Samantha Aeschbach
- Apr 7, 2022
- 3 min read

3 jaw-dropping free events in April & bonuses

Spring has sprung...or so it seems! And with spring this year, a new sense of excitement and freshness… and, most importantly, a sense of solidarity and compassion!

View from the Lindonhof Hill on Old Town Zurich

With this spirit, last week, Julia (from Good Friends in Zurich, a community of expats in Zurich) and I organized a free tour for the Ukrainian refugees and one on a donation basis to support other free activities for them.

Thank you to the people that donated and participated! Visit her page, as it is a calendar full of yearlong entertaining and sometimes delicious events! Let us spread the fun!

Back to Zurich and some events that April will offer us for free:

1) Without spines no roses (Ohne Dornen keine Rosen)

This is an unmissable event organized by the Zurich Old Town Reformed Churches. From Palm Sunday to Easter Monday, the old town churches will once again bring hope into people's everyday lives with kaleidoscopic rose-decorated fountains, evening city blessings, and music in old people's and nursing homes.

Zurich's Old Town fountains will be decorated, between 3 and 5 pm, with a cacophony of bright-colored roses on these days:

Monday | Zwingliplatz, between Helferei Chapel and Grossmünster Cathedral
Tuesday | Münsterhof near Fraumünster
Wednesday | Am Rennweg, crossing Strehlgasse
Thursday | Zähringerplatz near the Prediger Church

You do not have to catch the filling of the fountains, as they will stay for a while, just make sure to pass by in the following days.

City blessing from the Grossmünster tower

Inspired by the ancient tradition of the Alpine blessing, the Zurich city blessing "Bhüeti Gott" reverberates over the city as an urban prayer call before and at Easter. Can you hear the blessing from atop of the church's tower?

When? From Monday to Thursday at 6 p.m., and on Easter Sunday at 12 noon.

More information here (only in German)

2) Sechseläuten or Sächsilüüte or Sexy People in multicolored costumes parading around Zurich Old Town

This is a prolonged weekend festivity, with the main event on Monday the 25th of April.

If you have never witnessed the Guild’s Procession in Zurich, you are in for a very special treat! This is an event that attracts tens of thousands of spectators to the city, and this year after a two-year hiatus, probably even more!

On Sechseläuten Monday, this year on April 25th, about 3,500 guilds in their colorful traditional costumes, over 350 riders, several floats drawn by horses, and accompanied by music bands parade along Bahnhofstrasse and Limmatquai to Sechseläutenplatz.

The parade can be witnessed either for free along the way or from the comfort of a paid seat.

The burning of the Sechseläuten Böögg

The burning, or better said the explosion of the winter's snowman, will take place at 6 pm on Sechseläuten Square (Sechseläutenplatz or a.k.a. Opera Square) in front of the Zurich Opera House, where the above-mentioned parade will end.

This is a centenary tradition to burn the winter away and determine how soon the good weather will start. The faster the Böögg burns, the sooner we will be graced with milder temperatures.

The unofficial after-party: Grilling on the remains of the charred-down Böögg

Should you stick around after the burning of the snowman, remember to bring a couple of sausages, cervelats, a stick or a portable grill, and something to drink along and stay for what I presume is one of the biggest grill parties in town.

Dates, times, parade's route, etc. here (only in German)

3) Zurich Marathon - 10th of April

For all running and sports fans, the Zurich Marathon will take place on Sunday the 10th of April starting at 8.30 am and finishing at 2 pm at the Mythenquai.

Join the crowd to cheer your friends and strangers, as all runners like to be boosted on and encouraged in their endurance feat.

It is an amazing sight to behold all the runners with the Zurich lake as a background to their amazing willpower and resolve. The cheering of a crowd, and the coming together to support others, give off an amazing vibe and energy. Not to be missed!

Let me know in the comments which of these events did you go to, or are planning to attend. If you know of someone who would enjoy this information, please feel free to share the article.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Warmly,