Traffic chaos in Cologne: Gamescom and the European Championship test match cause traffic jams!

Traffic chaos in Cologne: Gamescom and the European Championship test match cause traffic jams!

Cologne is currently in a state of excitement as several major events are coming up. Next weekend, August 25, 2025, the city is not only expecting the popular trade fair visitors Gamescom in Deutz, but also the German basketball stars who will compete against Spain in the Lanxess Arena. However, such hustle and bustle also brings with it certain challenges, especially in terms of traffic in the city center.

The A559 between the Gremberg intersection and the Porz intersection has been closed in both directions since August 22nd at 5 p.m., which further aggravates the traffic situation. Since this is the last weekend of the NRW holidays, a high volume of traffic is expected. People in and around Cologne have to prepare for stress and traffic jams, especially in the busy areas of the city.

Detours and traffic management

In order to sensibly direct traffic on the surrounding routes, various diversion measures are in place. Traffic at the Gremberg motorway junction is diverted from the L124, while access to the A559 towards Bonn is still possible at the Gremberg junction. For everyone who wants to drive towards Bonn, the diversion is: A4 via A3 to the Bonn-Siegburg junction and then the A560. For the return trip to Cologne: Take the A59 to the Heumar triangle and continue on the A3 to the Köln-Ost intersection.

Also the researchers from German Aerospace Center have dealt with the topic of traffic management at major events. As part of the CroMa-PRO project, they are investigating the interactions between urban traffic and the flow of people, which should ensure smooth operations, especially before and after such events. Integrated simulations are intended to help better master the challenges of the arrival and departure processes.

Gamescom 2025 and its innovations

Gamescom itself promises to be an exciting event in 2025, which will take place from August 20th to 24th and attracted around 335,000 visitors last year. In order to further improve the event, feedback from participants was collected and forwarded to Koelnmesse. New this year is the introduction of infant care for trade visitors, which was implemented after previous criticism.

There are also further adjustments: Despite frustrations with the booking system for meet & greets with influencers, the allocation system for the signing area is being maintained with the aim of optimizing the experiences from 2024. To avoid long waiting times, age wristbands are available from 6:30 a.m. Improved accessibility has also been considered and security controls, often considered important, are continually reviewed.

But the venue is not just the focus of visitors. The journey and the numbers surrounding the diversions will also become significantly more important in the coming days. Cologne is in the middle of preparations for a weekend full of exciting experiences and challenges. The people of Cologne can expect a crazy time, but at the same time we can only hope that the traffic chaos does not become too extreme.