Customs The Zurich Böögg explodes after just under 13 minutes

At Zurich's Sechseläuten festival, the head of the Böögg exploded after exactly 12 minutes and 48 seconds. The Zurich weather oracle thus promises a good summer in 2026.

Keystone-SDA

20.04.2026, 18:15

20.04.2026, 18:29

SDA

For once, the Böögg's head exploded early. Whether it will be such a good summer remains to be seen. As a weatherman, the Böögg is not always very reliable.

At 6 p.m. sharp, on the sixth stroke of the bells, the President of the Graubünden cantonal government, Martin Bühler, lit the log under the Böögg. Not all the guilds had arrived at Sechseläutenplatz by then. Bühler was slightly off the mark with his SRF prediction of 18 minutes.

The sun was shining and the wind was light as the groups of guild riders circled the Böögg for the "Sechseläuten March". After 10 minutes, the first firecrackers exploded and the flames snaked their way up to the Böögg. While the wood pile burned even longer, the winter figure quickly went up in flames.

The celebrity guests of honor from the worlds of music and sport were particularly well received by the visitors, especially singer Beatrice Egli.