Cologne Pride travel guide

Having arrived in the city of Cologne, approaching the train station’s exit, you see a clutter of ornamented walls, arches and pillars in at least 50 shades of grey building up outside the high glass windows. It grows and grows and grows until you get out of the waiting hall and realise you hadn’t even seen half of Cologne Cathedral yet. The church’s enormousness smacks into sight, making you feel less than tiny.

Fortunately, this skyscraper of God is the only intimidating and imperious aspect of fun-loving Cologne. Germany-wide, the Colognian saying of “Jede’ Jeck is anders” (every fool is different) has become known as a manifestation of the city’s tolerance and relaxedness towards all kinds of “differentness”. An eclectic mix of people and a gazillion bars and clubs welcome tourists from around the world, letting them forget about that ridiculously oversized power display of the Catholic Church sooner or later. Plus, despite not even being a third of Berlin population-wise, Cologne has built a reputation as Germany’s definite gay capital. Germany’s gay capital

Bound by title, the city is host to one of the country’s largest Gay Pride festivals. By the mid-1990s, the Cologne Christopher Street Day parade was one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Following the success of EuroPride 2002, the powerful and active Cologne scene created ColognePride. The Pride now lasts for a total of two weeks and features more than 100 single events, from concerts to political debates to film screenings. Anyhow, the heart of the festival is the final weekend with its street parties and the main demonstration in the city centre on Sunday. The parade attracted almost a million spectators last year and is by now the people of Cologne’s second occasion (next to the infamous Carnival) to dress up and get massively drunk on the streets. Therefore, it has lately also been criticised for having lost its political character, and smaller alternative events have formed. The main parade starts on 5 July at 12:00 noon this year, at Mindener Strasse in the district of Deutz. It then crosses the Rhine and meanders through the whole city centre. Hotspots along the route are on Heumarkt, Neumarkt as well as on & around Ehrenstrasse. Bars and Clubs

Before, after and during the demo, people flock to Cologne’s pubs and clubs. There’s an incredibly high number of gay-friendly bars, among them Baustelle, Beim Sir (Heumarkt 27-29), Bastard, Deck 5 (men only) and My Lord, the latter being a classic that has been around for over 35 years. Those ready to put on their dancing shoes should head to one of the several clubs in Schaafenstrasse. While Station 2b is the city’s biggest and leading fetish location, Die Mumu boasts a mixed, younger crowd. Cox and Blue Lounge are other all-time favourites. On Friday, 3 July, X-Treme! is set to be the largest fetish event of the weekend again. Last year, 1,800 people ventured across the river to Essigfabrik, partying to the sounds of several international DJs.

Relaxing

Partying always – always – takes its toll. To re-boost their energy, many opt for some swimming and dabbling at Babylon which claims to be “one of the world’s most beautiful and crusiest“ gay bath houses. However, relaxation is in serious jeopardy once you leave the bath: it’s located on Friesenstrasse, close to numerous bars, beer houses, clubs…

Other sights

If you miraculously manage to take some time off from partying – or recovering – you may be up for some proper old-school sightseeing. Besides the Cathedral and the old town, this should include the top-notch art museums Museum Ludwig and Wallraff-Richartz Museum. For those interested in old stones and ancient history, the Roman-Germanic Museum has a lot on offer. If you prefer something more exotic, there are chocolate, sports and mustard museums. You’ll get the best vistas from the right bank of the Rhine, in Jugendpark in the north or along the Poller Wiesen fields further south. For more info, check the Cologne Tourist Board or discover hidden gems with Spotted by Locals Cologne. A helpful guide made by the CSD organisers can be found here. WORDS BY TIM STEINS

For more information or to book Exclusive Gay Travel packages visit MarriottWeekends.co.uk/Pride

Pictures: Cologne Pride Facebook page