Luzerner Fasnacht

Lucerne's carnival begins on the Thursday before Lent at five in the morning, with a bang on Kapellplatz and the arrival of the Fritschi figure, and from that moment the town belongs to noise. The characteristic sound is Guggenmusik: masked brass bands playing deliberately off-key, dozens of them at once, moving through the lanes and under the arcades along the Reuss. Costumes are elaborate and heavily masked, the processions fill the medieval centre twice over the long weekend, and the whole thing stops on Ash Wednesday. It is louder, wetter and far less disciplined than the Basel carnival that begins the following week, and locals will tell you the two are not comparable.

What you actually see

• The five o'clock opening - the bang on Kapellplatz that starts the Thursday.
• Guggenmusik - masked brass bands playing off-key through the old town lanes.
• The processions - Thursday and Monday, filling both banks of the Reuss.
• The setting - painted facades, covered bridges and arcades packed with costume.

When to go

The dates follow Easter and land in February or early March. Arrive the night before if you want the opening at five on Thursday morning. Rooms in the old town sell out and prices climb steeply. Weekdays after the opening are calmer than the weekend, and afternoons are easier to move around in than evenings.

Honest expectations

Dozens of brass bands playing at once at close range in stone lanes is genuinely painful for some people, so take ear protection seriously. The centre becomes impassable during processions, drinking is heavy and public, and the streets afterwards are a mess. Cold rain is likely. Anyone hoping for a quiet weekend in Lucerne should check the dates and avoid them.

Nearby

The Chapel Bridge, the lake front and the old town squares are all inside the carnival area.