As the clock strikes 11.11am on 11 November 2012 the long-awaited fifth season in the German year officially begins – carnival! Crowds of costumed revellers are taking to the streets of carnival hotspots Cologne, Düsseldorf and Mainz to celebrate the start of the 2013 season. There's plenty of music, dancing, fun and frivolity to begin the warm-up for carnival time!