There are app. 15,000 masked participants and 100,000 spectators. Some groups are in uniform costume and others have varied dress. The masks, some very elaborate, represent animals, folklore figures, monsters, celebrities. When the last group of marchers has passed the crowd of watchers, they follow the parade down into the city center.
Groups continue marching about the city all day long.
Anywhere you go, you may encounter six or more costumed marchers with a drum and whistles, playing that same tune over and over. Each clique has its subject, something they will comment on or poke fun off. The lengthy poems given out, explain the floats subject, and may sometimes be worth a prize from a local merchant. But they are in the local dialect and you have to be able to read it. The music, including Guggenmusik continues in the alleys in small groups or individuals.