Carnival in Bonn Bonn Rosenmontag parade about to be cancelled too
Bonn · The Bonn Carnival Festival Committee wants to cancel the Bonn Shrove Monday parade if the health of the spectators is endangered because of the pandemic. However, a final decision has not yet been made.
After the session carnival has already been completely cancelled, the next piece of bad news for the Bonn carnival family follows: the Shrove Monday parade will in all likelihood not run through Bonn's city centre. This was announced on Tuesday by the Bonn Carnival Festival Committee. This would be the second cancellation of the carnival highlight in a row after 2021.
Regarding the current discussion about a possible cancellation of the Shrove Monday parade, parade leader Axel Wolf says: "We are carefully observing the Corona numbers in the region, in Germany and also among our European neighbours. The current figures and the forecast for the Omikron variant cause us great concern and make it seem unlikely that the Shrove Monday parade with over 200,000 visitors will take place." The safety of the participants and visitors is the main concern. If this cannot be guaranteed, "we will have to cancel the Shrove Monday parade," said Axel Wolf. The festivities committee will therefore continue to keep a close eye on developments and make a final decision in the near future.
The festivities committee will use the next few weeks to develop alternative concepts in order to be able to react to a possible cancellation. "Like all carnival revellers in Bonn, we hope that we will be able to celebrate together in whatever form. But it is also clear that carnival always includes responsibility for one's fellow human beings. Therefore, there will be no celebrating at any price," said Wolf.
Cologne examines alternatives for Shrove Monday
The plans and statements of the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee are similar. In the cathedral city, alternatives to the classic Shrove Monday parade are being examined. "In view of the forecasts for the Omikron variant, we are currently assuming that a normal Shrove Monday parade with hundreds of thousands of spectators will not be possible," said parade leader Holger Kirsch on Monday.
Thus, as in 2021, persiflage floats are to be seen at various locations in Cologne in order to nevertheless give the Cologne revellers a "special Rose Monday", said Kirsch. In addition to the various locations for the persiflage floats in several districts, the festival committee is also looking into the so-called Rio variant for spectators. This involves fixed grandstands on both sides of a much shorter parade route. In this case, the necessary distances could be maintained in seats and it would be possible to retrace the visitors' steps. A parade through the football stadium of the 1st FC Cologne is also being examined as an alternative under 2G-plus conditions (access for vaccinated and convalescent persons plus test).
Many ideas for alternatives
"All these variants are of course no substitute for a normal Rose Monday parade, everyone involved is aware of that," Kirsch explained. In February 2021, there had been a parade in miniature format, which was then broadcast on television. "In the process, many Cologne residents warmed to the idea during last year's lockdown. Even if we can't implement this literally 'unique idea' again, we still want to bring the Rose Monday festival home to the people somehow," said Kirsch.
The Düsseldorf carnivalists already postponed their Rose Monday parade to 29 May a few days ago because of Corona.
On Tuesday, the honour guard of the city of Bonn also officially cancelled its citizens' meeting scheduled for Saturday, 22 January, at the Hotel Maritim.
Original text: Holger Willcke. Translation: Mareike Graepel
