The story
Mainz Carnival in Mainz
Mainz's carnival, organised since 1838 by the Mainzer Carneval-Verein, is known for an unusually strong emphasis on political and literary satire alongside its Rosenmontag parade. The seven-kilometre parade draws around 9,500 participants and 165 floats, featuring the Schwellkopp, oversized caricature heads of public figures, as part of a season running from 11 November through Ash Wednesday.
The Mainzer Carneval-Verein, founded on 19 January 1838, organised the city's first Rosenmontag parade just over a month later, on 26 February 1838, and the association has run the event, now known as the Mainzer Rosenmontagszug, ever since, with the core format largely unchanged since that founding year.