As Carnival Kicks Off: Revelers Take Over City Halls in Saxony

With a loud “Saxonia Helau!”, the fifth season has been ushered in in Saxony. On November 11 at 11:11 a.m., carnival revelers in numerous cities symbolically took over power in the town halls. During the traditional storming of city hall, the revelers demanded the keys to city hall and the city coffers from the mayors.

A Party at City Hall Instead of a City Stroll

Due to the rainy weather, the Dresden carnival revelers canceled their planned city stroll from the Altmarktgalerie through downtown and went straight to City Hall. There, Mayor Jan Donhauser (CDU) handed over the town hall key to the Dresden Carnival Club (DCC) and the Elferrat Gebau Dresden. The participating clubs presented excerpts from their programs. During the procession, the DCC unveiled the new carnival theme: “Whether witches, frogs, or kings, there’s plenty of fairy tale magic at the DCC.”

Carnival season kicks off in other Saxon cities

In Leipzig, the focus at the start of Carnival was on the introduction of the new lioness, Leila. She is the traditional symbolic figure and the head of the Leipzig Carnival. Among other things, the lioness leads the Leipzig Rose Sunday parade.

The carnival season was also kicked off right on time in many other Saxon cities. In Chemnitz, carnival revelers took over City Hall from Mayor Sven Schulze (SPD) after first voicing criticism of city policy. In Plauen, too, the revelers stormed City Hall. In Markranstädt, however, they first had to earn the town hall key by participating in a few fun competitions.

The carnival festivities are receiving a special boost from the recognition of East German carnival as intangible cultural heritage. It was added to the corresponding Saxon state list in the middle of the year.