Candle dipping in Zurich: age decides, not the journey
Anyone wanting to dip candles in Zurich usually looks for the nearest spot. That is the wrong first filter. Across this city's neighbourhood sessions, age limits run from four years to adults-only, prices are quoted sometimes by the gram and sometimes by the hour, and closure days fall in the middle of a run. Look only at the map and you end up with a three-year-old in front of a wax pot they are not allowed to touch.
📅 Run, opening hours and what the organiser actually published
Kerzenziehen im Kerzenwerk (Exagon)
confirmedfrom 4 November 2026 · end not published
- Meeting point
- Exagon AG, Räffelstrasse 10, 8045 Zürich
- Organiser
- Exagon AG / Kerzenwerk
The earliest opening day in the city of Zurich — the first wax pot here is warm ten days before the Zurich candle dipping on Hechtplatz. (In the canton, Winterthur-Veltheim opens two days earlier.) And it is the only place in the survey with a «candle cloakroom»: unfinished candles are hung up and completed on another day.
- ⛔ For 2026 the organiser publishes only the opening day («The next candle dipping will be open again from 4 November 2026») — NO end date and no daily opening hours. We do not write down an ending that is stated nowhere.
- Published prices: coloured candles CHF 3.80/100 g, beeswax CHF 4.80/100 g, white blanks for over-dipping CHF 4.00/100 g. Wick CHF 1.50 (deducted again from the finished candle, except for multi-wick candles).
- Minimum price CHF 3.00 per candle.
- The self-service café Franzl in the gallery serves home-made specialities.
Source: To the organiser's page · checked on 8 September 2026
Kerzenziehen im Jugendraum Guthirt
confirmedFriday, 13 November 2026 – Sunday, 15 November 2026 · 3 days
- Opening hours
- Fri 13.11 18:00–22:00 · Sat 14.11 14:00–21:00 · Sun 15.11 13:00–18:00
- Meeting point
- Jugendraum unter der Kirche Guthirt, Guthirtstrasse 3–7, 8037 Zürich
- Food and drink
- Gemütliches Kafistübli — auch für Leute, die nur einen Halt einschalten wollen.
- Organiser
- Pfarrei Guthirt Zürich
One of the two shortest fully published candle-dipping events in the survey: three days, one weekend, and the wax pot is cold again — as short as Bülach, which is tied to its Christmas market. The sales proceeds go to local charitable institutions.
- The event is organised by volunteers.
- The parish publishes exactly these three dates; no further days are announced for 2026.
Source: To the organiser's page · checked on 8 September 2026
Kerzenziehen im Kirchgemeindezentrum St. Franziskus
confirmedSaturday, 14 November 2026 – Saturday, 12 December 2026 · 29 days
- Opening hours
- On all published days 14:00–17:30 (Wednesday to Sunday, with gaps — see the notes)
- Meeting point
- Kirchgemeindezentrum St. Franziskus, Kilchbergstrasse 1 (Eingang Albisstrasse), Foyer, 8038 Zürich
- Food and drink
- Getränke und Kuchen aus dem Bistro.
- Organiser
- GZ Wollishofen in Kooperation mit der Kirche St. Franziskus
In 2026 it moves for the first time into the foyer of the St. Franziskus parish centre — anyone with the old address in mind ends up in the wrong place.
- ⛔ CLOSED DAYS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PERIOD: the published daily calendar lists 18 opening days between 14 November and 12 December. Closed are, among others, 27–29 November as well as 30 November to 1 December. On 28 and 29 November you can dip candles at the Wollishofen Christmas market instead.
- ⚠️ The community centre's running text says «from 21.11 to 13.12» — but the published daily calendar starts on 14 November and ends on 12 December. We follow the calendar and flag the contradiction.
- Besides paraffin in all colours, beeswax is available too.
- No KulturLegi discount on material costs.
Source: To the organiser's page · checked on 8 September 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Bachwiesen
confirmedSunday, 15 November 2026 – Sunday, 13 December 2026 · 29 days
- Opening hours
- Tue 19:00–21:30 · Wed–Fri 14:00–17:15 and 19:00–21:30 · Sat 14:00–16:30 · Sun 12:00–15:30 (closed Mondays)
- Meeting point
- GZ Bachwiesen, Werkräume/Atelier, Bachwiesenstrasse 40, 8047 Zürich
- Organiser
- GZ Bachwiesen, Atelier
The only place in the survey with a published capacity limit: 50 people at a time. Anyone coming on a Sunday afternoon may, the organiser says, have to wait.
- ⛔ For safety reasons, children under 5 are NOT admitted to candle dipping; children under 7 only with an adult. For the youngest there is instead the «candle workshop for minis» on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 December 2026, 09:00–11:30.
- Prices: paraffin CHF 4.–/100 g, beeswax CHF 5.–/100 g.
- No registration needed; large groups and after-school clubs are asked to register. Bring your own carrier bags.
- ⚠️ Caveat about the final day: the community centre's date list is capped at 25 entries and visibly ends on 4 December 2026. Its running text names «Sun 13 Dec.» as the end — with a leftover year «25», while all the weekdays fit 2026. We list 13 December as the final day and recommend checking with the centre about the last week.
Source: To the organiser's page · checked on 8 September 2026
Schigu Kerzenziehen in der Lettenkirche
confirmedWednesday, 18 November 2026 – Sunday, 29 November 2026 · 12 days
- Opening hours
- Wed and Fri 14:00–17:30 · Thu 16:00–19:00 · Sat and Sun 13:00–17:00 · additionally Fri 27.11 19:00–21:00 (adults)
- Meeting point
- Lettenkirche, Imfeldstrasse 51, 8037 Zürich
- Food and drink
- Selbstbedienungskafi mit Getränken und Knabbereien.
- Organiser
- GZ Schindlergut in Kooperation mit der reformierten Kirche Kirchenkreis 6
On Friday 27 November from 19:00 to 21:00, adults dip candles with a glass of sparkling wine and live music — the only candle-dipping evening in the survey with a musical programme.
- Suitable for children from age 4 — the lowest published age limit in the Zurich survey.
- Price: by weight, at least CHF 4.00 per candle.
- No registration needed (applies to the public dipping only); the remaining time slots are reserved for school classes.
- The candle dipping does not take place in the community centre itself, but in the Lettenkirche.
Source: To the organiser's page · checked on 8 September 2026
Oerliker Kerzenziehen
confirmedSaturday, 21 November 2026 – Sunday, 6 December 2026 · 16 days
- Opening hours
- Sat/Sun 12:00–18:00 · Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 16:00–18:00 · Wed 13:30–18:00 (published daily calendar, 16 opening days)
- Meeting point
- GZ Oerlikon, Aktionsraum EG
- Organiser
- GZ Oerlikon in Kooperation mit der Reformierten Kirche Zürich Kirchenkreis zwölf und der Katholischen Kirchgemeinde Herz-Jesu
A coloured children's candle costs «around 5 francs» here for an hour of dipping — the community centre charges by time, not by weight.
- Monday to Friday 08:00–12:00 as well as Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 14:00–15:30 are reserved for school classes and, according to the organiser, already fully booked.
- The registration list for school classes goes online on Tuesday 20 October at 12:30.
- Groups are asked to register in advance.
Source: To the organiser's page · checked on 8 September 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Heuried
confirmedWednesday, 2 December 2026 – Thursday, 17 December 2026 · 16 days
- Opening hours
- Wed, Sat, Sun 13:30–17:30 · Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 14:00–17:00 · additionally Thu 3./10./17.12 18:30–21:30 (adults only)
- Meeting point
- GZ Heuried, Werkatelier, Döltschiweg 130, 8055 Zürich
- Organiser
- GZ Heuried
The only place in the survey with three adults-only evenings — and the only one that switched to time-slot booking in 2026: a one-hour slot, reserved online, given to the next person after 15 minutes of no-show.
- Prices: coloured candles CHF 3.20 per 100 g, beeswax CHF 4.80 per 100 g, plus CHF 1.00 per wick.
- According to the community centre, the booking windows for the afternoons only open from mid-November.
- On days without fully booked slots, signing up on the spot is also possible — with no guarantee of a place.
- Mornings from 09:00 to 11:30 are reserved exclusively for school classes and larger groups.
- The event only starts on 2 December — the last new start of the Zurich season, and in return it runs furthest into December.
Source: To the organiser's page · checked on 8 September 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Affoltern
date still opennot published yet
- Meeting point
- GZ Affoltern, Bodenacker 25, 8046 Zürich
- Organiser
- GZ Affoltern
- ⛔ As of 08.09.2026 the Affoltern community centre has not yet published a candle-dipping offering for 2026 (no entry in its activity overview). The event has been part of the house's Advent programme for years — we therefore list it as «date still open» and advise against assuming last year's.
Source: To the organiser's page · checked on 8 September 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Leimbach
date still opennot published yet
- Meeting point
- GZ Leimbach, 8041 Zürich
- Organiser
- GZ Leimbach
- ⛔ As of 08.09.2026 no published candle-dipping offering for 2026 in the community centre's activity overview. Date open.
Source: To the organiser's page · checked on 8 September 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Loogarten
date still opennot published yet
- Meeting point
- GZ Loogarten, 8048 Zürich
- Organiser
- GZ Loogarten
- ⛔ As of 08.09.2026 no published candle-dipping offering for 2026 in the community centre's activity overview. Date open.
- Mind the spelling: the centre is called «Loogarten», not «Loorgarten» — with the wrong spelling you find neither the house nor the offering.
Source: To the organiser's page · checked on 8 September 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Riesbach
date still opennot published yet
- Meeting point
- GZ Riesbach, 8008 Zürich
- Organiser
- GZ Riesbach
- ⛔ As of 08.09.2026 no published candle-dipping offering for 2026 in the community centre's activity overview. Date open.
Source: To the organiser's page · checked on 8 September 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Witikon
date still opennot published yet
- Meeting point
- GZ Witikon, 8053 Zürich
- Organiser
- GZ Witikon
- ⛔ As of 08.09.2026 no published candle-dipping offering for 2026 in the community centre's activity overview. Date open.
Source: To the organiser's page · checked on 8 September 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Hottingen
date still opennot published yet
- Meeting point
- GZ Hottingen, 8032 Zürich
- Organiser
- GZ Hottingen
- ⛔ As of 08.09.2026 no published candle-dipping offering for 2026 in the community centre's activity overview. Date open.
Source: To the organiser's page · checked on 8 September 2026
📅 Visit-day check
Pick the day you are free — the answer comes from the verified ConvivaPlus dataset, not from a run you have to work out in your head.
| Session | Run | Opening hours | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerzenziehen im Kerzenwerk (Exagon) | from Wed 4 Novend not published | — | confirmed |
| Kerzenziehen im Jugendraum Guthirt | Fri 13 Nov – Sun 15 Nov3 days | Fri 13.11 18:00–22:00 · Sat 14.11 14:00–21:00 · Sun 15.11 13:00–18:00 | confirmed |
| Kerzenziehen im Kirchgemeindezentrum St. Franziskus | Sat 14 Nov – Sat 12 Dec29 days | On all published days 14:00–17:30 (Wednesday to Sunday, with gaps — see the notes) | confirmed |
| Kerzenziehen im GZ Bachwiesen | Sun 15 Nov – Sun 13 Dec29 days | Tue 19:00–21:30 · Wed–Fri 14:00–17:15 and 19:00–21:30 · Sat 14:00–16:30 · Sun 12:00–15:30 (closed Mondays) | confirmed |
| Schigu Kerzenziehen in der Lettenkirche | Wed 18 Nov – Sun 29 Nov12 days | Wed and Fri 14:00–17:30 · Thu 16:00–19:00 · Sat and Sun 13:00–17:00 · additionally Fri 27.11 19:00–21:00 (adults) | confirmed |
| Oerliker Kerzenziehen | Sat 21 Nov – Sun 6 Dec16 days | Sat/Sun 12:00–18:00 · Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 16:00–18:00 · Wed 13:30–18:00 (published daily calendar, 16 opening days) | confirmed |
| Kerzenziehen im GZ Heuried | Wed 2 Dec – Thu 17 Dec16 days | Wed, Sat, Sun 13:30–17:30 · Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 14:00–17:00 · additionally Thu 3./10./17.12 18:30–21:30 (adults only) | confirmed |
Calculated from the ConvivaPlus dataset — every row with its own source above.
Each bar is a documented run. Dark = this session, pale = the nearest ones. Read a single date and you miss that the neighbouring village has already packed up when the wax here is only just warming.
- ZürichKerzenziehen im Kerzenwerk (Exagon) · Kerzenziehen im Jugendraum Guthirt · Kerzenziehen im Kirchgemeindezentrum St. Franziskus · Kerzenziehen im GZ Bachwiesen · Schigu Kerzenziehen in der Lettenkirche · Oerliker Kerzenziehen · Kerzenziehen im GZ Heuried · Kerzenziehen im GZ Affoltern · Kerzenziehen im GZ Leimbach · Kerzenziehen im GZ Loogarten · Kerzenziehen im GZ Riesbach · Kerzenziehen im GZ Witikon · Kerzenziehen im GZ Hottingen
- GossauZH
🔎 What sets this candle-dipping session apart
On a map, Zurich's candle-dipping landscape looks uniform: a dozen dots across the city, all in November and December, all involving wax. The difference lies elsewhere – in the age of the children. The GZ Schindlergut, in the Lettenkirche, takes children from four years old, the lowest published limit in the city. At the GZ Bachwiesen, children under five are not admitted at all for safety reasons, and under-sevens only with an adult – for the little ones the centre instead runs a «candle workshop for minis» on two December mornings. These two houses are twenty tram minutes apart and are, in practice, two different offerings.
The second difference is the price – not the amount but the unit. Most Zurich sessions charge per 100 grams: from CHF 3.20 for coloured candles at the GZ Heuried up to CHF 5.– for beeswax at the GZ Bachwiesen. The GZ Oerlikon charges by time instead: a coloured children's candle costs «about 5 francs» there for an hour of dipping. The Lettenkirche applies a minimum price per candle, the Heuried adds CHF 1.– per wick, and the Kerzenwerk in the Binz deducts the wick from the finished candle. Comparing prices means first aligning the units – something no centre's listing does for you.
And the third: a run in this city is not a promise. The session at the St. Franziskus parish centre in Wollishofen stretches over four weeks but has closure days in the middle – including several consecutive days at the end of November. On two of them you can dip at the neighbourhood Christmas market instead. The same page quotes one period in its prose and another in its published day calendar; we follow the calendar and flag the contradiction rather than smoothing it over.
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🎯 How to plan the visit without arriving at a cold wax pot
In Zurich the nearest spot is rarely the right one. Four questions come before the tram question even arises.
- 1Age first, address secondFrom four at the Lettenkirche, under-fives not admitted at the GZ Bachwiesen, adults-only evenings at the GZ Heuried and the Lettenkirche. With a toddler, this city offers not a dozen options but a handful.
- 2Closure days live in the day calendar, not in the runSeveral sessions stretch over weeks and are still shut on individual days. The entries above reproduce the published day calendar – the gaps are visible there, but rarely in a centre's promotional text.
- 3Adults have their own windows – but very fewThe GZ Heuried runs three adults-only evenings in December, the Lettenkirche a single Friday evening with a glass of fizz and live music. Both are tied to fixed dates. Anyone wanting to dip without children plans around those evenings, not around a neighbourhood.
- 46 of the 13 offerings still have no 2026 dateSeveral community centres had published nothing as of 8 September 2026. We list them as «date open» rather than copying last year – a carried-over date is precisely why families end up outside dark buildings.
🗺️ Where this session sits in the season
The city is not the canton: across the whole canton of Zurich the dataset records 24 sessions, more than any other canton in the survey. Anyone who cannot find a suitable window in the city often finds one a single train stop away – in Uster they dip until 10pm on two Fridays – the latest hour in the survey, and the only place to offer it twice.
Zurich's two heavyweights sit outside this list: the Zürcher Kerzenziehen on Hechtplatz is open daily and is therefore the city's only reliable evening option; the session on the Uetliberg is the only one in Switzerland running into the new year. Nationally the densest day of the season is 29 November 2026, with 17 sessions running at once.
Candle dipping nearby
Frequently asked questions about this session
Answers from the verified dataset – no date carried over from last year.
People also ask
Related questions from our magazine
No. It takes place on Hechtplatz. Bürkliplatz was the historic site of Switzerland's first public candle-dipping session in 1969.
Zürcher Kerzenziehen on Hechtplatz →Only on the Uetliberg. The session at the UTO KULM is the only recorded one in Switzerland that runs past New Year.
Candle dipping Uetliberg →The earliest documented session in the survey starts on 2 November 2026, and the earliest in the city of Zurich on 4 November 2026.
To the ConvivaPlus-Kerzenzieh-Kalender →The ConvivaPlus verdict
The city of Zurich does not have a supply problem, it has a sorting problem: 15 offerings is more than any other Swiss municipality, but they differ in exactly the criteria no map shows. Check the age limit and the day calendar before the journey and this city has something for almost every constellation – including an adults' evening.
What the neighbourhood sessions cannot deliver is reliability. They are run by volunteers and centre teams, open on individual afternoons and have gaps. Anyone planning a fixed December evening with no time to double-check is better served on Hechtplatz, which is open daily.
Freshness note: Community centres update their listings through the autumn. We read each one individually on 8 September 2026; 6 had published nothing for 2026. Check with the house before setting off. The basis is the ConvivaPlus-Kerzenzieh-Kalender 2026: every entry was read individually at the organiser for the ConvivaPlus survey — this ConvivaPlus verdikt rests on nothing else.
Check the latest: ConvivaPlus candle-dipping dataset 2026 – Zürich →
- ◆The age limit is the real filter: from four at the Lettenkirche, not at all under five at the GZ Bachwiesen. Two houses in the same city, two different answers to the same family.
- ◆Prices in two currencies: most houses charge per 100 grams, the GZ Oerlikon by the hour. A comparison without conversion is guaranteed to mislead.
- ◆A run is not operation: in Wollishofen several closure days fall mid-run – on two of them, dipping moves to the neighbourhood Christmas market instead.
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In Zurich two candle-dipping sessions sit twenty tram minutes apart – and one takes children from four while the other turns away every under-five on safety grounds. Here the year of birth matters more than the distance.
Discussion
5 voices from the community
Mir sind mit em Dreijährige is GZ Bachwiese gange und händ am Iigang gläse, dass Chind unter füfi gar nöd döfed zieh. Nöd schlimm, aber es hät niemert öppis gseit, wo mir ane sind. Wenn das irgendwo stoht, denn bitte grad zuvorderscht.
Es steht beim GZ, aber tief in der Angebotsseite. Wir haben die Altersgrenzen darum aus allen Zürcher Angeboten herausgezogen und nebeneinandergestellt – das ist der Unterschied, den keine einzelne GZ-Seite zeigen kann. Für die Kleinen gibt es im Bachwiesen die «Kerzenwerkstatt für Minis» an zwei Vormittagen im Dezember.
Was mich an den GZ-Angeboten immer irritiert: Jedes rechnet anders. Das eine pro 100 Gramm, das andere pro Stunde, das dritte mit Mindestpreis plus Docht. Da vergleichst du Äpfel mit Birnen und weisst am Schluss trotzdem nicht, was ein Abend kostet.
Bei uns im Quartier isch das Kerzeziehe düre Adväntszit s Wichtigste für d Chind. Neu isch es im Foyer vo St. Franziskus – nöd meh dört, wo mir es siit Jahre gsuecht händ. Guet, dass das bi eu staht.
Der Erwachsenen-Abend im Heuried ist ein Geheimtipp. Kein einziges Kind, Musik, und man kann eine Stunde lang einfach eintauchen und nichts denken. Ich hatte nicht erwartet, dass mich Kerzenziehen mit 41 nochmals kriegt.
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🕯️ Candle dipping · 8 September 2026