The festival of superlatives

The highlight in the city calendar

Did you know?

The Badenfahrt is Switzerland's largest municipal folk festival and radiates far beyond the region. No wonder, because it only takes place once every ten years! It is also the time in which the "Baden spirit" is particularly strong. To give you a visual idea, imagine a second city is being built within the city! A series of restaurants, installations, stages and bars are built on the streets and in the alleys. All of them designed, planned, constructed, decorated and operated by countless volunteers. Everyone contributes to the unique character of this tradition.

By the way, the name "Badenfahrt" comes from the Middle Ages, when one went to the thermal springs of the city to bathe. It all began in 1923, when a great celebration was held marking the end of the First World War and celebrating the Peace Congress of 1714. The close kinship and sense of community the people of Baden share was commemorated.

This sense of community is still the core of the festivities today. Every ten years, the residents reflect on this and celebrate the Badenfahrt Festival together. In the meantime, the festival has spread to all parts of the country and received around one million visitors when it was last held in 2023. Since 1972 and 1982 respectively, so-called "small" Badenfahrts take place 5 years after the main Badenfahrt.