Article by: AICZ EC member Judith Guyer
The beautiful holiday light display “Lucy,” which spans the entire length (1.4 km) of the Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich during the holiday season, will be switched on today, November 19, 2020!
This lovely tradition, the yearly switching on the holiday lights, traditionally takes place precisely at 18:00 and is a cause for celebration as it kicks off the holiday season. This year, however, due to the current pandemic and in an effort to avoid the usual crowds gathering in the street to watch this magical moment, the City of Zurich has announced that the lighting will take place during the course of the afternoon (probably around 16:00). Granted, the wow-effect might not be the same, but it’s definitely worth a trip into the city to take in the sparkling, starlit “Lucy” over the Bahnhofstrasse. Afterwards, to make it worth your while, the stores in Zurich downtown will remain open for night shopping until 22:00.
A bit of trivia: the City of Zurich began the traditional holiday light display “Weihnachtsbeleuchtung” on the Bahnhofstrasse in 1971. “Lucy” has been lighting up the skies of Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse during the holiday season since 2010. “Lucy” is over one kilometer long, and is made up of 12,000 crystals and twice as many lights.
FYI: Many (most) of the Christmas Markets in Zurich and throughout Switzerland have been cancelled due to Corona. Despair not, here are some Zurich’s Most Exciting Alternatives to the cancelled Christmas Markets: https://www.zuerich.com/en/visit/christmas-in-zurich/christmas-markets
