Overview
- The new session began at 11:11 with thousands celebrating in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Mainz under clear skies.
- Cologne deployed about 1,000 police officers plus 450 city enforcement staff and 1,200 private security personnel, with knife checks and protection of sensitive sites.
- Access to the Kwartier Latäng/Zülpicher area was halted for capacity, and Heumarkt entrances were temporarily closed as Alter Markt initially remained open.
- The city imposed a drone ban from 6:00 to 02:00 in central celebration zones, citing risks to dense crowds, alongside glass restrictions and youth‑protection checks.
- By midday police and rescue services reported a largely peaceful start with only minor incidents and no major emergency deployments, while extra regional trains and special services helped disperse crowds.