In keeping with longstanding tradition, many of the Rosenmontag parade floats unveiled last week in Cologne and Mainz are set to showcase right-wing populists. Rosenmontag is a beloved tradition across Catholic areas of Germany, translating literally as Rose Monday - though the day is more commonly known in English-speaking countries as Shrove Monday.
US president Donald Trump is portrayed as a school boy carrying a bag full of nuclear codes or as an elephant in a china shop. Right-wing French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen sports a Hitler moustache and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) anti-immigration populist party rehearses a revolt of angry gnomes, carrying posters with slogans like "Build a higher fence" or "The patch is full."
Chancellor Angela Merkel has also not been spared. In Cologne's Rosenmontag parade, she will make her appearance as a ladybug on her back. Cologne's Carnival director Christoph Kuckelkorn said that the floats cater to many different tastes.
On one of the floats in Mainz features Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan mowing away human rights and press freedom. Sinking Britannia, a ship steered by Theresa May, is the statement on Brexit. Regional politics are also sure to be a big topic in the parades.