Don your costumes and shout "Kölle Alaaf!" at the Carnevale in Cologne, the biggest carnival in Germany.

Traditionally, the Carneval in Cologne starts on the 11th of November at 11:11. The street parties, though, do not start until later.

This year, the fun-filled street carnivals will commence on Thursday, February 15, culiminating into a week-long celebration. The party begins at 10am.

And on the following Friday and Saturday, bars in the whole of Cologne will be full of party people in full Carnival costumes.

Sunday is for the kids. Kids (and adults, too) can watch the parade in their costumes. A small goodie bag where you can put your candy loot (thrown by the parading people) is a must,

Monday (Rosenmontag) is when the biggest party of all happens. Millions of people occupy 7 kilometers to party, party, party.

Interested? Check for availability from over 250 hotels here. Check WhichBudget for budget airlines that fly to Cologne.

For more information, check out this page.