Fireworks at the Rhine “Cologne Lights” to attract thousands of visitors
Cologne · On Saturday, July 15, it’s time for the popular “Cologne Lights”, a big annual event along the Rhine River in Cologne. Another fun thing to do this weekend, here is what you need to know about the event and how to get there.
It’s the 17th year of “Kölner Lichter” (Cologne Lights) and the event is expected to lure thousands of spectators into the city. This year, there will be a musical experiment in play as visitors themselves will provide the musical background. Each member in the audience is called upon to sing loudly and together to form the largest choir the “Cologne Lights” has ever experienced.
A convoy of about 50 ships will start at 9:50 pm in Cologne-Porz and make their way down the Rhine. During their trip to the city center, smaller fireworks will be set off. At around 10:25 pm, the boats will reach the center of Cologne. The main fireworks will begin at 11:30 pm.
Visitors can watch the fireworks display from the banks of the Rhine, no admission charged. One of the most well-known areas to watch from is the Tanzbrunnen. With a large open-air stage, it’s a focal point of the event. About 10,000 people can fit in front of the stage. According to the organizers, there has been a relatively small amount of visitors on the promenade between the Cologne Bastei and the Zoobrücke in recent years.
Very popular is the area at the Cologne Messeturm. This is a good place for those coming by car because there are over 5,000 parking spaces available. This gets filled up very early and then it is closed off by authorities.
In the Rheinpark, you can also see the fireworks from the green areas. Again, there is only space here for a limited number of visitors. Arrival and departure must be carefully planned. If you come early, you can still find a favorite place on the Rhein promenade. Organizers recommend to arrive by 8 pm at the latest. The stairway from Rheinboulevard will remain closed to visitors, beginning Saturday at 8 am due to safety concerns.
Organizers have issued security regulations for all areas. It will not be allowed to pitch tents or pavilions or use fire-lit grills. Glass bottles and kegs are also prohibited.
The stage program at the Tanzbrunnen begins in the afternoon already. At 8:15 pm, a band called the “Höhner” will play. At 9:15 pm its gets sporty as the Cologne rowing club starts out between Rodenkirchen and the inner city of Cologne.
Getting there
By car: It’s recommended to park in P1, P21 and P22 of the Koelnmesse, or the parking garage at the Lanxess Arena, or at the Köln Arcaden.
From the parking spaces, visitors can walk over the Zoobrücke or the Deutzerbrücke to the river banks. Getting out of the parking garages in Köln-Deutz and Kalk at the end of the event is normally not problematic. Those who leave from parking garages in the Altstadt should be prepared for traffic congestion.
In principle, the further away one parks, the less congestion in coming and going.
Public transportation: It’s recommended to travel to the regional and S-Bahn (tram) stops: Cologne central station and Cologne-Deutz U-Bahn (Underground) stops recommended: Cologne central station, Deutzer Freiheit, BF Deutz Lanxess Arena, Bahnhof Deutz, Kölnmesse Organizers recommend that visitors stay on the same side of the river on which they arrive.
DB Regio NRW, National Express and Trans Regio will have an extra 65 trains running.
There will be extra trains running late Saturday night from Cologne towards Bonn, Koblenz, Remagen, Linz and other areas.
Street closures: From 8 pm, Opladener Straße, Mindener Straße and the Deutzer Bridge towards the inner city are all closed. Zoobrücke will only be open to motorists the entire day, closed to bicyclists and pedestrians. The north side of the Hohenzollern Bridge is closed the whole day. Pedestrians will be allowed to use the walkway on the south side of the bridge until 8 pm. When parking is filled in the Altstadt, access will be blocked off. Depending on visitor crowds, the Rheinuferstraße will be closed off latest at 8pm.
Orig. Text: Sofia Grillo
Translation: ckloep
