Sechseläuten

Zurich’s spring festival

For the last 500 years, the city of Zurich has staged Sechseläuten, a huge festival celebrating the end of winter and the arrival of spring. It is celebrated usually on the 3rd Monday of April, since the early 20th century.

Following the parade of the Zünfte (guilds), the climax of the holiday is the burning of Winter in effigy, in the form of the Böögg, a figure of a snowman prepared with explosives. According to lore, the faster the Böög’s head explodes the more pleasant the following summer will be. Thousands of Zurich’s inhabitants usually watch the spectacle and round off the day by using the remains of the Böög’s stake as a barbecue.

Sechseläuten is not an official holiday, but many businesses, offices and banks close for the day. There may be some minor traffic delays in the afternoon due to the procession of the guilds.

For the first time in its history, the burning of the Böögg did not take place in Zurich. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, in order to prevent crowds gathering, it was burned on the Devil’s Bridge in the Schöllenen Gorge, in Canton Uri on April 19, 2021.

Upcoming Sechseläuten Observances

2022 -2025