Das Kanu des Manitu 2026 – Remote-controlled lighting & sound technology on the Rhine

01. The Challenge

For the streaming premiere of “Das Kanu des Manitu” on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, RTL Deutschland launched a campaign under the motto “That’s a big-time canoe!” featuring a floating exclamation mark on the Rhine: On a floating pontoon sat an oversized canoe, which – pulled by a tugboat – cruised past Cologne’s city center from Easter Saturday to Easter Monday, with views of the cathedral, the Hohenzollern Bridge, and the Rhine Boulevard.

The special feature: During the trips, the technology was not to be operated on board, but from Munich – from there, the client wanted to control the color and intensity of the lighting live and play musicat specific points along the route. Added to this were the conditions of a pontoon operation in April: everything had to be weatherproof be installed and run autonomously for days on end.

02. Our solution

The setup took place at the Niehl Harbor in Cologne: All equipment was loaded onto the ship by crane, and the installation was completed on April 3rd. For the lighting technology we used nine Cameo ZENIT W600s – IP65-rated outdoor washers that allow the canoe to glow in any desired color. Control was handled via a grandMA3 system, and the music was played through a sound system consisting of four dB Technologies VIO X15s – oriented toward all four sides, ensuring the music carried in every direction around the canoe.

The remote control we implemented via an LTE link with remote access to the onboard control computer: The client was able to change colors and intensities in real time and start the music with pinpoint accuracy from Munich – several hundred kilometers away. A UPS protected the power supply against outages, GPS tracking and an IP65 webcam provided live images and the pontoon's position around the clock. All components were secured against wind, rain, and waves.

03. The result

From Easter Saturday to Easter Monday the glowing canoe drew eyes along the banks of the Rhine – by day as an XXL advertising space, by night as an orange glowing eye-catcher against the Cologne skyline. The control system from Munich worked reliably throughout the entire duration, and the technology ran continuously regardless of the weather – a complete success for the premiere campaign.

Internally, the project was known by the name “Das Helle Kanu des Manitu” – “the bright canoe of Manitu” – it’s hard to summarize our contribution any better.