Chilbi in Switzerland: The Swiss Village Fair Explained

If you spend a late summer or autumn weekend in Switzerland, there’s a good chance you’ll hear music, smell roasted almonds and see a Ferris wheel rising above a sleepy village. That’s a Chilbi, the traditional Swiss village fair, and almost every town and village in German-speaking Switzerland has one.

For Swiss kids, the village fair is one of the highlights of the year: bumper cars, cotton candy, shooting stands and a few francs of pocket money to spend. For adults, it’s the weekend when the whole village meets. In this guide I’ll explain what a Chilbi in Switzerland is, where the tradition comes from, what to expect and what it costs, using the Chilbi in Biberist, a village right next to my hometown Solothurn, as an example.

Quick Facts: Chilbi in Switzerland

• What: Traditional village or town fair with rides, games and food
• Also called: Kilbi, Chilbi, Kirchweih; in French-speaking Switzerland Bénichon or Vogue
• Origin: The yearly celebration of the local church’s consecration
• When: Mostly August to October, usually Friday to Sunday
• Entrance: Free
• Rides: Usually around CHF 4 to 8 per ride
• Payment: Bring cash, card and TWINT are not accepted everywhere

What Is a Chilbi?

It’s a fair that comes to a Swiss village or town once a year, usually for a weekend. Travelling showmen set up their rides on the school grounds, the village square or a big parking lot: bumper cars, carousels, a chain swing, sometimes a Ferris wheel or a spinning thrill ride. Between them you’ll find shooting galleries, claw machines, tombolas, sweet stands and food stalls run by local clubs.

In bigger cities, the same kind of fair is often called a Messe or Mäss and runs for several weeks. In French-speaking Switzerland, the village fair is called a Vogue, and in the canton of Fribourg the autumn harvest festival is the famous Bénichon, known for its huge traditional menu.

Where Does the Word “Chilbi” Come From?

“Chilbi” is the Swiss German short form of Kilchwihe, which means “church consecration”. In standard German it’s called Kirchweih. Originally, it was the yearly celebration of the day the village church was consecrated, often on or around the day of the church’s patron saint.

After the church service, people celebrated with food, drinks, music and dancing, and merchants and entertainers came to sell their goods. Over the centuries, the party part became much more important than the religious part. Today, most visitors have no idea what it originally celebrated, and in Switzerland the word simply means “fair”.

A Short History of the Swiss Chilbi

In the Middle Ages and early modern times, the Kirchweih was one of the most important local festivals of the year, and it often merged with other celebrations like the harvest festival, the return of the cows from the Alps or the shooting festival. If you’re curious about the Alpine tradition, read my guide to the Alpabfahrt in St. Stephan.

The authorities were not always happy about it. The fairs were known for drinking, dancing and fights, and young people loved “Chilbilaufen”, going from one village’s fair to the next all season long. According to the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, in Zurich a mandate from 1538 complained about the excesses, and in 1597 the council finally banned the festival. To stop the endless fair hopping, some regions moved all their church fairs to a single autumn date, starting with Glarus in 1690.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, travelling showmen with steam carousels, swings and shooting stands turned it into the fun fair we know today. In many cantons, including Solothurn, Lucerne, St. Gallen, Thurgau and Fribourg, the tradition is still celebrated in autumn.

What to Expect at a Chilbi

Rides

Every fair has its classics. The most important one is the Putschauto (also written Butschauto), Swiss German for bumper cars. Ask any Swiss person about their childhood and they’ll probably tell you about the bumper cars. Next to it, you’ll usually find a carousel for small kids, a chain swing, a “Rössliriiti” (merry-go-round with horses) and, at bigger fairs, a Ferris wheel and a few thrill rides for teenagers.

Games

Shooting galleries where you can win plastic roses or stuffed animals, hook-a-duck for small kids, claw machines, tombolas with prizes run by the local clubs and the classic “Lotto” stand. Don’t expect to win much, it’s about the fun.

Food and sweets

The smell is unmistakable: roasted almonds, cotton candy and grilled sausages. Typical Chilbi food in Switzerland includes:

• Magenbrot: soft, spiced gingerbread bites glazed with chocolate sugar, the number one Chilbi snack
• Gebrannte Mandeln: roasted, caramelised almonds
• Zuckerwatte: cotton candy
• Lebkuchenherzen: big decorated gingerbread hearts with messages, a classic gift
• Bratwurst or Cervelat: grilled sausage with bread and mustard
• Raclette, chips and fries at the club stands

For more Swiss dishes, see my guide to traditional Swiss food.

The village clubs

What makes a village fair different from a commercial fun fair is the local clubs (Vereine). The music society, the football club, the gymnastics club and the scouts all run their own bars and food stands. Their stands are where the locals meet, and the money they make helps finance the club for the whole year. If you want to experience real Swiss village life, sit down at one of these stands.

Example: The Chilbi Biberist

Biberist is a village of around 8,000 people in the canton of Solothurn, just a few minutes from Solothurn by train or bus. For a long time it was known for its big paper mill, the “Papieri”, which closed in 2011. Every year in September, usually on the second weekend of the month, the village celebrates its fair, and we went this year.

The Chilbi Biberist is a good example of a typical Swiss village fair: not huge, but with everything you need. There were bumper cars, a tall chain swing that you could see from far away, rides for small kids, shooting stands, sweets stands and plenty of food and drinks from the local clubs. On Friday and Saturday evenings it was packed with teenagers and young families, and on Sunday it was more relaxed.

The rubber duck race

The highlight of the Chilbi Biberist is something you won’t find at every fair: the traditional Entenrennen, the rubber duck race, organised by the local music society Harmonie Biberist. You buy a numbered yellow rubber duck, and then hundreds of ducks are released into the stream at the same time. They float, spin and get stuck in the branches, while the crowd cheers them on from the bank. At the finish line, a helper in rubber boots catches the ducks with a net, and the first ducks win prizes.

It sounds silly, and it is, but it’s also wonderfully Swiss: a village tradition, a local club, a bit of competition and a lot of people standing around with a beer waiting for plastic ducks. For the locals, the duck race belongs to the fair just as much as the rides.

Famous Chilbis and Fairs in Switzerland

Every village has its own fair, but some are famous across the country:

If you’re in the Solothurn region, also check out the HESO autumn fair, the Stadtfest Solothurn and my full calendar of events in Solothurn. And at the end of October, don’t miss the Trüelete wine festival in Twann on Lake Biel.

How Much Does a Chilbi Cost?

Entry is always free. What you spend depends on how many rides and snacks you go for. Prices vary from fair to fair, but as a rough guide:

• Rides: around CHF 4 to 8 per ride, often cheaper with a multi-ride ticket
• Sweets: a bag of Magenbrot or roasted almonds costs a few francs
• Food: a sausage with bread or a portion of fries is usually under CHF 10
• Drinks: beer and soft drinks at the club stands are cheaper than in a bar

A family can easily spend CHF 50 to 100 in an afternoon. Bring cash: many small stands don’t take cards, and TWINT only works with a Swiss bank account. For general budget tips, see my Switzerland trip cost guide.

Tips for Visiting a Chilbi in Switzerland

• Bring cash in small notes and coins.
• Go on Saturday afternoon with kids, it’s busy but relaxed. Friday and Saturday nights belong to the teenagers.
• Eat at the club stands. The food is cheaper, homemade and supports the village.
• Check the programme. Many Chilbis have special events like a duck race, a parade or live music.
• Use public transport. Parking is limited, and most villages are well connected. The Swiss Travel Pass covers trains and buses.
• Look for local traditions. Every Chilbi has its own little quirk, like the duck race in Biberist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

A village fair isn’t a big tourist attraction, and that’s exactly why it’s worth visiting. It’s one of the few places where you see a Swiss village fully relaxed: kids screaming in the bumper cars, grandparents eating Magenbrot, teenagers on the chain swing and the whole village standing at the club bars. If you’re in Switzerland between August and October, look up the fair in the nearest village, bring some cash and go. And if you’re near Solothurn in September, the Chilbi Biberist with its rubber duck race is a perfect example of how charming a small Swiss village fair can be.