The giant straw goat erected annually in Gävle, Sweden, near New Year's Eve is the Gävle Goat.
The Gävle Goat is a large Yule goat built in Gävle's Castle Square during the Christmas season. The tradition began in 1966, when local figures created a giant version of the Scandinavian Yule goat as a festive attraction. It has become an internationally known seasonal landmark and is normally dismantled after the holiday period.
The goat is famous not only for its size but also because vandals have repeatedly tried to burn or damage it. Security measures, protective treatments, cameras, and public monitoring have varied over time, while the structure's survival differs from year to year. It is often described as a New Year's Eve tradition because its most notorious incidents occur around the holiday season, but the goat is erected before Christmas and belongs to the broader Swedish Christmas period.