The Rottweiler Fasnet is the most famous Swabian-Alemannic carnival, and the city's biggest event of the year. The main day is Fasnetsmontag, the Monday before Ash Wednesday, when the Narrensprung begins: thousands of masked Narren — Gschell, Biss, Federhannes, Schantle, Fransenkleid and others — pour through the Schwarzes Tor at eight in the morning and process down Hauptstrasse in waves over six hours.
The tradition goes back at least to the seventeenth century and has nothing to do with the Rhine carnival further north. Faces are carved hardwood Larven; the rhythm is set by the bells and rattles each figure carries. The town doubles in population for the day. If you go, get there early — viewing spots fill up by seven.