The Rhine in Flames

The Rhinelanders love fireworks - not content with the annual fire-fest at Silvester (New Year), here on the Rhine they also spend the summer shooting rockets into the sky from one end of the river to the other.  "The Rhine in Flames" is a kind of fireworks festival that kicks off in May and finishes in September. The party starts in Bonn on May 1st, then slowly moves down river to Rüdesheim-Bingen on July 3rd, Spay-Koblenz on 14th August, Oberwesel on 11th September and finally St. Goar on September 18th.  The best way to view the spectacle is on a boat and you can book an evening boat tour for each one of the events.  Just to confuse the general public, Cologne also throws their own firework extravaganza right in the middle of the Rhein in Flammen. The Kölner Lichter is the city's largest firework display set to the sound of a live orchestra.  It's a wonderful event best witnessed from one of the city bridges.  A flotilla of colourfully lit boats start off the event and then a few hundred pounds of colourful explosives are launched into the sky from a pontoon in the middle of the river.  Spectators line the banks and bridges adding their chorus of ums and aahs to the sound of the music. You're guaranteed a night that will go with a bang, not a fizzle.

Kölner Lichter
17th July 2010
www.koelner-lichter.de

Rhein in Flammen
May 1st, Bonn
3rd July, Rüdesheim - Bingen
14th August, Spay - Koblenz
11th September, Oberwesel
18th September, St. Goar- St. Goarshausen
www.rhein-in-flammen.com