The Schemenlaufen of Imst

Imst holds its Schemenlaufen only once every four years, on a Sunday in the run-up to Lent, and the town spends the years between preparing for it. The core of the procession is a pair: the Roller, with a tall decorated headdress and small high bells, and the Scheller, carrying a broad belt of heavy bells swung with a slow twist of the hips. Around them come the Sackner clearing the street, bear and bear-handler, sweepers, spring-clowns and witches. The masks are carved from wood by carvers in the town and handed down. UNESCO put the carnival on its intangible heritage list in 2012, and between festivals the masks and costumes are kept on show locally.

What you actually see

• Roller and Scheller - the paired dancers, high bells against deep ones, working down the street together.
• The carved masks - wooden faces made and repaired by carvers in the town.
• The side figures - bear, sweepers, spring-clowns and witches breaking up the procession.
• The mask collection - costumes and carvings on display in the town between carnivals.

When to go

The Schemenlaufen falls on one Sunday every fourth year, in the weeks before Lent, and the date is published long in advance; the town fills and rooms in the Inn valley go early. In other years neighbouring villages hold smaller carnival runs of their own, and the mask collection in Imst is open through the season.

Honest expectations

Four years between processions is a real obstacle, and turning up in the wrong winter means looking at masks in a display case. On the day the streets are packed, cold and slow, with poor views unless you are early or paying for a seat. It is loud, and the bells at close range are genuinely uncomfortable for small children.

Nearby

The Inn valley, the Imst gorge and the Pitztal road are all close by.