Come and experience Gävle's biggest celebrity in December. The thirteen meter high Gävle goat adorns Castle Square in Gävle every year from the first advent. 2022 was a historic year for the world's largest straw goat, which for the first time in 56 years got a temporary new location in Gävle. During the construction of the Agnes cultural center, the Gävlebocken gets to take pride of place on the Town Hall Esplanade in central Gävle. The Gävle Goat's inauguration is thus moved from Slottstorget to Stortorget.
The Gävle goat's history begins as early as 1966. That's when the idea was born of a huge straw goat that would be set up on Castle Square in Gävle. On the first of December, the 13-metre-high, seven-metre-long and three-tonne goat came into place. Since then, the Gävle goat adorns Castle Square in Gävle every year from the first advent. The inauguration attracts tens of thousands of Gävle residents and visitors, and the immensely popular straw goat can be followed via a webcam and on social media from the time he is assembled until he is taken down.
Behind every successful Goat…
… A bunch of Goat builders are standing
They are Goat builders from Gävle that ensure the Gävle goat is transformed into a stately straw goat. To music on the radio and with straw dust in the air, they bundle straws together into tight bundles. The bundles are tied together one after the other with strings. They are formed into many and long straw mats. When the straw mats are ready, it's time for the wooden frame. Ladders, nails and strings are needed to attach the straw mats to the wooden joists. Bit by bit, the wooden frame is covered and the goat is slowly dressed in its straw coat. In the meantime, Castle Square is being prepared with markings and fences. And in the days before Advent, you can follow the construction. With the help of trucks and lifting cranes, the 13 meter high straw goat is assembled on site.
Facts about the Gävle Goat
- 1 fully loaded truck from Mackmyra with straw is consumed.
- 56 straw mats of 5 meters are tied.
- 600 meters of string is used.
- 12,000 knots are tied by hand.
- 1200 running meters of timber are needed.
- 2500 nails are nailed.
- 50 meters of fabric is attached.
- 1000 working hours required.
Committee
Gävle City and Gävle municipality make up the Committee where all decisions regarding the Gävle Goat are made.
Gävle Goat is a registered trademark and cannot be used without the Committee's permission.
The Gävle Goat's contact details
[email protected]
Gävle municipality's customer service
026-17 80 00
You can also follow the goat via Instagram and Twitter and email directly to [email protected].
