The Lucerne Carnival returns from February 27 to March 3, 2025. See how you can take part in a tradition preserved since the 15th century.

A unique festival in Lucerne, Switzerland

The origin of carnival dates back to the 15th century and is based on the religious customs of the days before Lent. During the days of the carnival, residents of Lucerne will turn their city into a centre of joy and happiness with music, dancing, costumes and more!

The first day of the carnival is Dirty Thursday, which is the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. To commemorate the start of the festival, residents gather at Kapellplatz at 5am, where a shotgun or "Big Bang" is fired to start the fiesta. At 1.45pm, a parade of players in colourful costumes with brass bands and loud drums takes to the streets.

After the formal portion of the parade, the bands will wander through the streets, and the sounds of drums and trumpets can be heard throughout the city. The parade on "Fat Monday" is equally noisy, colourful and fun to see. What's more, it starts at 1.45pm and doesn’t end until after midnight!

The carnival ends on Fat Tuesday with two parades: a children's parade and a monsters’ parade, and the drummers play until the morning of Ash Wednesday.

Plan your trip today

Head over to the official website for information about the event programme, as well as all other information about public transportation.