Pauline
Forums Admin
The St Stephan Alpabfahrt (Cow Parade) is set for Saturday 14 September 2024. It is usually the second Saturday in September but they never confirm this until the last minute. It was announced today on instagram.
The event celebrates bringing the cows down from the Alpine meadows, where they have been grazing all summer, to the valley floor for the winter. The farmers also move from their summer farmhouses back to the valley farm.
We’ve attended this event many times and will be there for this one. We planned our trip to arrive a couple of days before. We will be spending 3 weeks in Lenk.
These “descensions” happen all over the alps in Switzerland, France and Italy. The St Stephan event is organized by two families. We’ve seen smaller parades in the weeks after the Cow Parade as other families come down. The cows have fancy head dresses and big bells with the biggest bell designating the best milker.
There will be yodelling too!
The event celebrates bringing the cows down from the Alpine meadows, where they have been grazing all summer, to the valley floor for the winter. The farmers also move from their summer farmhouses back to the valley farm.
We’ve attended this event many times and will be there for this one. We planned our trip to arrive a couple of days before. We will be spending 3 weeks in Lenk.
These “descensions” happen all over the alps in Switzerland, France and Italy. The St Stephan event is organized by two families. We’ve seen smaller parades in the weeks after the Cow Parade as other families come down. The cows have fancy head dresses and big bells with the biggest bell designating the best milker.
There will be yodelling too!