Every year since 1966, a giant straw goat has been erected in Slottstorget (Castle Square) in central Gävle as part of the Advent Christmas market. The Gävle Goat stands about 13 metres tall and weighs over 3 tonnes of straw bound around a steel frame — a scaled-up version of a traditional Swedish Yule goat.
What has made the goat famous is that it keeps getting burned down. For most of its history, arsonists have set fire to it within days or weeks of erection, and the city has gamely rebuilt it the following year. Whether the goat survives or burns has become an annual betting event, covered by Swedish and international media. A webcam streams the goat's status live throughout December. The square is worth visiting in December for the market and the spectacle regardless of the goat's fate; in other months, the square is a pleasant open space in front of the castle with a marker showing where the goat stands each winter.