Overview

• The musically synchronized main fireworks are scheduled to start at 22:30, with food stalls opening at 15:00 and a staged passenger-ship program through the evening.
• Cologne police plan to deploy about 1,600 officers on Saturday, also covering two demonstration marches in the afternoon.
• Federal police imposed a temporary ban on carrying dangerous objects at Köln Hauptbahnhof and Messe/Deutz from Saturday to Sunday.
• Organisers say the display will fire from a 200‑meter containership with five‑meter steel walls in the middle of the Rhine, which they argue prevents a Düsseldorf‑type accident.
• Passenger ships have been reduced from 54 to 24 due to past financing issues, with sponsors filling the gap as the city expects large crowds and urges public transport use.