LANXESS Arena in Cologne With Kids: Haie Games, Concerts, Bag Rules and Age Limits
The LANXESS arena in Deutz is Cologne's big indoor venue for concerts, family shows and the home games of the Kölner Haie ice hockey club. The arena's own rules matter for families: bags and backpacks larger than A4 (21 by 29.7 cm) are not allowed, food and drinks may not be brought in except sweets and baby or toddler food, and children under 14 may only attend without a parent until 20:00. For Haie games, children from 4 to 14 pay a reduced price (from 6 euros), and under 4s sit on a lap for free. Arrival by tram or S-Bahn to Köln Messe/Deutz is the easy way. Parking is 2 euros an hour, or a flat 9 euros to leave up to three hours after the event.
What the Arena Is and What Happens There
The LANXESS arena sits in Deutz, across the Rhine from the Cathedral, beside the Köln Messe/Deutz station. For families it is mainly three things: the home of the Kölner Haie ice hockey team, a venue for big concerts, and the place where touring family shows land. The arena’s own calendar, read on 25 October 2026, listed Haie home games on 27 October and on 11, 24 and 27 November, and shows such as Disney in Concert on 29 October 2026 and, for May 2027, a Cirque du Soleil production. The ticket shop is at Willy-Brandt-Platz 3, on 0221 8020, and tickets can also be bought through KölnTicket, the online shop and the usual sales points.
Two facts shape everything else. The arena sets its own house rules, and each organiser can add stricter ones. So the rules below are the venue’s baseline, and the event page comes first.
Rules You Meet at the Door
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Bags, backpacks, gym and cloth bags | Not allowed from A4 size (21 x 29.7 cm). A paid bag drop opposite the north entrance at most events |
| Food | Not allowed, except sweets and baby or toddler food |
| Drinks, bottles, cups, cans, glass | Not allowed. Medical exception with a doctor's note or ID, and feeding babies and toddlers is excepted |
| Bulky items | Ladders, stools, boxes, suitcases, trolleys and hand carts are on the prohibited list |
| Cameras | Generally not allowed, except compact cameras without interchangeable lens at sports events |
| Hearing protection | Available at the north info counter on request |
The list of prohibited items also covers umbrellas and sticks (with an exception for walking aids). The entry notes add that the bag ban covers cloth and gym bags, and that for personalised tickets you must bring your ID card or passport. Because strollers are not named in the rules we read, ask the ticket shop before you bring one.
Age Rules: When Can a Child Be Without You?
The arena’s Jugendschutz page gives a table that is useful for parents of older kids.
| Age | Without a parent or authorised adult | With an authorised adult (Erziehungsbeauftragung) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 14 | Until 20:00 | No limit |
| 14 and 15 | Until 22:00 | No limit |
| 16 and 17 | Until 24:00 | No limit |
| 18 and over | No limit | Not needed |
An Erziehungsbeauftragung means that the parents name an adult (at least 18, sober, able to look after the child and to get the child home) who accompanies the teenager during and after the event. The arena has forms for it. The parents remain responsible. The arena’s FAQ is stricter in one place: it says children under 16 may attend concerts only with a parent or an authorised adult, each with a valid ticket. Read both together, and trust the event page, since organisers can add rules. Everyone needs a ticket of their own, and tickets cannot be exchanged.
Haie Games With Children
The club’s FAQ is clear on prices. Children and teenagers from 4 up to and including 14 pay the reduced price called Ermäßigung 2. Children under 4 enter free with a lap ticket (Schoßkarte) from the stewards and have no claim to a seat. The club’s news item of 10 August 2026 gave children’s tickets from 6 euros in both seated and standing areas for the October games, with reduced adult tickets from 19 euros seated or 15 euros standing, and full price from 24 euros seated or 18 euros standing. A second reduction group covers students and trainees up to 27, people over 65, people with a disability from degree 50, recipients of basic income support and Köln-Pass holders. Bring photo proof, or pay the difference at the day box office.
A few practical points:
- Doors open about 90 minutes before the start. Early arrival avoids queues at the bag check.
- Weeknight games start at 19:30 and Sunday games have been scheduled at 16:30, which is easier for young kids.
- The day box office (Ticket-Shop 2, northwest of the arena) opens two hours before the game and adds a 2 euro service fee.
- A Kölschkurve with Kölsch and currywurst opened for some games. It is an adult-oriented area, so check the game page before choosing it with children.
Getting There
The arena’s public transport page lists the stops Köln Deutz/Messe, Deutz/LANXESS arena and Deutz Technische Hochschule, with trams 1, 3, 4 and 9, buses 150, 153, 156, 250 and 260, and S-Bahn lines S 6, S 11, S 12 and S 13. There is a direct link to long-distance trains at Deutz as well. An event ticket works as a fare in the VRS network only if the ticket carries the VRS logo. Then you can start the outbound trip four hours before the event, and the return must be finished by end of service. Without the logo, buy your own fare, as our page on KVB tickets explains. Taxi ranks are in front of the arena and at the tram stop.
The car park page lists car parks P1 to P4, open 24 hours with a 1.90 m height limit, and a bus car park P5 without height limit. The fee is 2 euros per hour. If you pay the flat Arena-Tarif of 9 euros in advance at the pay machines, you can drive out up to three hours after the event, which skips the queue at the machines. The tariff applies to public events only.
What to Pack and What to Expect
- A small bag. Anything under A4 passes. A bigger bag costs time and money at the bag drop.
- Baby food and sweets only. Plan drinks and meals inside or before the event.
- Hearing protection for children. The arena itself asks parents to take care of this, and offers some at the north info counter. Concerts are loud, and the house rules warn about possible hearing damage.
- Tickets and photo ID for personalised tickets and reduced prices.
- Time. The arena opens 1.5 to 2 hours before most events and you cannot re-enter after leaving, because the ticket loses its validity when you leave.
Wheelchair users should know that suitable places are on the main foyer level in the lower tier, and tickets for them are not sold online for every event, so call the ticket shop on 0221 8020. Baby-changing rooms are on the main foyer level 03, in the northwest.
Combining It With a Day Out
If you want a fuller day around an event, our pages on the Cologne Zoo and the two big museums suit a day before a late event. For football with children, see the page on 1. FC Köln. Shops are closed on most Sundays, as covered on our page on Sunday closing, so buy your supplies on Saturday if the game is on Sunday.
Compliance Note
This page summarises the arena’s published rules and the Kölner Haie’s published ticket information as read in October 2026. Events, organisers’ rules, prices and times change from event to event. It is not legal advice on youth protection law. For a specific event, check the event page or ask the arena’s ticket shop.
FAQ & Common Pitfalls
What is the LANXESS arena and who plays there?
It is the large multi-purpose arena in the Deutz district on the right bank of the Rhine, next to Köln Messe/Deutz station. Its event calendar mixes concerts, comedy, family shows and sport. The home games of the Kölner Haie, the city's ice hockey club in the DEL, are played there, and the calendar read on 25 October 2026 listed Haie games on 27 October and on 11, 24 and 27 November, along with family-friendly shows such as Disney in Concert and, for May 2027, a Cirque du Soleil show.
Can I bring a backpack or a stroller bag?
The arena says bags and backpacks, including gym and cloth bags, from A4 size (21 by 29.7 cm) are not allowed, and individual organisers may set stricter rules, so check the event page. For larger bags there is a paid bag drop opposite the north entrance at most events. The list of prohibited items also names bulky objects such as ladders, stools, trolleys and hand carts, and umbrellas and sticks. The arena's rules do not mention strollers, so call the ticket hotline on 0221 8020 before an event if you plan to bring one.
May I bring food and drinks for the children?
The prohibited list excludes food apart from sweets (chewing sweets, fruit gums, biscuits, dragées) and baby and toddler food. It also bans drinks of every kind and bottles, cups, cans and glass, with exceptions for guests who must carry drinks for medical reasons, who need a doctor's note or an ID, and for feeding babies and toddlers. In practice, take baby food and sweets in a small bag and plan to buy drinks inside.
How old must my child be to attend without me?
The arena publishes a table. Without a parent or an authorised adult, children up to 14 may stay until 20:00, 14 and 15 year olds until 22:00, 16 and 17 year olds until 24:00, and from 18 there is no limit. With an Erziehungsbeauftragung, an adult who is at least 18 and takes responsibility for your child, there is no time limit. The organiser of a concert can set stricter rules, and the arena's house rules say children under 16 need a parent or such an adult, so read the event page.
What do Haie tickets cost for children?
The club says children and teenagers from 4 up to and including 14 get the reduced price called Ermäßigung 2, and on sale day children's tickets start at 6 euros, in seated and standing areas. Reduced tickets for students, trainees, pensioners and others, including Köln-Pass holders, started at 19 euros seated or 15 euros standing for the October 2026 games, and full-price seats from 24 euros. Children under 4 get free entry with a lap ticket and no seat of their own. Prices vary by game, so check the online ticket shop.
Do I need proof for a reduced ticket?
Yes. The Haie say the right to a discount must be shown at the entrance with a photo ID or matching proof. If you cannot, you can pay the difference to the full price at the day box office. That box office, called Ticket-Shop 2, opens two hours before a game in the building northwest of the arena and adds a 2 euro service fee.
How do I get there with small children?
The arena lists the stops Köln Deutz/Messe, Deutz/LANXESS arena and Deutz Technische Hochschule, served by tram lines 1, 3, 4 and 9, bus lines 150, 153, 156, 250 and 260, and the S-Bahn lines S 6, S 11, S 12 and S 13. A ticket for an event counts as a VRS fare only if it carries the VRS logo, and then you may start the trip four hours before the start and travel back until the end of service. If your ticket has no logo, buy a normal fare, see our page on choosing a KVB ticket.
What does parking cost and where is baby changing?
The arena car parks P1 to P4 are open around the clock with a maximum entry height of 1.90 m, and the fee is 2 euros an hour. Paying the flat Arena-Tarif of 9 euros in advance lets you drive out up to three hours after the event, and is available for public events only. Baby-changing rooms are on the main foyer level 03 in the northwest. The arena also keeps hearing protection at the north info counter on request, and tells parents to take care of children's hearing protection at loud events.