Overview
- The session began at 11:11 with thousands celebrating on Heumarkt and across the Altstadt as festivities spread through the city.
- Cologne deployed about 1,000 police officers, 450 municipal staff and 1,200 private security personnel, with enforcement focused on a knife ban and weapon replicas.
- Access to the Zülpicher Straße/Kwartier Latäng was regulated through fixed entry points and was temporarily closed once full, alongside a glass ban from 08:00 to 22:00.
- A city order imposed a drone ban across central hotspots from 06:00 to 02:00, citing an extraordinary danger to dense crowds.
- Support included EDELGARD mobile teams and hotline plus the Guardy help app, while extra regional trains and added station security were in place, with rescue services reporting no major emergencies by midday.