Cow parade

Go to any Switzerland tourist site and look it up…..they seem to be from mid-September through the end of that month….they are delightful to see!

Been to Lenk two times for the Alplerfest. It was a great weekend. It is one time in the fall when the cows come down from the mountains. In 2018 we were there Oct. 14th or so.

Where can I find out when the parades are scheduled in the spring?

In 2023, Lauterbrunnen's cow parade was the second week of September. Such a fun thing to see!

I'm not sure they hold cow parades in larger cities like Zürich? They're more likely in smaller towns that have more agricultural economies. I was fortunate to see a cow parade in Lauterbrunnen when I was there a few years ago. As I recall, it took place on 27 September.

You can take a look at the Swiss tourism website under Alpine Festivals. There are already a few 2026 ones listed, but you will see much more once it is closer to the actual time when the cows will come down from their summer pastures.

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/experiences/events/events-search/?rubrik=alpinefestivals

As Ken mentioned, you will find the “Alpabzug” events in farming communities that are near the mountains.

Usually there are only one or two farming families involved, thus the parade lasts only a few minutes. The larger ones have other things going on as well, or have multiple families involved. These would include:

The Alpine Festival in Lenk, as Travelerguy mentioned. Advertised as being on Saturday, October 10, 2026. This is quite a distance from Zürich or Luzern.

https://lenk-simmental.ch/en/dc/detail/Service/aelplerfest-und-aelplerzmorge

Much closer to Luzern is this one, 2026 date not posted yet:

https://www.biosphaere.ch/en/about-us/sustainability-11-1-2/alpine-descent

Best is to look later on next year, check the above websites and also the tourism websites for any location you plan on going to.

@Lindann

Search for “Alpaufzug”, so that you get links to cows going up (auf), rather than coming down.

This is the most popular one that I know of - the cows actually walk up the mountain stairs (lots of videos of this on YouTube). Dates for next year not yet posted:

https://adelboden-lenk-kandersteg.ch/en/activities/year-round/event/detail/cattle-drive-engstligenalp

In general there are not very many planned spring events. The decoration of the cows and the big celebration is reserved for the end of the season in the fall.

Thank you, Swiss Nomad for the link. That looks like an amazing spectacle in a valley I've thought of visiting for years.

hey hey all
@ Lindann this may help, we were in annecy 5 years ago and missed cow parade by a week. (second saturday of october)
frenchmoments.eu
retour des alpages: return from alpine pastures in annecy
bergundbahn.com
2025 alps event calendar
just some ideas what's happening and months/years. thought there would be more around area but looks like more in switzerland.
while on a private tour of lake annecy, stopped by col de la forclaz to see cows with cowbells on roaming making "music" in the pastures. bought 2 cowbells in shop for remembrance of my mom, a cowgirl born/raised on private ranch on big island of hawaii.
good luck happy travels aloha