The Gävle Goat (, ) is a traditional Christmas display erected annually at Slottstorget (Castle Square) in central Gävle, Sweden. The display is a giant version of a traditional Swedish Yule goat figure made of straw. It is erected each year by local community groups at the beginning of Advent over a period of two days.
The Gävle Goat has been the subject of repeated arson attacks; despite security measures and a nearby fire station, the goat has been burned to the ground most years since its first appearance in 1966. 43 out of 60 goats have been destroyed or damaged in some way. Burning or otherwise destroying the goat is illegal, and the Svea Court of Appeal has said that the offence normally carries a 3-month prison sentence.
Since 1986, two separate Yule goats have been built in Gävle: the Gävle Goat by the Southern Merchants and the Yule Goat built by the Natural Science Club of the School of Vasa.
History
The Gävle Goat is erected every year on the first day of Advent, which according to Western Christian tradition is in late November or early December, depending on the calendar year. In 1966, an advertising consultant, Stig Gavlén (1927–2018), came up with the idea of making a giant version of the traditional Swedish Yule goat and placing it in the square. The design of the first goat was assigned to the then chief of the Gävle fire department, Gavlén's brother Jörgen Gavlén. The construction of the goat was carried out by the fire department, and they erected the goat each year from 1966 to 1970 and from 1986 to 2002. The first goat was financed by Harry Ström. On 1 December 1966, a tall, long, 3-tonne goat was erected in the square. On New Year's Eve, the goat was burnt down, and the perpetrator was found and convicted of vandalism. The goat was insured, and Ström got all of his money back.
A group of businessmen known as the Southern Merchants () financed the building of the goat in subsequent years. In 1971, the Southern Merchants stopped building the goats. The Natural Science Club () of the School of Vasa () began building the structure. Their goat was around . Due to the positive reaction their Yule Goat received that year, they built another one the following year and from then on. The Southern Merchants began building their own goats again in 1986.
The cost for the 1966 goat was 10,000 Swedish kronor (SEK) (). The price tag for constructing the goat in 2005 was around SEK100,000. The city pays one-third of the cost while the Southern Merchants pay the remaining sum.
Repeated destruction by fire
The display has become notable for being a recurring target for vandalism by arson, and has been destroyed many times since the first goat was erected in 1966. Because the fire station is close to the location of the goat, most of the time the fire can be extinguished before the wooden skeleton is severely damaged. If the goat is burned down before Saint Lucia Day on 13 December, the goat is rebuilt. Its skeleton is then treated and repaired, and the goat reconstructed over it, using straw which the Goat Committee has pre-ordered. four people had been caught or convicted for vandalizing the goat. In 2001, the goat was burned down by a 51-year-old American visitor from Cleveland, Ohio, who spent 18 days in jail and was subsequently convicted and ordered to pay SEK100,000 (US$; ) in damages. The court confiscated his cigarette lighter with the argument that he was not able to handle it. He stated in court that he was no "goat burner", and believed that he was taking part in a completely legal goat-burning tradition. After he was released from jail he returned to the US without paying his fine.
In 1996, the Southern Merchants introduced camera surveillance to monitor the goat 24 hours a day. On 27November 2004, the Gävle Goat's homepage was hacked, and one of the two official webcams changed. In 2003, while security guards were posted around the goat in order to prevent vandalism, the temperature dropped far below freezing. As the guards sheltered in a nearby restaurant to escape the cold, the goat was burned.
During the weekend of 3–4December 2005, a series of attacks on public Yule Goats across Sweden were carried out; the Gävle Goat was burnt on 3December. The Visby goat on Gotland burned down, the Yule Goat in Söderköping, Östergötland was torched, and there was an attack on a goat located in Lycksele, Västerbotten.
The Christmas season of 2006 marked the 40th anniversary of the Gävle Goat, and the city held a large celebration in honor of the goat on 3 December. The Goat Committee fireproofed the goat with "Fiber ProTector Fireproof", a fireproofing substance used in airplanes. In earlier years, when the goat had been fireproofed, the dew had made the liquid drip off the goat. To prevent this from happening, "Fireproof ProTechtor Solvent Base" was applied to the goat.
Despite their efforts, the goat has been damaged or destroyed a total of 43 times. On 27November 2016, an arsonist equipped with petrol burned it down just hours after its inauguration. After a few flame-free years under 24-hour security, the goat was again burned on 17 December 2021. In 2023, it was severely pecked at for grain by jackdaws, due to the straw used to construct the goat containing higher than usual amounts of seeds. In 2025, it was blown over by strong winds from Storm Johannes.
In the years it has been allowed to stand throughout Christmas, the goat has been disassembled a few days before or after New Year's Day, with the straw discarded and the frame structure stored for next year.
Natural Science Club's Yule Goat
Since 1986, there have been two Yule Goats built in Gävle: the Gävle Goat by the Southern Merchants and the Yule Goat built by the Natural Science Club of the School of Vasa. Until 1985 the Southern Merchants held the world record for the largest Yule Goat, but over the years the Natural Science Club's goat increased in size, and in 1985 their Yule Goat made it into the Guinness Book of Records with an official height of . The creator of the original 1966 goat, Stig Gavlén, thought that the Natural Science Club's goat had unfairly won the title of the largest Yule Goat because the goat was not as attractive as the Southern Merchants' goat and the neck was excessively long.
The next year there was a Goat war: the Southern Merchants understood the publicity value, and erected a huge goat; the Natural Science Club erected a smaller one in protest. The Southern Merchants had intended that their huge goat would reclaim the world record, but the measurement of the goat showed it fell short. Over the following seven years there were no further attempts on the world record, but there was some hostility between the Natural Science Club and the Southern Merchants, evidenced by the fact that the Natural Science Club put up a sign near their goat wishing a Merry Christmas to everyone, except the Southern Merchants.
In 1993, the Southern Merchants again announced that they were going to attempt the world record. The goat stood when completed. The Natural Science Club's Yule Goat that year measured , which earned them another place in the Guinness Book of Records.
Timeline 1966–1969 Year Security additions Date of destruction Method of destruction Notes 1966 1967 colspan="2" 1968 Fence added. colspan="2" 1969 Inside of goat protected by chicken-wire netting.
1970–1979 Year Security additions Date of destruction Method of destruction Notes 1970 The goat's destruction was blamed on two drunk teenagers. With help from several financial contributors, the goat was reassembled out of lake reed. 1971 The Southern Merchants became tired of their goats being burned down, and stopped constructing them. The Natural Science Club from the School of Vasa took over and built a miniature goat. 1972 1973 The goat was stolen by a man, who then placed it in his backyard. He was later sentenced to two years in prison for aggravated theft. 1974 1975 The goat collapsed under its own weight. 1976 This year's goat was smaller than the previous ones. A student rammed the hind legs of the goat with a Volvo Amazon, collapsing the structure. 1977 1978 1979 After the first goat was burned, a second was fireproofed. The goat was burned down before construction even finished. A second goat was constructed and finished, but was later destroyed and broken into pieces.
1980–1989 Year Security additions Date of destruction Method of destruction Notes 1980 1981 colspan="2" 1982 1983 1984 1985 Enclosed by a metal fence, guarded by Securitas and soldiers from Gävle's local army unit, I 14 Infantry Regiment. The goat of the Natural Science Club was featured in the Guinness Book of Records for the first time. 1986 The Southern Merchants built their first goat since 1971, and it was burned. From 1986 onwards two goats were built each year, one by the Southern Merchants and one by the School of Vasa. 1987 Heavily fireproofed. 1988 colspan="2" Gamblers were for the first time able to gamble on the fate of the goat with English bookmakers. 1989 Financial contributions from the public were raised to rebuild a goat, and the second goat was burnt down in January. In March 1990 another goat was built, this time for the shooting of a Swedish motion picture called Black Jack.
1990–1999 Year Security additions Date of destruction Method of destruction Notes 1990 The goat was guarded by many volunteers. colspan="2" 1991 The goat was joined by an advertising sled; that turned out to be illegally built. It was later rebuilt to be taken to Stockholm as a part of a protest campaign against the disbandment of the I 14 Infantry Regiment. 1992 Both the Natural Science Club's and Southern Merchants' goats burned down on the same night. The latter was rebuilt, and burned down on 20December. The perpetrator of the three attacks was caught and sent to jail. The Goat Committee was founded in 1992. 1993 Guarded by taxi drivers waiting for fares and the Swedish Home Guard colspan="2" Once more the goat was featured in the Guinness Book of Records, the School of Vasa's goat measured . 1994 colspan="2" 1995 A Norwegian was arrested for attempting to burn down the goat. It was rebuilt for the 550th anniversary of Gävleborg County. 1996 Monitored by webcams. colspan="2" 1997 colspan="2" Damaged by fireworks. The Natural Science Club's goat was attacked too, but survived with minor damage. 1998 Burned down during a major blizzard, and was rebuilt. 1999 The Southern Merchants' goat was rebuilt again before Lucia. The Natural Science Club's goat was also burnt down.
2000–2009