Youth festivals in Aargau and Solothurn

Image 1 /

‹ › ×

Large youth festivals take place in a number of towns in the cantons of Aargau and Solothurn. They are of great significance to the identity of the respective town and to all the generations of its residents, often representing the key event on the calendar. The youth festivals in Aarau, Brugg and Lenzburg are more than 400 years old; those in Baden and Olten date back around 200 years. As they are usually held before the summer holidays, they mark the end of the academic year for schoolchildren. During the festivals, which span a few days, children and teenagers compete in games and sports events and, most importantly, take part in processions, which are the highlight of the events. School classes parade with their teachers through the town, usually with the girls wearing flowers in their hair and the boys sporting a single flower on their lapels. Music groups and not infrequently local politicians are also part of the procession, and the programme includes addresses made to the schoolchildren. Annually in Zofingen and every two years in Lenzburg, the Freischaren troops “attack” the cadets in a spectacular and entertaining show.