Party ‘Cause the Cows Came Home

In South Germany, Austria, and Switzerland each fall you can attend a fun and festive event; an Alpine cattle drive. This Almabtrieb or Viehscheid takes place in either September or October and is a time-honored German tradition dating back to the Bronze Age¹. Imagine watching cows wearing flowered headdresses, fancy cowbells, and giant wreaths around their necks being escorted by farmers in traditional Bavarian clothing like lederhosen, dirndles, and fedoras strutting their stuff through town. 

Each spring, farmers drive their branded cattle into higher pastures in the Alps, and all spring and summer the cows graze, sleep, and play in the green mountain sides. The Alps not only provide food for the cattle up there, but having the animals “hoof-it” up the Alps helps to reduce mountain erosion as well. As soon as the weather begins to get colder and the leaves change color, the farmers and their towns prepare to bring the cattle home with a bang.

Towns and regions celebrate the homecoming of these beautiful bovines differently. Smaller towns might only adorn a few cows with floral headdresses and prized cowbells who lead the rest of the herd to the awaiting local party-goers². Once the cows are secured in their pens, they become a photo op for the revelers, and guests can purchase dairy products, eat traditional foods, listen to local bands, and drink beer.

Larger towns dress up the whole herd and turn the event into a multi-day festival, advertising it to tourists and including other animals in the parades like sheep and goats. In addition to animal parades, these events include craft fairs where the locals can sell their wool and basket-weaving items, woodwork, and various types of foods and drinks. There may also be games and attractions or different contests to keep all age groups entertained.

Since these types of events have been a mainstay for so many decades, I’m not sure there’s a formal event plan, however, if I were asked to execute something of this nature, there would need to be some structure in place. There are logistics, vendors, supplies, schedules, livestock, beer, and people coming together for a few days. Locations would need to be secured for the holding pens, craft fair, games and competitions, and beer gardens. Also parking, porta potties, food vendors, and places for people to sit and eat.

Vendors for the craft fair need to be signed up, food vendors hired, tables and chairs rented, pens for the cows built, and of course, permits and tents for the beer gardens secured. My guess is that you’d want to assign a date and time when the different farmers parade their posses through town. It could get crowded if you’re dealing with tourists, townsfolk, vendors, food and beverage suppliers, farmers, and cows all vying for the same strip of road at the same time.

And, as always when working with livestock, safety is paramount. Being kicked by a cow is no laughing matter. If people are getting close enough to take a selfie with the highfalutin heifers, you want to ensure they can do so without being injured.

The next time you grab that cowbell to shake at your favorite sporting event, think about all of the fun you could have next fall if you visited Vienna to party ’cause the cows came home.

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1.https://europe.stripes.com/lifestyle/embracing-germany’s-alpine-cattle-drives.html
2.https://curiositysavestravel.com/almabtrieb-viehscheid-autumn-cow-parade-alps-germany/