Schwyz keeps one of the most distinctive carnivals in central Switzerland. The Nüssler figures — the Blätz in a patchwork suit, the Japanesen in white with a painted mask — dance through the streets in a step that belongs to the town alone, to a band playing a fixed repertoire. The masks are wooden and inherited.
No attendance figure is published.
The carnival belongs to the Catholic inner cantons, where Fasnacht is a serious inherited institution rather than a street party, and the guilds that run it regulate participation.
The days move with Lent, so the dates swing by up to five weeks. Schwyz is a small town between Lucerne and the Gotthard, and the carnival is firmly for its own people — visitors watch rather than join.
PlanningEaster-linked: the days before Ash Wednesday move with Lent by up to five weeks.