They claim that they don't have Halloween here, but they do have Carnival. Most of the time is carnival time in Switzerland. Officially it is in February, but just about every month brings an excuse to have a carnival. Here are some examples.
Village Carnivals
Village carnival time (February through March) means each village celebrates carnival time during a selected week (yes, often all week). During this annual carnival everyone dresses up in any bizarre costume and make-up, and parades around. (I think costume shops are a big business here.) Often they have small bands that parade around playing. But I don't mean down a parade route, I mean down any street, and in and out of restaurants and bars. Sometimes there is a formal parade route, in these cases anyone seems welcome to join in (even on the floats or trucks).
Some carnivals also have the standard kid rides. They are all loaded with food booths. The food is not always junk food though like in the US. They always have the standards (bratwurst, chicken, roasted nuts, and candy), and often local specialties which we found very good.
And possibly our biggest find: Glöggwein. We couldn't get enough of this. It is a red wine heated with spices and fruit, and makes an excellent winter drink. We brought a few large bottles back with us.
The Onion Festival
We think the "onion" aspect is just an excuse for a carnival. They did sell just about anything you can make out of an onion (most of which you could not even imaging). We got a small onion clock (just believe me, I don't think it will make it home with us). And there's the confetti game. Everyone has confetti and they throw it in your face.
The Street Parade
The annual Street Parade is very unique. Close to 500,000 people come out and line the parade route along the lake of Zürich. Most of them are dressed and painted in drag (get the picture and I mean decked out) with the highest heels you've ever seen. We played "Name That Gender" that day.
Then these large flatbed trucks came down the parade route carrying as many people that could pile on and a huge concert-grade sound system continuously pounding out music from each truck. Ear plugs and condoms were handed out for free to the spectators (is the picture getting more focused now?).
Natalie had a busy day in the sun during the Street Parade. She was the only person of the 500,000 to actually fall asleep.