Lots of news for jesters on 11.11. in Mainz
Shortly before the first carnival highlight of the campaign on 11.11. in Mainz, the Mainzer Carneval-Verein (MCV) has made improvements to its ticket sales. Tickets for later entry will be on sale at the MCV office from 3 p.m. this Saturday - in case space becomes available in the fenced-in and sold-out area around the carnival fountain on Schillerplatz. These additional tickets will then be available for four euros, explained the MCV in Mainz on Tuesday. MCV President Hannsgeorg Schönig said that there would also be no restriction on access for clubs and guards. They would now be able to march in the numbers they had registered.
The MCV was responding to criticism after the sale of tickets for 11.11. had to be stopped after just a few hours due to the high demand. They had been overrun, said Schönig on Tuesday. "It wasn't particularly good at that point," admitted the MCV president. The association has apologized for this mistake.
Admission to the grounds costs seven euros for the whole day until 9.30 pm. A maximum of 9,000 people are allowed to stay there and there will be a ban on glass bottles. According to the MCV, the entrance fee is necessary to cover the increased costs. Last year, 11.11. alone resulted in a loss of more than 30,000 euros, said Schönig. It is no longer possible to organize a street carnival on this scale without support.
The ritual on 11.11. includes the reading of the "foolish basic law" of the Mainz carnival. The highlight of the campaign will be Rose Monday on February 12, 2024. The carnival motto this time is: "Mainz on the Rhine invites the whole world to Schoppe". Accordingly, this year the Schoppestecher will form the parade badge, the sale of which will help finance the Rose Monday parade. The Schoppe is the unit of measurement for half a liter of wine, and the Schoppestecher in turn likes to drink a Schoppe.
There is also something special about the plastic badge: it is not produced in the Far East as in previous years, but by a company from the region, as Schönig explained. Specifically, the company responsible this time is Bericap from nearby Budenheim, a specialist in plastic bottle caps. According to MCV, the company manufactured the first Mainz train badge, a metal badge at the time, under a different name in 1950.
According to MCV, the 40,000 gray Schoppestecher for this campaign at a price of six euros come from the 3D printer and are produced in Bericap factories in Hungary and Thuringia. The cord will then be attached to the figurine in an inclusion company in neighboring Wiesbaden. From the beginning of 2024, there will also be a total of 7777 golden figurines costing eleven euros. According to the MCV, these will be auctioned off for a good cause.
Despite the success of previous carnival events, such as Shrove Tuesday, the Mainz carnival association (MCV) faced challenges in ticket sales due to high demand. To address this issue, they've introduced fixed-price tickets for late entry on Shrove Tuesday for four euros. This decision falls under the customs of the Mainz carnival, ensuring everyone, including clubs and guards, can participate.
Source: www.dpa.com
