Candle dipping in Zurich: age decides, not the journey
✓ Checked at the source · as of 21 October 2026 · 2 dates still open
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.
📅 Dates 2026 — when and where
Kerzenziehen im Kerzenwerk (Exagon)
✓from 4 November 2026 · end not published
- 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 calendar with a «candle cloakroom»: unfinished candles are hung up and completed on another day.
Source: kerzenwerk.ch · checked on 8 September 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Hottingen
✓Wednesday, 11 November 2026 – Sunday, 22 November 2026 · 12 days
- Organiser
- Verein Quartierleben Hottingen mit dem GZ Hottingen und dem Gesundheitszentrum für das Alter Klus Park
Source: kerzenziehen-hottingen.ch · checked on 19 October 2026
Kerzenziehen im Jugendraum Guthirt
✓Friday, 13 November 2026 – Sunday, 15 November 2026 · 3 days
- Organiser
- Pfarrei Guthirt Zürich
Three days, one weekend, and the wax pot is cold again: together with Bülach the shortest multi-day dipping window in the calendar. Shorter still is only the single evening in Pfäffikon SZ. The sales proceeds go to local charitable institutions.
Source: guthirt.ch · checked on 8 September 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Bachwiesen
✓Sunday, 15 November 2026 – Sunday, 13 December 2026 · 29 days
- Organiser
- GZ Bachwiesen, Atelier
A published capacity limit: 50 people at a time — Winterthur-Veltheim states 30. Anyone coming on a Sunday afternoon may, the organiser says, have to wait.
Source: gz-zh.ch · checked on 8 September 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Loogarten
✓Sunday, 15 November 2026 – Sunday, 13 December 2026 · open 25 of 29 days
- Organiser
- GZ Loogarten
Source: gz-zh.ch · checked on 5 October 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Leimbach
✓Tuesday, 17 November 2026 – Thursday, 3 December 2026 · open 15 of 17 days
- Organiser
- GZ Leimbach
Source: gz-zh.ch · checked on 19 October 2026
Schigu Kerzenziehen in der Lettenkirche
✓Wednesday, 18 November 2026 – Sunday, 29 November 2026 · 12 days
- 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 calendar with a musical programme.
Source: gz-zh.ch · checked on 8 September 2026
Oerliker Kerzenziehen
✓Saturday, 21 November 2026 – Sunday, 6 December 2026 · 16 days
- Organiser
- GZ Oerlikon in Kooperation mit der Reformierten Kirche Zürich Kirchenkreis zwölf und der Katholischen Kirchgemeinde Herz-Jesu
Source: gz-zh.ch · checked on 8 September 2026
Kerzenziehen im Kirchgemeindezentrum St. Franziskus
✓Saturday, 21 November 2026 – Saturday, 12 December 2026 · open 13 of 22 days
- 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.
Source: gz-zh.ch · checked on 19 October 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Heuried
✓Wednesday, 2 December 2026 – Thursday, 17 December 2026 · 16 days
- Organiser
- GZ Heuried
The only place in the calendar with three adults-only evenings — and one of the few that offer public dipping only through ONLINE-reserved slots, here one hour each, with a published no-show rule: after 15 minutes the place goes to the next person.
Source: gz-zh.ch · checked on 8 September 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Affoltern
✓Wednesday, 2 December 2026 – Wednesday, 16 December 2026 · open 9 of 15 days
- Organiser
- GZ Affoltern
Source: gz-zh.ch · checked on 5 October 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Riesbach
date still opennot published yet
- Organiser
- GZ Riesbach
Source: gz-zh.ch · checked on 21 October 2026
Kerzenziehen im GZ Witikon
date still opennot published yet
- Organiser
- GZ Witikon
Source: gz-zh.ch · checked on 21 October 2026
🕐 Opening hours 2026
Usually open until 22:00 – no other event in the whole calendar closes later.
Mon–Fri 13:30–17:30 · Sat and Sun 10:00–17:30
Fri 13.11 18:00–22:00 · Sat 14.11 14:00–21:00 · Sun 15.11 13:00–18:00
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)
Tuesday and Thursday 14:00–17:30 and 19:00–21:00 · Wednesday 14:00–17:00 · Friday 14:00–17:30 · Saturday and Sunday 14:00–16:30 · closed on Monday
Tue–Fri 14:00–17:30 · Sat 10:00–16:00 · Sun 13:00–17:00 · closed Mondays · additionally Fri 27 Nov 18:00–20:00 (Open Friday) and Wed 2 Dec 18:00–21:00 (18+)
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)
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)
On all published days 14:00–17:30 (Wednesday to Sunday, with gaps — see the notes)
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)
Wednesday 14:00–17:00 and 18:30–21:30 · Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 14:00–17:00
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.
- ZurichKerzenziehen im Kerzenwerk (Exagon) · Kerzenziehen im GZ Hottingen · Kerzenziehen im Jugendraum Guthirt · Kerzenziehen im GZ Bachwiesen · Kerzenziehen im GZ Loogarten · Kerzenziehen im GZ Leimbach · Schigu Kerzenziehen in der Lettenkirche · Oerliker Kerzenziehen · Kerzenziehen im Kirchgemeindezentrum St. Franziskus · Kerzenziehen im GZ Heuried · Kerzenziehen im GZ Affoltern · Kerzenziehen im GZ Riesbach · Kerzenziehen im GZ Witikon
- KlotenZH
🗓️ Open today?
10 days fall on a Saturday or Sunday – enter your day and the check tells you what is open.
📅 Visit-Day Check by ConvivaPlus
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.
Calculated from the ConvivaPlus dataset — every date with its own source above.
🚋 Transport & access
7 of the 13 venues are less than 300 metres from a stop, as the crow flies.
- Meeting point
- Exagon AG, Räffelstrasse 10, 8045 Zürich
- Nearest stop
- Zürich, Räffelstrasse (BUS) — 40 m as the crow flies
- Meeting point
- Zelt im Klus Park, Asylstrasse 130, 8032 Zürich
- Meeting point
- Jugendraum unter der Kirche Guthirt, Guthirtstrasse 3–7, 8037 Zürich
- Nearest stop
- Zürich, Rosengartenstrasse (BUS) — 153 m as the crow flies
- Meeting point
- GZ Bachwiesen, Werkräume/Atelier, Bachwiesenstrasse 40, 8047 Zürich
- Nearest stop
- Zürich, Untermoosstrasse (BUS) — 204 m as the crow flies
- Meeting point
- GZ Leimbach, Kursraum, Leimbachstrasse 200, 8041 Zürich
- Meeting point
- Lettenkirche, Imfeldstrasse 51, 8037 Zürich
- Nearest stop
- Zürich, Lettenstrasse (BUS) — 163 m as the crow flies
- Meeting point
- Kirchgemeindezentrum St. Franziskus, Kilchbergstrasse 1 (Eingang Albisstrasse), Foyer, 8038 Zürich
- Nearest stop
- Zürich, Morgental (BUS · TRAM) — 158 m as the crow flies
- Meeting point
- GZ Heuried, Werkatelier, Döltschiweg 130, 8055 Zürich
- Nearest stop
- Zürich, Schaufelbergerstrasse (BUS · TRAM) — 229 m as the crow flies
- Meeting point
- GZ Affoltern, Bodenacker 25, 8046 Zürich
- Nearest stop
- Zürich, Unteraffoltern (BUS) — 64 m as the crow flies
Coordinates © swisstopo · Stops: opentransportdata.swiss (FOT)
📋 Good to know before you go
Wax from CHF 3.20 per 100 grams – only 2 events in the calendar are cheaper in 2026.
- 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.
- The dipping takes place in the tent in Klus Park, on the grounds of the health centre for older people — not in the community centre itself. Free entry; you pay for the weight of the finished candle.
- Children from age 4, only under adult supervision. School classes and groups reserve slots (8:00–12:00 and 13:30–15:30).
- Food and drink
- Gemütliches Kafistübli — auch für Leute, die nur einen Halt einschalten wollen.
- The event is organised by volunteers.
- The parish publishes exactly these three dates; no further days are announced for 2026.
- 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.
- Priced by weight: coloured wax CHF 4.–, beeswax CHF 5.– per 100 g; a CHF 5.– deposit (cash only) is due when you collect the wick and is deducted at the till. No booking, room for 50 people — expect waits. Children under 4 are not admitted, under 7 only accompanied.
- Mind the spelling: the centre is called «Loogarten», not «Loorgarten» — with the wrong spelling you find neither the house nor the offering.
- Priced by weight: paraffin CHF 4.00, beeswax CHF 6.00 per 100 g.
- Mornings are reserved for schools; afternoons and weekends are open to the public without registration. On Thursdays step stools are available for toddlers. Pre-school children only with an accompanying adult.
- On 4 and 5 December the centre also offers candle pouring — with registration, separate from the public dipping.
- Food and drink
- Selbstbedienungskafi mit Getränken und Knabbereien.
- Suitable for children from age 4 — the lowest published age limit in the Zurich calendar.
- 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.
- 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.
- Food and drink
- Getränke und Kuchen aus dem Bistro.
- The centre has changed its calendar: as of 19.10.2026 the daily calendar lists 13 opening days from 21 November to 12 December (previously 18 from 14 November), 14:00–17:30 each. Among other days it is closed from 27 November to 1 December; on 28 and 29 November you can dip candles at the Wollishofen Christmas market instead.
- Besides paraffin in all colours, beeswax is available too.
- No KulturLegi discount on material costs.
- 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.
- Priced by weight: coloured candles CHF 3.50, beeswax CHF 5.00 per 100 g, cash or Twint. No booking; when busy the centre hands out numbers and you wait in the Kafi-Treff. Schools and after-school clubs are invited separately, groups book «Kerzenziehen exklusiv» (3 to 15 December).
- As of 05.10.2026 the centre is recruiting volunteers for «Kerzenziehen 2026» and outlines the frame: November and December, Wednesday to Saturday (morning), open to the public afternoons and evenings, school classes on weekday mornings. No first or last day published — date open.
- As of 05.10.2026 still no published candle-dipping offering for 2026 on the community centre's page. Date open.
✨ Highlights on site
What sets this candle-dipping session apart is not in its run dates.
On a map, Zurich's candle-dipping landscape looks uniform: a dozen dots across the city, all in November and December, all involving wax.
Most Zurich sessions charge per 100 grams: from CHF 3.20 for coloured candles at the GZ Heuried up to CHF 6.– for beeswax at the GZ Leimbach. 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.
A run in this city is not a promise. The session at the St. Franziskus parish centre in Wollishofen stretches over three 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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🗺️ Nearby sessions
The city is not the canton: the whole canton of Zurich has 24 sessions, more than any other canton in the calendar. 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 – as late as the one other evening, at the Guthirt youth room in Zurich-Wipkingen, and the only place to offer it twice.
Zurich's two heavyweights sit outside this list: the Zürcher Kerzenziehen on Hechtplatz is the only Zurich session open every day of the week until 8pm, and until 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays; the session on the Uetliberg is the only one in this calendar running into the new year. Nationally the densest day of the season is 2 December 2026, with 28 sessions running at once.
More candle dipping in the canton of Zurich
All of the canton of Zurich →❓ FAQ — answered
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.
Only on the Uetliberg. The session at the UTO KULM is the only one in the calendar in Switzerland that runs past New Year.
The ConvivaPlus verdict
The city of Zurich does not have a supply problem, it has a sorting problem: 15 offerings – 13 of them on this page – is more than any other Swiss municipality, but they differ in exactly the criteria no map shows.
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.
When we last checked: Community centres update their listings through the autumn. We read each one individually and rechecked the open ones on 21 October 2026; 2 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 its source for the ConvivaPlus calendar — this ConvivaPlus verdikt rests on nothing else.
Check the latest: ConvivaPlus candle-dipping dataset 2026 – Zurich →
🗓️ At the same time in the canton of Zurich
- 🏊 Winter swimming in the canton of Zurichfrom Fri 9 Oct
- 🚂 Festive rides in the canton of ZurichSun 1 Nov – Sun 28 Feb
- ✨ Light trails in the canton of Zurichfrom Thu 5 Nov
- 🏮 Turnip lanterns in the canton of ZurichThu 5 Nov · Fri 6 Nov · Sat 7 Nov · Sat 14 Nov
- 🛍️ Sunday shopping in the canton of ZurichSun 15 Nov – Sun 27 Dec
- ✨ Christmas markets in the canton of ZurichWed 18 Nov – Thu 24 Dec
- 🎅 St Nicholas in the canton of ZurichSun 29 Nov
How we check
According to the ConvivaPlus calendar, 4 of the 52 confirmed events this season start earlier than this one and 47 later.
Every date comes from the organiser's, the municipality's or the canton's own site — never from an aggregator, never copied over from last year. Next to each source is the date we last read it.
Anything not yet published stays open — we don't guess.
Something missing or changed? A note below is enough; we check it at the source.
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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.
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🕯️ Candle dipping · 19 October 2026