Stäfa candle dipping: after two years in a tent, back in the Goethekeller
✓ Checked at the source · as of 5 October 2026
For two winters Stäfa dipped its candles in a tent on the Kirchbühl. In 2026 the workshop moves back into the Goethekeller — «with much more space», an extra Wednesday afternoon and a Thursday evening. It is still run by both churches: in Swiss comparison, that is precisely the exception.
📅 Dates 2026 — when and where
Open on 10 of the 12 calendar days – in between, the door stays shut.
Stäfner Kerzenziehen im Goethekeller
✓Wednesday, 2 December 2026 – Sunday, 13 December 2026 · open 10 of 12 days
- Organiser
- Reformierte Kirchgemeinde Stäfa-Hombrechtikon zusammen mit der römisch-katholischen Pfarrei St. Verena
Source: pfarreistaefa.ch · checked on 5 October 2026
🕐 Opening hours 2026
Usually open until 20:00 – most events in the calendar close earlier.
Wednesday 14:00–20:00 · Thursday 16:00–20:00 · Friday 14:00–21:00 · Saturday 11:00–21:00 · Sunday 11:00–17:00 · Monday and Tuesday for groups only
🗓️ Open today?
4 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
- Meeting point
- Goethekeller, Goethestrasse 6, 8712 Stäfa
📋 Good to know before you go
- New venue in 2026: after two years in a tent on Kirchbühl, the Stäfa candle dipping moves back to the Goethekeller (Goethestrasse 6) — «with much more space», plus an extra Wednesday afternoon and a Thursday evening. There is no parking at the Goethekeller; paid public parking nearby. Proceeds go to selected social projects.
✨ Highlights on site
What sets this candle-dipping session apart is not in its run dates.
What makes Stäfa special remains: Reformed and Catholics run the event together. We counted — of the 58 candle-dipping events recorded in Switzerland, 5 have an interdenominational organiser. Anyone who thinks ecumenical events are the norm is off by an order of magnitude.
What draws you to the Stäfa candle dipping?
One click – anonymous, no sign-up required.
🎯 Practical tips for your visit
In Stäfa the venue changed in 2026 — and the hours with it.
- 1Monday and Tuesday for groups onlyOn these two days the cellar is reserved for groups, which register with the organisers. Open to the public Wednesday to Sunday.
📊 Season comparison with nearby places
None of the 3 neighbours in the chart ends later.
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.
🗺️ Nearby sessions
Stäfa is among the canton's late starts; the best-known alternatives in the city of Zurich open earlier — on Hechtplatz and, until after New Year, on the Uetliberg. The canton of Zurich has 24 candle-dipping events — the densest region in Switzerland.
Nationwide 52 of 58 entries have a verified date. The busiest day of the season is 2 December 2026 with 28 events 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
In the city of Zurich: on Hechtplatz from mid-November and on the Uetliberg at UTO KULM — both with published runs.
5 of 58 events in the calendar.
In Thalwil, also on Lake Zurich: the event is biennial and is not held in 2026 because the parish hall is being renovated.
The ConvivaPlus verdict
For families on the right bank of Lake Zurich this is the village's event — and one of the few where the question of denomination never even comes up. In the Goethekeller it is dry and roomy in 2026, open five days a week, Saturdays into the evening.
If you want to dip in November, Stäfa is too early for you: the cellar only opens in December. Plannable November alternatives within reach: Zurich Hechtplatz and the Uetliberg.
When we last checked: Run, venue, opening hours, group rule, parking note and proceeds come from the St. Verena parish page (pfarreistaefa.ch, reachable via staefner-kerzenziehen.ch), source read on 5 October 2026. The number of interdenominational events is counted in the dataset.
Check the latest: ConvivaPlus candle-dipping dataset 2026 – Stäfa →
- ◆Two organisers, two channels: information can appear on the Reformed or the Catholic side first. This time the new date appeared first at the St. Verena parish.
🗓️ 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, 42 of the 52 confirmed events this season start earlier than this one and 4 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.
Something missing or changed? A note below is enough; we check it at the source.
ConvivaPlus Editor · Family & Day Trips
Writes about day trips, family and local life – honestly assessing what's worth it.
- Day trips
- Family
- Local
- Cities & regions
All information without guarantee. Found an error? → support@conviva-plus.ch
Stäfa dips its candles ecumenically — the Reformed and Catholic parishes run the event together.
Found an error or have feedback? Let us know or write to us directly.
🕯️ Candle dipping · 5 October 2026