is the motto with which the Bad Godesberg carnival festival committee kicks off the 23/24 session, with the old and new prince and princess couple as well as the designated children's godesia, Isabel, and their dance corps friends taking to the stage to show off their skills. The prince proclamation will take place a week later, on 24 November, in the Brückenforum.

Where: Theaterplatz 10, 53177 Bonn
When: Saturday, 18 November, 11.11 a.m.
Admission: free of charge

The Cologne Short Film Festival (KFFK) is presenting more than 100 feature, animated and documentary films to mark its seventeenth anniversary. Experimental works also flicker across the cinema screens. On Friday, the works of Cologne filmmakers will take centre stage in the Museum Ludwig under the title "Kölner Fenster", while on Saturday the "New Aesthetic I" section will present technical-visual experiments and visions of the future. The festival ends with the award ceremony on Sunday.

Where: five cinemas in Cologne
When: until 19 November
Admission: 8 euros (concessions 6 euros), a festival pass costs 30 euros (concessions 22 euros)
Note: An overview of all events can be found here.

Warming fire baskets, benches made from bales of straw and Christmas treats adorn the illuminated stalls at the St Martin's Market in Adendorf. The centrepiece of the market is the pottery kiln, a functioning monument to Adendorf's identity. Children can look forward to St Martin's rolls on Saturday. Barbecue specialities, potato pancakes and mulled wine are also on offer.

Where: Village square, Töpferstraße, 53343 Wachtberg-Adendorf
When: Thursday, 16 November and Friday, 17 November, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, 18 November, 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, 19 November, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Admission: free of charge

Participants in this guided tour from the Botanical Garden travel around 400 million years through plant history, witness a spectacular evolutionary story and gain insights into the survival strategies of plants during the cold season.

Where: Bonn Botanical Garden, Am Botanischer Garten 10, 53115 Bonn
When: Friday, 17 November, 2.30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission: free of charge, registration by email at goldfuss@uni-bonn.de is required

Reading aloud creates closeness, is an important prerequisite for children who want to learn to read and at the same time encourages them to explore the world. Around 800,000 people are taking part nationwide and there are also exciting events in Bonn and the region to mark the nationwide Read Aloud Day. The Bonn Railway Station Mission will be reading from their diaries written between 1946 and 2022, the 1st Godesberg Judo Club e.V. will be getting books moving and the read-aloud ship will be anchored in the district library.

Where: various locations in Bonn and the region
When: Friday, 17 November
Admission: free of charge

The first days of Advent are fast approaching - and the right decorations are a must. At the creative bazaar in the Josefshöhe retirement home, creative people offer their Advent creations. Coffee, hot chocolate and fresh waffles are also on offer.

Where: Josefshöhe retirement home, Am Josephinum 1, 53117 Bonn
When: Sunday, 19 November, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission: free of charge

(Original text: Jasmin Kaub; Translation: Mareike Graepel)