Every September, the residents of Canton Zurich in Switzerland let their hair down and watch astounding feats of marksmanship at Knabenschiessen. Here’s what you need to know about the festival, what there is to do and whether workers in the region are given a day off.
Literally translating to “Shooting Boys”, Knabenschiessen is an annual festival in Zurich and is one of the largest events held in the city. Every year the fields around Albisgütli are transformed into a massive fairground, attracting up to 800.000 visitors.
Knabenschiessen takes place on the second weekend of September every year, meaning in 2024 it will be held from September 6 to September 9.
At the centre of the event is a massive shooting competition, in which around 5.000 boys and girls aged between 13 and 17 years old compete to be crowned the Shooting King or Queen. Any young person who lives or goes to school in Canton Zurich can participate.
Each entrant is issued the standard battle rifle of the Swiss Army - the Sturmgewehr 90 (SIG 550) - and a bipod. They then shoot at targets 300 metres away, with those with the highest scores progressing until a Shooting King or Queen is declared on Monday - the first prize in the competition is 5.000 francs. In 2023, the Shooting King was 13-year-old Miro Scheiwiller from Mönchaltorf.
Today, most visitors to Knabenschiessen attend because of the massive fairground (Chilbi) that is set up to celebrate the event. Over 300 fairground rides and stalls are dotted around Albisgütli, satiating any fan of fun and adrenaline - bear in mind that from 11am to 11.30am on Monday, all the rides are completely free!
Video: OurTravelDiary / YouTube
While Knabenschiessen is a public holiday in Zurich, it is not a statutory requirement to give workers a day off on the Friday or Monday of the festival. Therefore, it is up to your employer whether you are given the day off, with each company taking a slightly different approach.
The local council, for example, gives all public sector workers a half-day off on the Monday of Knabenschiessen. This approach is followed by a large number of local businesses, which is why some stores may be closed in Zurich from 1pm on Monday.
Schools in the city are given the whole of Monday off so that the kids can participate in the competition and enjoy the rides at the Chilbi.
As there are no parking spaces available, the best way to get to Knabenschiessen is to take public transport to Albisgütli. Take tram lines 13 or 17 to Laubegg, bus lines 32 or 89 to Strassenverkehrsamt or the S4 train to Zürich Saalsporthalle, and then take a short walk up the hill to the festival.
Knabenschiessen is one of the oldest traditions in Switzerland, having begun in the 17th century as a competition called Chnaabeschüüsset. At the time, boys resident in Zurich were required to train with military weapons, should they be called on to defend the canton. To encourage this training, cantonal authorities began offering prizes to the children most adept with weapons.
The first ever documented competition was in 1656 when 144 boys won silver-plated coins at a shooting event at the Sihlhölzli. In the lead-up to the competition, the young men paraded around Zurich with flags, drums and pipes, and were offered complimentary drinks from local bars. This annual tradition continued until 1893.
In 1899, the event in its modern form was born when 5.000 boys competed for the title of Shooting King in Albisgütli. The second weekend of September was chosen as the regular date so that it could align with Zürichilbi on September 11 - the feast day of the Zurich patron saints Felix and Regula. Finally, in 1991, girls were given the chance to compete too.
Image credit: Paebi, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
We hope that you enjoy all that Züricher Knabenschiessen has to offer. If you plan to compete in the competition, in the words of German poet Friedrich Schiller: "here, shooter, it is time to show your art: the target is worthy and the prize is great!"