Switzerland — Events
Warmer Mai
Zurich’s gay and lesbian event of the year, Warmer Mai is one of the city’s first summer festivals and hosts an action packed month of festivities. Aimed to showcase the cultural products of the gay and lesbian community, the festival showcases many entertaining theater pieces, art exhibitions, film nights, talent competitions and sporting events over a 30-day period. Enthralling themed parties hosted at various bars and clubs throughout the city keep the spirit of the Warmer Mai festival alive, as visitors dance and celebrate into the early hours of the morning.
Geneva Music Festival
The streets of Geneva are turned into a huge musical stage every year at the Music Festival with hundreds of concerts of all types performed by local and international artists. The city fills with the sound of music, from rock bands to classical orchestras. For more information phone +41 (0)22 418 6532 or email fetedelamusique@ville-ge.ch
Zurich Festival
Zurich’s Festspiele is an annual celebration of classical music, art, theater, opera, and dance that presents local and international artists of world renown. Special concerts, exhibitions and performances are held throughout the city in venues such as the famous Opernhaus Zurich, Kunsthaus Zurich, Theater am Neumarkt and some stunning open-air venues. Be sure to grab a program so as not to miss some of the cultural highlights of the year.
Montreux Jazz Festival
Held on the eastern shore of beautiful Lake Geneva, the Montreux Jazz Festival attracts around 200,000 people each year. Specialising in jazz, blues, rock and pop, the festival provides groove busting beats that make you want to move your body or just listen in musical awe. The Montreux Jazz Festival has hosted the likes of Stan Getz, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Mingus and Dexter Gordon since its inception in 1967 and this year’s festival will see the likes of rock legend Lenny Kravitz and R’nB queen Alicia Keys.
Zurich Open-Air Cinema
An absolute treat for cinema lovers, the annual open-air cinema in Zurich comes to the picturesque lakeside setting in Zurichhorn Park every summer to entertain patrons of all ages and movie preferences. Showing classics, cult movies, premieres and new releases, the Orange Cinema season is a firm favorite on the Zurich events calendar and is an ideal option for an alternative evening out. Indulge in an early meal at one of the idyllic restaurants on the lake and then settle down under the stars for an unforgettable cinema experience. The festival program is published in advance during May.
Geneva Festival
The highlight of the summer season, the Geneva Festival attracts crowds of people to the shore of Lake Geneva for concerts, food and craft from around the world, all types of music from techno to classical, a float parade, fun fair and non-stop entertainment. The grand finale of the festival is a fantastic musical fireworks display.
Street Parade
Every August thousands of revelers flock to what has become the biggest techno-music street party in the world, modeled on the Berlin Love Parade. People from all over the world join together in a ‘demonstration for love, peace, freedom and tolerance’ to the beat of house and techno music. The city’s biggest party is a weekend of colorful floats, or Love Mobiles, costumed dancers and loud music, as well as numerous parties and festival events that take place before and after the parade.
Zurich Theatre Spectacle
One of the top cultural events in Zurich, the Theater Spectacle is a festival for new and cutting edge theater that presents an international collection of independent theater companies and the latest in performing arts productions. Every summer over 20 theater groups stage performances around the city, including open-air productions next to the lake.
L'Escalade Celebration
Of all the festivals that take place in Geneva, none rival the pomp and ceremony of L’Escalade, which is one of the oldest and most popular events in the city. The festival is a patriotic celebration of the city’s independence, the Geneva equivalent of Guy Fawkes Day, and commemorates the vain attempt by the Duke of Savoy troops to invade the old walled city in 1602. Many legends surround the historic event, most famously the tale of Mother Royaume who emptied her large cauldron of hot vegetable soup on the attackers below.
International Tree and Lights Festival
Started in 2001, the festival invites artists from all over Europe to decorate trees in prominent positions around the city center, to create artistic lighting effects and other innovative touches. The festival presents a contemporary exhibition of imagination and creativity, where the trees of the city have taken the place of museum walls and are adorned with works from a multitude of artistic disciplines. The biggest Christmas tree will replace Geneva’s Jet d’Eau fountain.
