Switzerland welcomes 2025 with fireworks and ice plunges

Participants at the traditional New Year swimming event in Geneva on January 1, 2025. Keystone-SDA

Fireworks lit up the skies in Switzerland to celebrate New Year's Eve. Some people welcomed the new year by plunging into lakes in freezing temperatures.

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Thousands of people attended the fireworks display on the shores of Lake Geneva and Lake Zurich, despite thick fog. In many parts of the country, New Year’s Eve was celebrated in bitterly cold weather.

As every year, a traditional fireworks display took place on the Quai Gustave-Ador in Geneva. Concerts, bars and food trucks also contributed to the festivities.

Meanwhile, Lausanne’s Christmas market hosted a silent party, with party-goers dancing to music in headphones. And in Biel, it was possible to skate late into the night.

Other special events were organised in French-speaking Switzerland such as a circus and lake cruises.

Icy dip

In canton Bern, the residents of Laupen celebrated the “Achetringele” custom for the 101st time, chasing away evil spirits with bells, juniper brooms, pig bladders and scary masks to welcome in the new year.

In Moosseedorf-Schönbühl, also in canton Bern, dozens of people plunged into the cold waters of the Moossee lake for the New Year’s Eve swim. This tradition has been repeated every December 31 at midday since 1999.

Police and firefighters were also called out last night. In Zufikon in canton Aargau, a Lamborghini caught fire in an underground garage, causing heavy smoke and damage to over 75 cars. Over 100 firefighters had to intervene for several hours.

Adapted from French by DeepL/sb

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