St. Martin in Cologne: How the Martinszug Works, Who Can Join and the Dom Procession of 6 November 2026
St. Martin's Day is 11 November, and in Cologne thousands of children walk with lanterns through their neighbourhood in the days around it. Most processions are run by a single Kita, school, parish or local association and are registered with the city, which requires a traffic permit for 500 or more participants and a notice for fewer. Many are open only to that institution's children and their parents, so your child's Kita or school is the first place to ask. A public one is the Cathedral procession on Friday 6 November 2026: a service at 17:00 in the Dom, then a walk through the old town to Groß St. Martin, where St. Martin hands out Weckmänner.
What a Cologne Martinszug Actually Is
St. Martin’s Day, 11 November, is a children’s festival in Cologne and the Rhineland. In the evening, children walk behind a rider dressed as St. Martin with lanterns they made themselves, sing songs, and collect a Weckmann, the traditional bread figure, at a fire. KÄNGURU describes the tradition as children walking through dark streets, ringing at neighbours’ doors, singing, and getting sweets, nuts or a mandarin in their bag, with the sharing of the cloak at its centre.
What surprises newcomers is the structure. There is no single big city parade. There are hundreds of small ones, each run by a Kita, school, parish, club or village association in its own district, on different evenings between the first and the third week of November.
How the City Fits In
The city’s role is traffic law. On the Stadt Köln page for St. Martin processions, organisers of a procession with 500 or more participants must apply for a traffic permit, and smaller ones must notify the city. There are separate phone numbers for the inner city, for Rodenkirchen, Ehrenfeld and Mülheim, for Lindenthal, Nippes and Chorweiler, and for Porz and Kalk. If an organiser wants a police escort, it asks the local police itself. That explains why the lists you find online are lists of registered processions, not an official programme.
The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger overview of 23 October 2026 says the registered processions in 2026 fall between 2 and 18 November, with the day itself on 11 November, and that not all dates were fixed yet. The koeln.de lists, compiled by district from city registrations, show the typical pattern: a Kita or school, a start time between about 16:30 and 18:30, and a meeting point on the grounds.
Who Can Join
| Type | Who it is for | How to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Kita and school processions | Children of that institution and their parents. Outsiders often cannot join | Notice from the Kita or school |
| Parish and neighbourhood processions | Often open to the neighbourhood | Parish notices, district lists |
| Cathedral procession | Everyone. Children and adults of the foreign-language missions are explicitly invited | 6 November 2026, 17:00, Dom |
| Club and attraction events | Public, sometimes with a fee or registration | Organiser's page |
The koeln.de overview carries a clear warning: many processions are only open to the children and their parents and to the staff of the institution, and outsiders cannot take part. Ask first, and do not turn up uninvited with a group.
The Cathedral Procession, 6 November 2026
The Cologne Cathedral invites all children and parents to its Martinsfeier on Friday 6 November 2026. The service of the word starts at 17:00 in the Dom. Then the procession leaves through the historic lanes of the old town and ends at the church Groß St. Martin, where the closing blessing is given and “St. Martin” hands out the traditional Weckmänner. The invitation says children and adults of the foreign-language missions are particularly welcome, which makes it a good first one for families new to the city. Our page on the Cathedral with children explains how to move around it.
The same evening, the family magazine lists a St. Martin procession of the 1. FC Köln Pänzclub at the RheinEnergieSTADION, with a Martinsfeuer, Weckmänner and drinks, free and without registration. That is a magazine listing, not an official page, so check the club’s own channels before you go. For the club in general, see our page on 1. FC Köln.
What to Bring and What to Expect
- A lantern. Children usually make one at the Kita or school.
- Warm clothes. Evenings in early November are cold and processions often end in a field or a courtyard.
- A bag for the Weckmann and sweets.
- A battery light, not a torch, where a route goes through woods. The Gut Leidenhausen lantern walk on Saturday 7 November 2026, for children up to 12 with an adult and without dogs, allows only battery lanterns in the woods.
- A plan for the way home. Allow extra time on the evening, since streets are closed along the route. See our page on KVB tickets for fares.
Step by Step for a Newcomer Family
- Ask the Kita or school for the date, start time and meeting point, and whether parents may join.
- Make or buy a lantern the week before. The Kita often collects materials.
- Check the district list on koeln.de if you want a neighbourhood procession.
- Pencil in 6 November for the Cathedral procession if your institution has none.
- Look ahead to Christmas markets later in November, as our page on Christmas markets with children explains.
Compliance Note
This page summarises the Stadt Köln information on processions, the Cologne Cathedral’s invitation and press listings as read in October 2026. Dates, times and conditions are set by each organiser, change from year to year, and some lists were still incomplete when we read them. It is not legal advice. Ask the organiser of a procession before you attend.
FAQ & Common Pitfalls
When is St. Martin in Cologne and what happens?
St. Martin's Day is 11 November. In the days before and after, children walk in the evening with lanterns through their neighbourhood, sing Martinslieder, follow St. Martin on horseback, and receive a Weckmann at a fire. The regional family magazine KÄNGURU describes the centre of the tradition as the sharing of the cloak and the saint as a model of helping others. The city-registered processions in 2026 fall between 2 and 18 November, according to the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger on 23 October 2026, and more dates were still being added.
Who organises the processions?
Mostly individual Kitas, schools, parishes, volunteer fire brigades and village associations, not the city. The city's role is traffic law: the Stadt Köln page says a procession with 500 or more participants needs a traffic permit and a smaller one must be notified, with a contact number for each group of districts. That is why the lists on koeln.de show hundreds of small processions, each with an organiser, a start time of about 16:30 to 18:30 and a meeting point.
Can I just show up at any procession?
Often not. The koeln.de overview warns that many processions are open only to the children and their parents and to the staff of the Kita, school or other institution that runs them, and that outsiders cannot take part. Ask the organiser first. The public exceptions tend to be parish, club or neighbourhood events, which is why the Cathedral procession and the 1. FC Köln procession are useful for newcomers.
What is the Cathedral procession on 6 November 2026?
The Cologne Cathedral invites all children and parents to a Martinsfeier on Friday 6 November 2026. It starts with a service of the word at 17:00 in the Dom, followed by a procession through the old town that ends at the church Groß St. Martin, where the closing blessing is given and St. Martin hands out the traditional Weckmänner. The Cathedral says children and adults of the foreign-language missions are especially welcome.
Is there a procession at the football stadium?
A regional family magazine lists a St. Martin procession of the 1. FC Köln Pänzclub at the RheinEnergieSTADION on Friday 6 November 2026, with a large Martinsfeuer, Weckmänner and drinks at stands, free participation and no registration, the procession starting at 17:45 at the north side near the fan shop. That is a magazine listing and not an official page, so check the club's channels for the final programme.
What should we bring?
A lantern, usually made at the Kita or school, and warm clothes for 30 to 60 minutes outdoors. Where the route runs through woods, as on the lantern walk at Gut Leidenhausen on Saturday 7 November 2026 (for children up to 12 with an adult, no dogs), only battery-lit lanterns are allowed and no torches.
Will streets be closed?
Yes, for the length of a procession. Koeln.de's lists are compiled from the processions registered with the city, by district, with date, organiser, start time and meeting point, and the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger says its overview helps people who want to know which street is closed on which evening. Plan an alternative route if you drive.
Where do I find the list for my district?
Koeln.de publishes lists by city district, built from the processions registered with the city: Innenstadt, Nippes, Ehrenfeld, Rodenkirchen and others, each with date, organiser, start time and meeting point. The koeln.de lists we read carried the status of 5 November 2025 and were to be updated from around the end of October 2026, so look for the 2026 date on the page. The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger keeps its own overview, and your Kita or school will tell you about its own procession.