Start of the carnival in Zug

Schmutzige Donnerstag heralds the start of carnival in Zug. With Guggenmusig, confetti battles and the big parade, it once again had something for everyone.

The ‘Tagwache’ (day's wake-up call) began on the Landsgemeindeplatz at five o'clock in the morning. But the early morning concert by Zug's Guggenmusik bands merely heralded the start of Schmutzige Donnerstag (Dirty Thursday).

Over the course of the morning, concerts took place all over the city. The biggest hotspot was the Metalli shopping centre, where various Guggenmusig performances took place. The sound of the brass instruments could be heard from far away, and the sounds echoed through the entire entrance hall of the shopping centre. Many energetic onlookers had already gathered in the shopping centre by the time the concerts began at nine o'clock.

The members of the Guggenmusigen were often on site before their performance, in order to enjoy the Fassnacht atmosphere together and prepare themselves. The Descampados, also known as the "Scampis", were on fire for their performance. But there were no cold feet. Thanks to the early morning wake-up call, they were all super warmed up, explained the musicians.

The groups performed their music until midday, and their audience always created a great atmosphere. There was laughter and rhythmic clapping along to the music. Even at this hour, some people were already in a good mood and cheered along to cheerful songs. "Maybe we'll feel bad tomorrow if we drink. But we'll be even worse off today if we don't drink," said one passer-by in a cheerful tone.

The Chesslete 2024 attracted many onlookers through Zug's old town  
The Letzibuzäli guild also took part in the big parade. The picture shows witch mother Erika Greber and Zug's carnival performer of the year Alex Odermatt. 
The Descampados await their performance
Only the bravest children did not shy away from the moor demons.                 Photos: Maria Schmid

Face painting for children was offered on the Bundesplatz at ten o'clock,. A long queue quickly formed in front of the make-up tent, but the children never became bored. In addition to balloon animals, soap bubbles and a classic "Haudruuf", the youngsters were also treated to cheerful Guggenmusig music. The children chased each other across the square with cries of joy and were already throwing confetti around, full of anticipation for the parade and the confetti battle in the afternoon.

A blaze of colour at the town parade
The carnival parade started in the early afternoon at the Kolinplatz in the old town of Zug. The spectators had spread out along the streets all the way to the Bundesplatz in eager anticipation of the starting signal, and the parade finally got underway at 2.30 pm. Guggenmusik bands, school classes and clubs marched down Bahnhofstrasse to the sound of music. The participants in the parade were dressed up in a variety of costumes, from scary witches and bushy-tailed Vikings to little rainbow fish. Of course, plenty of confetti was thrown and sweets were handed out. All to the obvious delight of the beaming children in the audience.

The largest crowd of onlookers gathered at the Bundesplatz, where the 25 parade acts were greeted with resounding shouts and applause. With all the magnificent colours and fantastic figures, no one seemed to be bored. The atmosphere was great throughout, even if many of the younger spectators were getting a little exhausted towards the end.

When the parade came to an end at 4 pm, the crowd gathered in the middle of the Bundesplatz for the big confetti battle. The carnival revellers were showered with masses of confetti from above via a crane. After numerous bags of confetti, it was almost impossible to see that there were still people underneath all the shredded paper. The final show and the Dirty Thursday parade lived up to the name of the day.