Events

February

The Zürich Carnival

Mid-April

Zürcher Sechseläuten (Spring Festival)

For information: 01 853 17 77

Zürich’s traditional spring festival – begins on a Sunday with a big parade featuring more than 2,000 children. The actual festival takes place on Monday. Guild members have an early start with a lunch at their own guildhall, and follow it with the big Parade of the Guilds. Thousands of spectators will line the streets along the parade route in the Old City. The highlight is Burning the Böögg, an effigy of winter, on the Sechseläuten field near the Zürich Opera. The Böögg woodpile is lit when the bells of St. Peter sound at 6 o’clock. The Böögg turning to ashes signals winter’s final departure.

Late June-Mid-July

The Zürich Festival hosts dance, opera, theater, and more in several venues throughout the city.

During the Züri Fäscht, held once every three years at the start of July, a huge fairground is set up in central Zürich. Festivities are topped off with a lavish fireworks display.

August 1

Swiss National Holiday celebrates the confederation's birth in 1291 with fireworks and bonfires.

on August 1, the Swiss national holiday, while spectacular displays of fireworks explode in sizzling colors over the cities and towns, the mountain folk build the bonfires that glow quietly, splendidly, on every hillside of every Alp, uniting Swiss citizens as they celebrate their proud independence, their cultural wealth, and above all their diversity. It's that diversity and those quirky contradictions that make Switzerland a tourist capital - the folksy, fiercely efficient innkeeper to the world.

Street Parade, a large-scale electronic music event with international DJs.

During late August and early September the Theaterspektakel takes place, with circus tents housing avant-garde theater and experimental performances as well as theater troupes from around the world on the lawns by the lake at Mythenquai.

September

Züri Jazz Woche (Jazz Festival) takes the stage in early September.

Knabenschiessen

For information: 01 462 99 55, Fax 01 462 99 65 or

One of Zürich's oldest festivals is the prize-shooting on the Albisgütli for 12 to 17 year old boys and girls. A marksman king or queen is chosen every year. A colorful three day market accompanies the event; the largest of its kind in Switzerland.

November

Expovina, held on boats on the Bürkliplatz, offers samples of international wines, and food.

Fasnacht brings lively musicians and a large, costumed procession.

Late November/early December

Zürich Six Day Race

December

New Year's Eve Race

Arts & Entertainment

Zürich supports a top-rank orchestra, opera company, and theater. Check Zürich News, published weekly in English and German, or "Züri-tipp," a German-language supplement to the Friday edition of the daily newspaper Tages Anzeiger for weekly events throughout the year.

Zurich Opera House

Falkenstrasse 1

01/262-0909.

Opernhaus

Theaterpl.,

01/2686666

is widely recognized and booked well ahead, but single seats can often be had at the last minute. The season is from September through July.

Tonhalle

Claridenstrasse 7

01/2063434

The Zürich Tonhalle Orchestra, which was inaugurated by Brahms in 1895, enjoys international acclaim. There are also solo recitals and chamber programs here. The season runs from September through July; and tickets sell out quickly.

Theater

Schauspielhaus

Rämistr. 34, 01/2655858.

has a long history of cutting-edge performances. During World War II, this was the only German-language theater in Europe that remained independent. Today, its main stage presents German-language works in addition to experimental works produced in the Keller (cellar).

Year Round Organized Tours

Tram (Trolley) Tours

The quickest and most convenient way to get acquainted with Zurich is with a two hour trolley tour through neighborhoods of interest. Riders are given a headset, which provides commentary in seven languages. Between May and October, for a fee per person, there are tours daily at 10am and 2pm. The tour covers the commercial and shopping center and Old Town, and goes along the lakefront for a visit to Fraunmünster or one of the historic guildhalls beside the Limmatquai.

Boat Tours

Full tour and shorter versions are offered

For more information contact the Zürichsee Schiffahrtsgesellschaft by calling 01/487-1333.

To take a lake steamer for a tour around Lake Zurich.: Walk to Bahnhofstrasse's lower end and buy a ticket at the pier anytime from late May to late September. Most of the steamers contain simple restaurant facilities, and all have two or three levels of decks and windows designed for wide-angle views of the Swiss mountains and shoreline.

During the summer, boats depart every thirty minutes.

A full-length, round-trip tour of the lake from Zurich to Rapperswil will require two hours travel each way. Travelers may leave the boat to explore towns en route. Shorter boat rides cover the northern third of the lake with the total trip taking about 90 minutes.

Walking Tours

Meet the tour in the main hall of Zurich’s railway station for a two hour guided walk through the Old Town. Telephone 01/215-4000 for prices and times. Tours are offered in English daily.