Among all the attractions that Zurich has to offer, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who grew up in and around the city and hasn’t visited the Pumpkin Festival at the Jucker Farm. Now, what was one of the best cheap things to do in the canton has an extra cost, with the farm introducing an entrance fee for the first time.
Every year, thousands of people from across Switzerland around the world head to Seegräben on the banks of Lake Pfäffikon to see the stunning pumpkin artwork at the Jucker Farm. Over the years, the festival has become a red letter day in the Zurich calendar, attracting famous visitors from Adele to Roger Federer.
However, this popularity has come at a cost for the town of Seegräben. A combination of massive demand and a relative lack of parking has led to traffic and tourist chaos in and around the farm, leading many within the village and the local council to demand that the farm take steps to curb the number of visitors.
Therefore, to ease local concerns, the Jucker Farm will charge an entry fee to the pumpkin festival in 2024. The tickets cost 10 francs per person if they are bought before the festival starts on September 21. Once it begins, on weekends the tickets will cost 12 francs on the internet and 15 francs if they are bought at the farm itself. On weekdays, entry will cost 10 and 12 francs respectively.
Originally, the farm had hoped to charge 20 francs for entry, but this was revised down after an online backlash. Children up to 16 years old will still get in for free.
Speaking to the Tages-Anzeiger, Jucker Farm head of communications Nadine Gloor said that the fee was to compensate the farm for shortening the festival from eight weeks to four - also designed to placate local residents - and to help fund the public transport service from Uster station to the farm and the pumpkin figures themselves.
By making weekdays cheaper, the farm can “plan better and also limit the number of tickets if there is a large rush." Marc Thalmann, Seegräben's municipal clerk, said that the measures to curb overtourism are “certainly on the right track, but we will definitely have to make some [further] adjustments."
Gloor added that the current prices are a test, with further talks between the local council and the farm taking place after the festival. “We will learn a lot by the end of the season – and these findings will be incorporated into the planning for next year.”
Thumb image credit: Agnieszka Skalska / Shutterstock.com