Some of Zurich's biggest family traditions happen outside. Turnip lanterns glow through the neighborhoods in November, Christmas markets and Samichlaus fill December, and spring brings parades of kids in costume. This list keeps the outdoor events coming up next in date order, so you can plan ahead and bundle everyone up in time.
Each fall, Richterswil on Lake Zurich carves about 30 metric tons of turnips into lanterns, and its old village center glows by candlelight. Brass bands play on the squares while families wander between market stalls.
The highlight is the evening parade, when local schools and clubs carry dozens of glowing turnip sculptures through the streets. It suits kids happy to stay out on a cold, dark evening.
Bellevue Noël is a Christmas market on Sechseläutenplatz, between the opera house and the lake, with more than 100 food and gift stalls, music and a fondue chalet upstairs.
Kids head for their own area of small houses, with crafts, painting, a carousel and a kids' bar. At the center stands a walk-in Advent wreath with a view over the market and the lake.
Every Advent, the Weihnachtsmarkt Dörfli fills the lanes and squares of Zurich's Niederdorf with about 70 decorated market huts and festive lights. Kids can dip their own colored candles at the Märlibaracke, watch the Fortuna Fire Crew's fire shows, and snack on crêpes, churros and Dutch mini pancakes.
It is a browsing market spread through old-town lanes, so it suits families happy to wander, snack and stop for a show.
Every day of the season, choirs sing from a Christmas tree on Werdmühleplatz, just off Bahnhofstrasse. Over 40 of them take turns, each with short sets that kids can watch from start to finish.
A small regional Christmas market surrounds the tree, with a children's carousel and a fondue chalet. It's outdoors and come-and-go, so it works with a baby in a stroller as well as with older kids.
A Christmas market on the Münsterhof square in the Old Town, framed by the Fraumünster church and the old guild houses. The wooden stalls lean toward local shops, Zurich brands and well-made gifts, with food stands from around the world.
For kids, the draw is the culture tent, with live music and storytelling, plus a slow wander through the decorated lanes. It suits a short after-school or weekend visit.
Six evenings a season, the outdoor Dolder rink turns into a disco: a light show, DJs Steven Sander and Marvellous80 playing hits, and a theme for each night, from a Halloween ghost ride to a Frozen night and a fireworks edition.
It suits kids who can already skate on their own and teens out with friends. Families can book a fondue table in the restaurant overlooking the ice.
Zurich's Samichlaus parade opens the St. Nicholas season. The Märlitram, the city's fairy-tale tram, leads richly decorated floats down Bahnhofstrasse under the Christmas lights, while many Samichläuse and their helpers, the Schmutzli, hand small gifts to children along the way.
At Bürkliplatz, the Samichlaus wraps up with a short ceremony to the sound of two brass bands. It suits preschoolers and young school kids who still believe in him.
Samichlaus is Zurich's St. Nicholas, and each Advent he and his helper Schmutzli move into a little hut in the Käferberg forest. Families follow a signposted path through the woods to find them. The pair chat with the kids and show them their Stube (living room) and bedroom.
It suits young kids who still believe in Samichlaus, and families who would rather visit him in the woods than at home.
Rapperswil's Christkindlimärt turns the medieval old town into a Christmas market. During the big market week, more than 200 stalls stretch from the lakeshore along Marktgasse to Hauptplatz, making it one of the largest in Switzerland.
It is a place to stroll, browse and look at the lights rather than a program of activities, so it suits kids happy to wander alongside a parent.
Once a year Küssnacht turns off its street lights for a St. Nicholas parade. First come up to 250 Iffelen, some over 2.5 meters tall, slipping past in silence. St. Nicholas follows with torch bearers, then about 1,100 Klausjäger swinging cowbells in time and some 200 horn players.
It is dark and loud, so it suits kids who love a spectacle more than kids who startle at noise.
Sechseläuten is Zurich's spring festival, run by the city's old guilds. Kids get their own parade, with about 3,000 children in costume marching through the old town alongside young musicians. The main parade brings guild members in historic costumes and uniforms, riders, horse-drawn wagons and bands, ending at the square where the Böögg, a snowman figure, is burned on a bonfire.
It suits kids who don't mind big crowds.
About 3,000 children march through central Zurich in traditional dress and historical costumes, lined up in the order of the eras they represent, from Romanesque noblewomen to Belle Epoque and Charleston. Youth bands play along the whole route, and a wagon carrying the Böögg closes the parade.
For kids watching from the curb, it is a walking history lesson to wave at. It suits anyone fine with crowds and drums.
Once a year, many of Zurich's museums keep their doors open long after closing time, and families hop between them by shuttle bus, bike or boat. Kids can see zoo animals that only wake up at night, visit the Urania observatory in the dark and play football late at the FIFA Museum.
It suits school-age kids who can stay up past bedtime. A couple of stops lean spooky.
Knabenschiessen is a custom more than 100 years old and Zurich's biggest folk festival. Young shooters compete in a shooting contest, and the winner is crowned Schützenkönig or Schützenkönigin and paraded along Uetlibergstrasse.
For most families the draw is the Chilbi, the huge funfair that fills the grounds around it. With around 850,000 visitors, it suits kids who like a busy, loud fair.
Some of Zurich's biggest family traditions happen outside. Turnip lanterns glow through the neighborhoods in November, Christmas markets and Samichlaus fill December, and spring brings parades of kids in costume. This list keeps the outdoor events coming up next in date order, so you can plan ahead and bundle everyone up in time.
Each fall, Richterswil on Lake Zurich carves about 30 metric tons of turnips into lanterns, and its old village center glows by candlelight. Brass bands play on the squares while families wander between market stalls.
The highlight is the evening parade, when local schools and clubs carry dozens of glowing turnip sculptures through the streets. It suits kids happy to stay out on a cold, dark evening.
Bellevue Noël is a Christmas market on Sechseläutenplatz, between the opera house and the lake, with more than 100 food and gift stalls, music and a fondue chalet upstairs.
Kids head for their own area of small houses, with crafts, painting, a carousel and a kids' bar. At the center stands a walk-in Advent wreath with a view over the market and the lake.
Every Advent, the Weihnachtsmarkt Dörfli fills the lanes and squares of Zurich's Niederdorf with about 70 decorated market huts and festive lights. Kids can dip their own colored candles at the Märlibaracke, watch the Fortuna Fire Crew's fire shows, and snack on crêpes, churros and Dutch mini pancakes.
It is a browsing market spread through old-town lanes, so it suits families happy to wander, snack and stop for a show.
Every day of the season, choirs sing from a Christmas tree on Werdmühleplatz, just off Bahnhofstrasse. Over 40 of them take turns, each with short sets that kids can watch from start to finish.
A small regional Christmas market surrounds the tree, with a children's carousel and a fondue chalet. It's outdoors and come-and-go, so it works with a baby in a stroller as well as with older kids.
A Christmas market on the Münsterhof square in the Old Town, framed by the Fraumünster church and the old guild houses. The wooden stalls lean toward local shops, Zurich brands and well-made gifts, with food stands from around the world.
For kids, the draw is the culture tent, with live music and storytelling, plus a slow wander through the decorated lanes. It suits a short after-school or weekend visit.
Six evenings a season, the outdoor Dolder rink turns into a disco: a light show, DJs Steven Sander and Marvellous80 playing hits, and a theme for each night, from a Halloween ghost ride to a Frozen night and a fireworks edition.
It suits kids who can already skate on their own and teens out with friends. Families can book a fondue table in the restaurant overlooking the ice.
Zurich's Samichlaus parade opens the St. Nicholas season. The Märlitram, the city's fairy-tale tram, leads richly decorated floats down Bahnhofstrasse under the Christmas lights, while many Samichläuse and their helpers, the Schmutzli, hand small gifts to children along the way.
At Bürkliplatz, the Samichlaus wraps up with a short ceremony to the sound of two brass bands. It suits preschoolers and young school kids who still believe in him.
Samichlaus is Zurich's St. Nicholas, and each Advent he and his helper Schmutzli move into a little hut in the Käferberg forest. Families follow a signposted path through the woods to find them. The pair chat with the kids and show them their Stube (living room) and bedroom.
It suits young kids who still believe in Samichlaus, and families who would rather visit him in the woods than at home.
Rapperswil's Christkindlimärt turns the medieval old town into a Christmas market. During the big market week, more than 200 stalls stretch from the lakeshore along Marktgasse to Hauptplatz, making it one of the largest in Switzerland.
It is a place to stroll, browse and look at the lights rather than a program of activities, so it suits kids happy to wander alongside a parent.
Once a year Küssnacht turns off its street lights for a St. Nicholas parade. First come up to 250 Iffelen, some over 2.5 meters tall, slipping past in silence. St. Nicholas follows with torch bearers, then about 1,100 Klausjäger swinging cowbells in time and some 200 horn players.
It is dark and loud, so it suits kids who love a spectacle more than kids who startle at noise.
Sechseläuten is Zurich's spring festival, run by the city's old guilds. Kids get their own parade, with about 3,000 children in costume marching through the old town alongside young musicians. The main parade brings guild members in historic costumes and uniforms, riders, horse-drawn wagons and bands, ending at the square where the Böögg, a snowman figure, is burned on a bonfire.
It suits kids who don't mind big crowds.
About 3,000 children march through central Zurich in traditional dress and historical costumes, lined up in the order of the eras they represent, from Romanesque noblewomen to Belle Epoque and Charleston. Youth bands play along the whole route, and a wagon carrying the Böögg closes the parade.
For kids watching from the curb, it is a walking history lesson to wave at. It suits anyone fine with crowds and drums.
Once a year, many of Zurich's museums keep their doors open long after closing time, and families hop between them by shuttle bus, bike or boat. Kids can see zoo animals that only wake up at night, visit the Urania observatory in the dark and play football late at the FIFA Museum.
It suits school-age kids who can stay up past bedtime. A couple of stops lean spooky.
Knabenschiessen is a custom more than 100 years old and Zurich's biggest folk festival. Young shooters compete in a shooting contest, and the winner is crowned Schützenkönig or Schützenkönigin and paraded along Uetlibergstrasse.
For most families the draw is the Chilbi, the huge funfair that fills the grounds around it. With around 850,000 visitors, it suits kids who like a busy, loud fair.
