Recently I had the opportunity to learn about and celebrate Düsseldorf’s Carnival with our friends at airberlin at an event in New York timed around the Carnival’s traditional start, Nov. 11. For an outsider looking in, the city’s Carnival appears similar to the carnival traditions in Rio and Mardi Gras in New Orleans; however, its roots lie in political movements and still hold some of those elements at its core today. Carnival presents the opportunity for participants to speak their minds without repercussion about everything from politics to personal relationships. The look of Düsseldorf’s Carnival is very similar to other celebrations around the world. One element reminded me of the local Mummers Parade tradition near my home in Philadelphia, as official groups known as clubs celebrate and perform during Carnival in Düsseldorf like they do in Mummers Parade in Philadelphia. The event was held in Blaue Gans, an Austro-German restaurant in Tribeca. If you are in the area, stop in for a sampling of regional cuisine. We had the opportunity to try their delicious wiener schnitzel and spaetzle as well as a sampling of Bavarian beers. — Rob Setzman, digital coordinator and account executive