SCHÄFERWOCHENENDE

On the first weekend in September, the residents of Naters celebrate the time-honored “Schäful” festival on Belalp. The sheep, which have spent the summer in the inner Aletschji region, are headed back down into the valley. Guests can look forward to a traditional program featuring delicious Valais specialties and plenty of folk music that invites everyone to dance.

Schedule

On Saturday, the shepherds drive the sheep from the Aletschji to the Aletschbord. Once they reach the top, they are warmly welcomed by the numerous guests. Later in the afternoon, the animals are herded to the “Färricha”—these are stone-walled sheep pens. On Sunday, the sheep are sorted so that each farmer can see if all of his sheep have made it back safely.

Date: September 5 and 6, 2026

Program:

Saturday, September 5, 2026

12:00 p.m.: Start of “Schäful” on Belalp with a food stand

12:30 p.m.: Puppet show

Starting at 1:00 p.m.: Shepherding traditions between Aletschbord and the Färricha

2:30 p.m.: Arrival of the sheep at Aletschbord

5:00 p.m.: Award ceremony for the “Flower Sheep” with “Flower Getti” Karl Kummer, Member of the Grand Council

Special shuttle buses from Blatten at 8:50 p.m. / 9:50 p.m.

Special shuttle buses from Belalp at 9:20 p.m. / 10:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 6, 2026

8:00–9:00 a.m.: Meat soup with bread and cheese for everyone at the Färrichlift

9:00 a.m.: Sheep drive (Lüsga)

10:00 a.m.: Mass

Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.