Events calendar Switzerland

Multimedia is in full swing, but book authors are becoming more and more numerous. The book has not yet said its last word and this fair is a reference for French-speaking publishers. Its longevity speaks volumes about this event, which has reinvented itself over the years to become the most important fair in Switzerland with 820 publishing houses and nearly 100,000 visitors. It is a meeting platform where literary creations can be discovered.

A chamber music festival organised in June, in both churches and the various vaults of Cully. Each concert is preceded by a presentation of one hour on the music program or the composer whose songs will be played. Concerts also open on wine tastings!

The Basel Autumn Fair is the largest and oldest fair in Switzerland. It is a commercial, informative and entertaining event that attracts thousands of visitors every year. Visitors come with their families, to have fun, to ride the carousel, to taste local products on the stands. They also come to discover trades that have almost disappeared, embroidery, textiles, carpentry and manufacturers of wooden toys, but also glass blowers ...

Basel's largest open-air cinema. On Münsterplatz, a giant screen is set up throughout August, delighting spectators in an exceptional setting, with the cathedral illuminated. Most films are shown in their original version. The magic of the seventh art is so popular that the festival also takes place in two other major cities in the summer: Geneva and Zurich. In Geneva, the backdrop of Lake Geneva gives an impression of infinity, and the same impression is felt in Zurich. A different way to experience cinema!

Every year in July-August, the equestrian race field turns into a giant movie theater.

The largest livestock market in Switzerland.

This contemporary music festival, created in 2004 by a group of friends, gets the whole resort buzzing at the end of each season, in April, and welcomes more and more celebrities. At an altitude of 2,200 m, the sound goes beyond the peaks! Every year, more than 18,000 people enjoy the exceptional panorama and sway to the international DJs who set the resort alight. It's a short-lived whim that can be savored with intensity in the Valais Alps. Let's not forget that a caprice, in musical terms, is a free interpretation. So long live freedom!

The Engadine's old custom (songs accompanied by bells and bells to hunt winter).

The old town in a party.

Each year, the slowUp takes place: a day dedicated to soft mobility. The road surrounding Lac de Joux is then closed to traffic and reserved for bicycles, pedestrians, scooters or any other means of ecological displacement. Sports, cultural and culinary events invite participants to focus on landscapes.

In a folk atmosphere, with a market for traditional cheeses and costumes, the cows, decorated, returned to the plain. It's unavoidable if you're in the region.

Romont revives a medieval tradition. Totally veiled women accompany, in silence, a Christ wearing his cross. The procession, which attracts a large crowd, leaves the College and returns to it.

International Ice Hockey Tournament.

Bloch's custom is celebrated one week after the carnival. It is a big tree trunk that we walk on a tank decorated and pulled by men representing the different crafts of the wood, in a joyful staging. Bloch is then sold to the auction for the benefit of the participants.

This tradition is celebrated every year at Hundwil, Stein and Schwellbrun every two years in Urnäsch.

Running for a cause is the mission of the Geneva Harmony Marathon which is mobilized for UNICEF. Several types of courses are proposed: the marathon and relay marathon (42 km), the half-marathon (21 km), the Genevoise reserved for women (5 km), the junior races (from 1 to 3 km), the 10 km walk and Nordic walking, the team marathon and the half-chair race. Departures in the Geneva countryside and arrival in the heart of the old town under the ovations. Excellent organization and atmosphere always at the rendezvous!

The Archipel Festival offers contemporary music programmed in various venues dedicated to music: Conservatory, radio, theater, Victoria Hall... Since 1989 and every year, Archipel follows the evolution of contemporary music. This festival is interested in all forms of musical creation: scenic and multimedia works, improvisation, electro-acoustic music and sound installations. Archipel attracts a growing international and intergenerational audience.

A true tradition in Switzerland, the Zurich Carnival, nicknamed Fasnacht by the inhabitants, is a century-old tradition but still as lively as ever. For four days, the city turns into a giant outdoor party, noisy and colourful, with parades, concerts, confetti and outdoor bars! Carnival participants march through the city in extravagant costumes to the sound of the Guggenmusik (carnival bands), as the locals call them. Zug (February), Baden (March) and Winterthur (March) also have their carnival.

On August^1st, flags and fireworks are displayed all over Switzerland. This magical spectacle commemorates seven hundred years of history.

It's one of the biggest Latin music festivals in Europe! Tropical South American music sets Helvetiaplatz on fire. The area is cordoned off to make room for the dancers and spectators. An incredible atmosphere! The music and dance goes on, and the tropical sun shines down on Zurich for a few days. The programme includes merengue concerts, national and international DJs and samba dance performances. A large market with 250 stands also offers exotic specialities and drinks.

World-class figure skating stars meet music greats to present a large-scale sound and light show that has entertained crowds every year since 1995.

The Zurich Wine Fair is a highly original event, inviting you to climb aboard 12 boats moored near Bürkliplatz and taste over 4,200 wines from some 30 countries on 5 continents, spread over no fewer than 170 stands! Several restaurants are also open for the occasion. No fewer than 150 professionals from the wine research, production, import and trade sectors (oenologists, sommeliers) will be on hand. Wine lovers won't find anything bigger in Switzerland. Wines come from all over the world, including Swiss wines.

International comics festival with exhibitions, film program, book signings and author presentations. This eventful festival attracts more and more fans every year. Authors come from several countries for the occasion. The program for each edition includes round tables, conferences, workshops, exhibitions and, of course, meetings with talented and promising authors.

Traditional festival in Montreux, with market/livestock competition, balls and concerts. Just before the Brent Fair, the Old Town hosts a typical Montreusian event: the Planches fair. For two centuries, we have been celebrating for a long weekend the end of the work of the fields and we come to the fair with its most beautiful cattle. Today, this old celebration is also accompanied by various animations, artisans' stands, but also vaults open until late in the night… An event not to be missed!

A convivial wine tourism event that allows you to discover the vineyards, wines and winegrowers of the canton. Local products to taste and 300 cellars to discover. This is an excellent way to discover the Swiss terroir and the six wine-producing regions of the canton of Vaud: La Côte, Bonvillars, Côtes de l'Orbe, Lavaux, Vully and Chablais. The wine growers will tell you about their know-how and, above all, you will learn to differentiate between the different grape varieties such as Chasselas, Pinot Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. White and even red, the wines are divine!

Everyone is well aware that eating well is good health. The real taste, the taste of products from local producers. It is during the national week that Geneva celebrates taste. You are invited to discover the cuisine and products of the Swiss cantons. The city of Geneva encourages restaurants and coffee shops to favour local local products and to promote sustainable development through the development of gastronomy. This week in particular allows you to taste healthily prepared dishes

A must-see! A race of more than45,000enthusiasts of all levels running through the streets of the old town of Geneva. A popular race that brings everyone together in a good mood. Here the importance is not to finish classified, but really to participate and animate this day in memory of the glorious victory of the Genevans against the Duchy of Savoy on December 12, 1602 "The Climb". This winter race is for everyone, high level athletes or amateur runners, children and adults. The distances covered vary from 2 to 8 km depending on the category.

A fine initiative where the inhabitants of Geneva take the reins of the animation of their district. They are entrusted with the keys to the public space for the setting up of a popular festival where the aim is to bring people together and create proximity between neighbours. This citizen dynamic gives rise to a convivial entertainment with magic shows, concerts, creative workshops, etc. The whole neighbourhood is mobilized and of course invites passers-by and travellers to discover their program. Good moments of sharing and local encounters!

A city turned towards culture and sharing it with the greatest number of people. Carouge comes out of winter and wakes us up with a beautiful cultural and artistic program to announce spring and renewal. The festival is above all a place of exchange where our spirit opens up to various artistic universes, such as plays... Culture is everywhere and, in a ephemeral way, is invited in many cultural and symbolic places such as the Théâtre de Carouge, the Cinéma Bio and in shops.

Heading for South American culture with this festival which succeeds every year in the challenge of making Latin American cinema discoverable, put forward during more than two weeks in various places in French-speaking Switzerland and neighbouring France. The main screenings take place in Geneva cinemas such as the Cinéma Grütli, Cinéma Bio in Carouge.... A programme with the discovery of independent authors as well as committed films and documentaries highlighting human rights.