Fasnacht has arrived in Lucerne and the whole city is ready to celebrate! 🎭🎊 Fasnacht, or carnival, is celebrated annually and usually spans two weeks in February or March. This year it is running from February 22nd to March 7th.
Whether you’re planning to soak up the atmosphere by taking advantage of all the activities, or if you’re just looking to dip in and out, we have listed below the key events. For a full overview make sure to head over to the Luzerner Fasnacht website.
Tuesday 25th February: Usgüüglete unter der Egg
On this day you will find traditionally dressed sellers in blue and white selling the carnival badge throughout the city.
Wednesday 26th February: Guuggerbaum
The Fasnacht (Guugger) tree will be placed at Kornmarkt this evening in a procession to mark the evening before Fasnacht. Various bands will put their flags onto this tree. Meeting at 19:00 at Mühlenplatz, the procession with torches will begin at 19.30 and participants are expected to be dressed in black with white gloves.
Thursday 27th February: Schmutzig Donnerstag / SchmuDo (Dirty Thursday)
Bruder Fritschi and his entourage will arrive by boat at the Schweizerhofquai at 05:00am and, with a big bang and a rain of oranges, Fasnacht will officially begin.
The first main procession (the Lucerne parade / Fritschiumzug) will begin at 13.45 from the Hofkirche and end at Hirschmattstrasse. You can find a map of the route here.
Smaller processions and celebrations will take place throughout the city for the rest of the day. Prepare for the noise, fun, and chaos of Fasnacht!
Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd March: the city celebrates
Various events in the city centre will be taking place, expect it to be loud, colourful and entertaining!
Monday 3rd March: Güdis Montag / Güdis-MO (Fat Monday):
The second Lucerne parade (Weyumzug) takes place at 14:00. This is the one shown on television. Even if you are not signed up, you can still take part in the procession as long as you have a mask on. This is considered to be the biggest night by many, partly due to the fact that both Monday and Tuesday blur into one for many Fasnachtlers!
Tuesday 4th March: Güdis Dienstag (Fat Tuesday):
By now Fasnacht is blurring the days and hours. The children’s procession takes place at 14.30pm from Mühlepatz and goes to the Jesuit church.
The biggest procession (Monstercorso) is in the evening and begins at 19:30pm. All the Guggemusic groups will take part in this, and the party will last until dawn.
Friday 7th: the Guuggerbaum felling
There is one last meeting of Fasnacht at Kornplatz at 19:30pm to remove the Guuggerbaum. After this, the city reminisces on the season and keenly awaits the next Fasnacht…
Some useful Luzerner Fasnacht links:
- 🎭 Official website and plan (in German)
- 🎭 VBL travel updates (in German)
- 🎭 Some shops and business may be affected by Fasnacht, check their website or shop window for opening times and information.
- 🎭 The Stadt website also has some important information, including tips to reduce litter and opening hours.
