At The Lenzburger Gauklerfestival
FUN!
Since 1993, The Lenzburger Gauklerfestival takes place around mid-August, right in the Alt Stadt in Lenzburg, Switzerland. Traveling artists from all over the World come and show their artistic talents and tricks to the Public. Some would perform a skit, some would create a comedy act, others would present a music dance show, and others would do Storytelling which is great for the young crowd. You will also find the usual Jugglers using yo-yos, knives, fruits, whatever they can find for their unique acts. Pretty cool, really! And don’t forget…there’s always room for Clowns!
4 DAYS OF ENTERTAINMENT!
The Gauklerfestival runs for 4 days. It starts on Thursday and it ends on Sunday. If you ask me, Saturday is THE DAY to go and see the many shows they put on! Should you decide to stick around until 10:00 PM, then you get to see the Fireworks! Besides, as the night falls, the old town lights up, including the Lenzburg Castle…they light it all up and it just makes the experience even better. The streets are full of people eating, talking, laughing…truly having a great time while the street artists perform for you!
A REAL CROWD!
The old town of Lenzburg is very small. Just like medieval towns, the narrow streets get so crowded that you must keep this in mind when traveling with Children, especially a festival such as this one. About 10,000 people come to see the shows, meet their friends and eat! It can get pretty hectic at times. Believe me, I know! I took my 5 year old daughter to the Festival! At what point, she was holding my hand and was pulled away from me by the flow of people coming from the opposite direction. This happened on Saturday. It was already evening, so I carried her on my shoulders for a while. She loved this! The majority of us parents were carrying our Children on our shoulders for this purpose…and for them to see the shows better!
BRING CASH!
I don’t know why people seem to forget that when you come to events such as this one, you’re most likely paying with CASH! The food, the drinks, all sorts of souvenirs, the candy, face/body painting, balloons…you pay it all with CASH. But the most important reason? You pay the street srtists with CASH! CASH is what they need in return for the shows they put together for YOU. Besides, they need cash to buy their tickets to go back home. As one Australian artist said at the end of his act…”if you don’t want me to stay in Lenzburg, roam around your streets, penniless, and beg for money, then please, help me to get home…”
Here are some pictures I took during Saturday’s Gauklerfestival:
Who knows! Maybe next year, while you are visiting Switzerland, and you just happen to be around Lenzburg, you may be able to join us for a day of fun at the Lenzburger Gauklerfestival.
If you would like to have information as to how you can participate and/or be part of the show, then visit their website at www.gauklerfestival.ch
(From Zürich its 20 minutes by car, and 35-45 minutes by train (depending on the route you take on the SBB)
You can also find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lenzburger.Gauklerfestival
