Throughout Switzerland in September, alpine descents are events that are fun to watch until the cows come home.
Those in Chicago in 1999 may remember the beginning of the popular CowParade public art exhibit. It had its inspiration from an event in Zurich where over 800 life-size fiberglass cows were decorated and placed across the city. I used to live in Chicago back then and particularly loved looking at those beautifully decorated cows as I walked around. So it seemed fitting that when we moved to Switzerland, I would seek out cows on parade, but the real ones this time!
Alpine descents: the cows come home
To escape the heat of summer, the cows, goats, sheep, and other animals head to the mountains to spend their days. In the fall across Switzerland, the cows, goats, sheep, and other animals start to come down from the mountains before the first snowfall. The occasion is marked by a celebration in many villages, with the cows beautifully decorated and those famous Swiss cowbells heard ringing throughout.
In 2023, we went to one in Einsiedeln, which is conveniently less than an hour away from Zurich and is a big one that happens only every five years. (But most do occur annually.) The added bonus was that this year’s weather was picture-perfect!
The village published their schedule, and even though we didn’t get there exactly at the beginning, we were still able to catch a few processions. (Every group/family decorates differently.)
Between the beautiful weather and the popularity of the event, it was pretty crowded. But we were able to still find some great spots to hang out while waiting. I think the trick was that we were willing to move around (having two kids who don’t feel like sitting for hours on end does that to you) and we were ok catching the procession sometimes in less popular places.
It was, not surprisingly, most crowded in the city center. But the parade route wound through the town and while we walked around to explore, we’d pleasantly discover some cows hanging out.
Lunch was busy, and in our parade, they literally had a couple kids hold a sign after a set of cows that said, “lunch break.” Upon seeing that, everybody made their way to the food tents. Perhaps trying to get into the lines before then, or packing a picnic, might be more recommended. We didn’t do either, so we just tried to find a reasonable-enough line to wait.
And during then, we could sometimes hear the bells of some animals on a different part of the route (so our kids checked those out) and some families took advantage of the kids’ activities. There were also fruit, craft, cheese, and farmer’s market stands available. And as it was a Saturday, the town’s shops were also mostly open. Plus, Einsiedeln is a beautiful town in itself so it was nice to just walk around.
After lunch, we strolled to a different part of the parade route that was along the road and not in the city center (like .5 miles away). And we just grabbed a seat along the sidewalk to wait. When we do it again, we will bring something to do while waiting and perhaps even bring a little chair.
Taking public transportation is encouraged, especially because they close the roads for the parade usually. There are sometimes also parking areas available where you can then walk or take a shuttle bus in; the festival website provides information about the parking situation. And if you don’t want to worry about lines, pack a snack/lunch and drink.
All in all, it was a fun experience for the family! If you want to catch one in the fall, you can check out MySwitzerland‘s site for any that are upcoming. (If you search for the alpine descents online, you can find them under terms like Alpabzugs, Alpabfahrts, Alp Processions, Désalpe or Cow Parades.)