Event Dates
From: Friday, February 28, 2025
To: Saturday, March 1, 2025
Sexy Carnival Festival takes place during the Cologne Carnival and features three days of the world’s biggest circuit events & DJs.
Germany’s leading Gay-Event Sexy Cologne returns with the Sexy Carnival Festival, a three day, 5 party event featuring 25 world star dj’s, 80 hours of music, and the hottest guys from Europe and beyond partying in Cologne’s best venues.
- Visiting for Cologne Carnival? Stay at Maison Marasil, a design hotel rated “Fabulous” by guests in the heart of the old town, featuring individually designed rooms and apartments.
Sexy Cologne Carnival Edition
- Enjoy spectacular visual and sensational shows and celebrate at Europe’s biggest gay carnival, full of attractions, fun and excitement.
- Sexy Circuit weekends typically follow a format with an Opening Party, a day party/cruising at Babylon, the Main Party (Typically on Saturday Night0 and Afterhour Party (Green Komm) and the closing party (Naughty).
Opening Party
- Friday 28th Feb, 2025 – Events kick off on with the GUYZ Party from 23.00
- Guyz is a techno-fetish event with two different djs and runs until 6am.
- Venue to be confirmed – Typically at Domhof Club – Located directly under the tracks of the central railway station and overlooking the cathedral.
- The club is spread over two floors with a spacious bar, and outdoor terrace, just a 5-minute drive or 10-minute walk from Cologne Old Town.
Cruising – Day Party
- Saturday 1st Mar, 2025 – Daytime – Stoßzeit takes over Badehaus Babylon, Cologne’s famous cruising club and sauna.
- Enjoy an all day party from noon until 10 pm with XXL cruising areas and 2 all-star DJs.
The Main Party
- Saturday 1st Mar, 2025 – Sexy Cologne Main Event from 11 pm to 7 am
- The main event features 9 world class djs, 3 dancefloors, a playzone by MGW an army of hot dancers, a sensational opening show, a locker room, laser light shows and a funktion one soundsystem.
- Get a shuttle bus service to the venue, Boothaus from Schaafenstrasse.
- Venue to be confirmed – Typicall at The Boothaus is located in the cologne shipyard grounds on the rhine complete with three levels in the boathouse and an outdoor area that can be used in good weather.
- Three dancefloors – Main Hall, Pop Floor and Techno Floor.
- Enjoy stage shows on the Main and Pop floor.
- Boothaus is an 11-minute ride from Cologne Old Town.
The After Party Greenkomm (Sunday Morning)
- Sunday 2nd Mar, 2025 – 6 am to 7 pm.
- Green Komm is the official afterhour party of Sexy cologne taking place at Nachtflug
- Venue to be confirmed – Typically at Reaching Club Nachtflug is very easy as it is located in the city center of Cologne. Just take a short walk or take the tram to station “friesenplatz” . The club is perfect for an afterparty, with a very spacious dance area and comfy couches.
The Closing Party Naughty (Sunday Night)
- Sunday 2nd Mar, 2025 – 8pm to 6 am (Monday morning).
- Naughtycontrol is the official closing party at Diamonds.
- Featuring three different DJs in the main hall.
- Venue to be confirmed – Typically at –Bogen 2 – Hosts the big Saturday night party in a beautifully listed, Neo-Renaissance building.
- The club is in a former German post office in the popular Agnesviertel neighbourhood of Cologne.
Gay Cologne
- Cologne has two distinct pockets of gay activity: Schaafenstrasse, Rudolfplatz, and the streets around Heumarkt, closer to the Dom/Central station.
- The city’s two major gay areas ensure something for all tastes, from the older leather scene on the Old Town’s Heumarkt-Mathiasstrasse to the more modern area around Rudolfplatz, catering to the young and trendy.
Where to stay during Cologne Carnival
- Sexy Carnival takes place during the annual Cologne Carnival Festivities and is one of the busiest times of the year to visit the city. Book your stay well in advance.
- Note, if you are staying in the old town, you will be in the centre of the party, so expect it to be pretty crazy. Consider staying in the nearby, yet less hectic Belgian quarter if you want a more relaxed stay.
Recommended Hotels in Cologne
Here are the hotels we recommend that have good reviews and keep you close to all the action:
Hotel Lyskirchen, Maritim Hotel, Dorint-Cologne, 25hours Hotel,
Where to stay close to all the gay bars
Our top 4 selections with the best rates.
The Steigenberger Hotel is our editors
choice located in the gay district!
For further information and advice on
Cologne Carnival, check out The Website
There two gay areas in Cologne: Rudolfplatz, known locally as the “Bermuda Triangle” is more modern in style with Many of the cafes, bars and clubs around have started during the last twenty years. The Old Town is home to more Traditional pubs and bars for mixed ages.
Filzengraben 26, 50676 Köln, Germany
This hotel lies in the heart of
, 100 m from the Rhine Promenade. Guests enjoy free use of the large indoor swimming pool and modern gym, and the sauna can be used for a surcharge.The bright and spacious rooms at Hotel Lyskirchen feature elegant interiors. All rooms come with a flat-screen TV, a desk and a coffee machine as well as a complimentary bottle of mineral water. Free WiFi is available.
Pipinstraße 15 0667 Cologne, Germany
This hotel is situated in Cologne city centre, 200 m from the Heumarkt Square. It offers spacious rooms and a restaurant. Some rooms include access to a health club with large indoor swimming pool (usable for a surcharge).
Dorint am Heumarkt Köln provides spacious rooms with soundproofed windows and modern décor. All rooms include free tea/coffee facilities and a stylish marble bathroom. Some rooms offer a view of Cologne Cathedral.
Heumarkt 2050667 Cologne, Germany
Centrally located in Cologne, this hotel provides
panoramic views of the River Rhine. The Maritim Köln offers elegant accommodation and a spa with a gym and indoor pool.The air-conditioned rooms and suites of the Maritim Hotel Köln are furnished in warm colours. All rooms include satellite TV, a desk and a modern bathroom. WiFi is provided free of charge for guests in the whole hotel.
Hohe Straße 30 51149 Cologne, Germany
Located next to the lively pedestrian areas Hohe Strasse and Schildergasse you find Hotel am Augustinerplatz, only a 4-minute walk to Cologne’s Old Town and the Rhine.
The rooms at the 4-star Hotel am Augustinerplatz were completely renovated in 2009 offering a comfortable, modern design. They all feature a TV with free sky channels, a telephone, minibar and a safe.
Im Klapperhof 22-24, 50670 Köln,
Conveniently set in Cologne, 25hours Hotel The Circle provides air-conditioned rooms, a restaurant, free WiFi and a bar. Featuring family rooms, this property also provides guests with a sun terrace. The hotel has newspapers and a fax machine and photocopier that guests can use.
Guest rooms at the hotel are equipped with a seating area, a flat-screen TV with cable channels and a private bathroom with a hairdryer and a shower. All units include a desk.
Komödienstraße 3, 50667 Köln, Germany
The units come with tiled floors and feature a fully equipped kitchenette with a fridge, a dining area, a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, and a private bathroom with bidet and a hairdryer. Free WiFi and a balcony.
Ehrenstraße 67, 50672 Köln, Germany
The apartment has 3 bedrooms, a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, an equipped kitchen with a dishwasher and a microwave, a washing machine, and 3 bathrooms with a bidet. Free WiFi and private parking
Friesenwall 24B, 50672 Köln, Germany
The units come with tiled floors and feature a fully equipped kitchenette with a fridge, a dining area, a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, and a private bathroom with bidet and a hairdryer. Free WiFi and a balcony.
Hämergasse 4-14, 50667 Köln, Germany
All apartments at DASKöln feature designer-style furniture, a safe, and a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, a private bathroom with a shower. Just a 10-minute walk from Cologne Cathedral & the Main Train Station
Pipinstraße 3 50667 Cologne, Germany
The Barcelon has been a popular gay gin bar in Cologne's old town since 2011 with a large outdoor terrace.
Art Cafe with some Mediterranean inspiration from Barcelona
Am Rinkenpfuhl 51, 50676 Köln, Germany
Busy gay bar with nice decor and lighting. The bar staff are friendly (and hot:-) and the drinks are well priced
Mühlenbach 53, 50676 Köln, Germany
Bear Bar in the center of Cologne.
Welcomes the Bear community and their allies
Club Bogen 2, Gladbacher Wall 5, 50670 Köln, Germany
Legendary party, well known for a great line up and light show. Cute crowd as well.
Schaafenstraße 49, 50676 Köln, Germany
Popular gay bar can be a lot of fun
Vor St. Martin 8, 50667 Köln, Germany
Cafe Bar in the old town close to the Kiein St Martin tower
Energetic, pink-hued gay bar featuring drinks, cafe bites & drag shows, plus outdoor tables.
Mauritiuswall 43, 50676 Köln, Germany
Alternative gay bar, popular with guys in the 30s and 40s in the heart of the gay "Bermuda Triangle"
Pipinstraße 5, 50667 Köln, Germany
Small gay bar in the old town close to several other popular venues
Mathiasstraße 22, 50676 Köln, Germany
Longest running gay fetish bar in Cologne open daily until 3 am
Mathiasstraße 5, 50676 Köln, Germany
Small gay cruising bar with darkroom, popular with 30+ crowd.
Balduinstraße 20, 50676 Köln, Germany
Gay Fetish bar right in the heart of Cologne Men Only!
Greesbergstraße 2, 50668 Köln, Germany
The busiest gay bar in the Eigelstein quarter always a fun night
Pipinstraße 5 50667 Cologne, Germany
Here everyone is welcome to have a good time and party either gay, trans, old or young, fetish rubber, sneaker, leather or none fetish at all.
Opened in June 2010 at the premises of former “Zille” we are a meeting point in the gay scène of Cologne.
Kasinostraße 1A, 50676 Köln, Germany
Since 2008, Josef and Wolfgang run the Casino-Eck, the slightly different neighbourhood pub.
Here everyone is welcome, whether young or old, male or female, hetero, lesbian, gay or transgender - here is simply lived tolerance.
Cosy and full of atmosphere; nice people meet with delicious beer and enjoy the season themed evenings, such as May Party, Holland evening, Octoberfeast or Travesty show.
Schaafenstraße 57 50676 Cologne, Germany
Rather inconspicuous during the day, the Ex|Corner wakes up in the evening with regular entertaiment this bar is always busy
Schaafenstraße 61 50676 Cologne, Germany
Your bar on Schaafenstrasse. Open Wednesdays to Saturdays with changing mottos, DJs & regular events
Schaafenstraße 45 50676 Cologne, Germany
Schaafenstraße 51 50676 Cologne, Germany
The Mumu is a somewhat wacky gay bar Cologne's hottest pub, open since June 2008
Mühlenbach 57 50676 Cologne, Germany
The traditional bar in the gay scene for 54 years in a cultivated communicative atmosphere for men from 30 + years and their admirers!
Alter Markt 58 50667 Cologne, Germany
Our Zum Pitter Cologne has been the first point of contact for gays and friends in the middle of Cologne's lively and popular old town for many years.
With us you can forget the worries of everyday life, meet very nice people and just feel good. It is not for nothing that our guests often refer to the Zum Pitter Cologne as the "living room"
Pipinstraße 7, 50667 Köln, Germany
A popular gay Inclusive & relaxed watering hole with outside seating
Book with confidence. Get the best Prices from our partner Booking.com
We have chosen hotels in Cologne that keep you close to all the shops,restaurants & bars
Highlights of the previous parties plus what to expect this year.
Cologne, affectionately referred to as the “Gay Capital of Germany”, boasts vibrant gay neighbourhoods brimming with history, culture, and LGBTQ+ pride. The city’s heart beats loudly in the districts of Rudolfplatz and the Old Town’s famous Bermuda Triangle.
Nicknamed “The Bermuda Triangle”, located west of town and home to Babylon & Phoenix saunas.
Known for its hip atmosphere offering a blend of chic boutiques, trendy restaurants, & lively bars.