Continuing on from the spectacular array of festivals in June 2022 we find the school holidays also promise an abundance of festivals for both young and old. There is something traditional, loud, alternative, colourful, cultural or just plain fun with the following eclectic lineup of festivals both in and around Lucerne, and, throughout Switzerland. And, as any weather can be expected, be prepared with both hat and sunscreen and/or umbrella and coat.
July
Caliente Latin Music Festival ~ 1 – 2 July and 8 – 9 July ~ Zürich: For the first time the festival takes a new format and features on the first two weekends in July. Not only will there be exquisite food from the Latin American, Caribbean and Mediterranean regions, there will also be world music with numerous live concerts and renowned bands in Kreis 4, the heart of Zürich. The 25th year of the festival will celebrate what has become known as the most important Latin Music festival in Europe. Enjoy the joie de vivre of colour, fiestas, shows and a fascinating World Market and Street Food Garden. It will be hot, colourful and vivacious, with music blaring from every corner and people dancing salsa, bachata and raggaeton. Admission is for 18 years and over only.
Rosenfest ~ 1 – 3 July ~ Weggis: The Rosenfest in Weggis, Lucerne, has it all. There is a Rose Queen, bands, DJ’s, a fiery atmosphere, cool drinks, delicious food, fantastic fireworks, Lunapark and much more. A Rose festival pin can be purchased for CHF 20 for Friday to Sunday. Children up to and including 14 are admitted free of charge and on Sunday the pin will only cost CHF 5. The festival culminates with a fantastic fireworks display on Sunday at 10.30 pm. Parking is available or you can arrive via boat or bus.
Reisefieber Sheltenpass ~ 1 – 3 July ~ Shelten: The Reisefieber journey continues with the best music, the most interesting people, in the most beautiful location. On the westside of the Sheltenpass, in canton Bern, is a meadow in a small hollow surrounded by forest where the festival is held. Caravans and parking are currently sold out, however, there is free parking in front of the pass and a shuttle bus will transport to and from the event. The shuttle bus also runs regularly to and from Balsthal railway station. Tickets bought in 2020 and 2021 are valid for 2022. Because of the location credit card and TWINT payments are not available. Entry is for 18 years and older only.
Montreux Jazz Festival ~ 1 – 16 July ~Montreux: The festival is in its 56th year and is an essential event for anyone who is interested in musical diversity, or as Jack White put it, “Montreaux Jazz is for people who really love music.” The backdrop to the festival is exceptional, minutes from the terraced vineyards of Lavaux, and nestled between the Alps and shores of Lake Geneva. The paying programme includes such greats as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Dianna Ross, A-Ha, Van Morrison, Jeff Beck and John Legend and many emerging artists. The free programme includes over 450 concerts, DJs and workshops on 11 stages, 3 pool parties, 2 silent discos and 55 food stands and bars.
Openair Frauenfeld ~ 6 – 9 July ~ Frauenfeld: Openair Frauenfeld, in the canton of Thurgau, has a big history with big names and this year isn’t any different. It is considered to be the largest openair festival in Switzerland and the largest Hip Hop festival in Europe. Headliners this year include Tyler, the Creator, A$AP Rocky, Megan Thee Stallion and German rapper Sido. There is a new 4 day ticket as there has been an additional day added to the festival and also VIP and premium packages are available. All information can be found on the English site except for information about the 100 Miles walk to the venue which includes a four day walk from Bern, with food, entry and camping provided.
Lausanne City Festival ~ 5 – 10 July ~ Lausanne: A unique cultural week in the city of Lausanne combining theatre with music, acting with dance, circus acts with street art, bringing together performing arts, in situ art works, artistic installations and urban culture. The 50th year is in the centre of the city and is free with 80 different shows and 440+ professional artists to see. The festival has a long and interesting history with its main aim to foster an interaction between art, the public sphere and society at large. It is offbeat, artistic and a melting pot of wildly diverse forms of expression.
Schwing- und Älplerfest auf Rigi Staffel ~ 10. July 2022 (possibly 17 July 2022) ~ Mt. Rigi: The Rigi wrestlers have been important in the founding of wrestling associations in Switzerland and continue a tradition that has been around hundreds of years. Along with wrestling there is also stone throwing, another traditional alpine event from festivals of the past. Advance booking of tickets is now closed but there are still standing room tickets available at the box office near the entry to the wrestling site. Combined rail tickets with standing room festival tickets can also be purchased at Rigi Staffel or the other Rigi stations. If you already have festival tickets you can get discounted rail tickets at the Rigi stations.
Moon&Stars ~ 14 – 24 July ~ Locarno: The Piazza Grande stage will once again host some huge stars in the 15th year of Moon&Stars. Artists like Die Fantasischen Vier, Seeed, James Blunt, Royal Republic and Bligg, one of Switzerland’s most important artists who after 15 years is now part of its cultural heritage, will perform. All tickets from Moon&Stars 2021 are automatically valid and no further steps are required. Moon&Stars 2020 tickets were converted to vouchers and are valid for 5 years and can be used for any Moon&Stars product. As the festival’s website suggests: Dance, sing and simply party! Immerse yourself in the Moon&Stars world and look forward to the summer of 2022.
Coop Open Air Kino Luzern ~ 13 July – 21 August ~Am See bei der Aula Alpenquai: Once again the big screens will be raised for the Open Air Kino at the Alpenquai. The movies on the programme are in Dialect, German, French and six are in English. The schedule and tickets can be found online. Tickets are CHF 18 plus booking fees online and can be bought at the box office from 19.00 while tickets last. Seats are free seating so first in first choice. The Open Air Restaurant is also open from 17.00. The first movie on 13 July will be Elvis shown in English with German and French subtitles but will also be shown towards the end in German. Don’t miss out on other top movies though as it is a great chance to practise your language skills. And for the kids there is Minions: The Rise of Gru and Jurassic World: Dominion and some other 12+ and 14+ showing.
Other Coop Open Air Kino events throughout Switzerland: Aarau, Arbon, Bellinzona, Brig, Delémont, Estavayer-le-Lac, Fribourg, Frick, Immensee, Kreuzlingen, Lugano, Martigny, Murten, Schloss Hallwyl, Schloss Heidegg, Uster, Wohlen, Zofingen, Zug – see website for dates and movies.
Basel Tattoo ~ 15 – 23 July ~ Basel: It’s the 15th anniversary of the Basel Tattoo, a military music event that is returning with bagpipe music, Swiss quality performances and top royal formations. There will be 1000 participants including the Swiss Army Central Band, local heroes Top Secret Drum Corps, and His Majesty The King’s Guard Band. This year the Welsh Guards of the British Queen will make their debut in Basel. Tickets are still available and range from CHF 39 to CHF 140 for a seat. Representative bands come from all around the world and Basel is known as the second largest tattoo after the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The experience of the spectator is important and won’t be disappointed with a spectacular array of musical highlights with a Scottish highland mood.
Gurtenfestival ~ 13 – 16 July ~ Bern: The Gurtenfestival returns again with a full programme including more than 60 live acts and 60 DJs representing the pop, rock, punk, electro, funk, soul, R&B, hip hop, country, singer-songwriter and blues genres. The only way to get to the festival is by the Gurtenbahn, or by climbing if you are fit enough, thus the name. Canton Bern promises a unique programme, great atmosphere, fantastic panoramic views – an altogether unforgettable experience. World-renowned musicians have been playing at the Gurten since its inception in 1999 and this year is no different. Many of the musicians have returned from the 2020 cancelled lineup and include Black Eyed Peas, Megan Thee Stallion, Seeed and The Chemical Brothers and of course many famous Swiss musicians are featured. Most VIP tickets are sold out including Friday and Saturday tickets.
The Verbier Festival ~ 15 – 31 July ~ Verbier: Classical music in the heart of the Swiss Alps – a summer musical retreat. The festival was launched in 1994 and is now globally renowned. The founder and director, Martin T:son Engstroem, shared that Verbier is the ideal place between nature and culture. The magic of the mountain top is the ideal place for masterclasses, rehearsals and performances where emerging soloists, chamber and orchestral musicians, singers and conductors are discovered and audiences are welcomed to witness these protégés being discovered along with star performers. The mountain locale can be reached by various means of transport, however, they are on a mission to make the festival as sustainable as possible and ask that you take the most environmentally-friendly transport possible.
Gstaad Menuhin Festival ~ 15 July – 3 September ~ Gstaad: The spirit of making music, in a relaxed atmosphere, with friends, is the festival’s leitmotif. The festival is subtitled “Vienna – Beethoven Delayed 2022” as apparently it is the only event worldwide that celebrates the correct birth date of Beethoven’s 250th – the stories and theories can be read here. The roots and tradition of the festival go back to the year 1957, when violinist Yehudi Menuhin moved to Gstaad. There have been some changes and upheaval along the way, but today, Gstaad, an alpine town in the Bernese Oberland, still inspires and enhances the summer days and nights with music for your soul. Hotel packages are available but good to remember that this is a playground for the rich and famous.
Paléo Festival ~ 19 – 24 July ~ Nyon: Located between Geneva and Lausanne, Nyon is next to Lake Léman and accessible by public transport – even during the wildest hours, as shared on the Paléo website. Paléo is so much more than music – from rock to pop, from hip-hop to chanson, from classical to reggae, through electro – incorporating: a free-access space located between the festival and the campsite with plenty of food, craft stands and themed bars; a World Village with concerts, handicrafts and food stands honouring the richness of West Africa; circus and poetic street theatre; and, a scenography created by HES-SO students of spectacular honeycomb structures made of woven fabrics on the theme of connection, disconnection, reconnection. With such diversity, they hardly need a line-up with artists like KISS, Sting, DJ Snake and Stromae, who appeared here in 2014 in front of almost 50,000 fans, but they do. Paléo is another festival encouraging sustainability.
Blue Balls Festival ~ 19 – 28 July ~ Lucerne: The incredibly well-known and much loved Blue Balls Festival, held regularly in the centre of Lucerne and around the lake, has been cancelled for 2022 as the director, Urs Leierer, unfortunately, has an acute illness and there have been several Covid related withdrawals.
Open Air Lumnezia ~ 21 – 23 July ~ Val Lumnezia by Degen, Graubünden: Known as the little big festival, the Open Air Lumnezia has been entertaining the Grisons since 1985 with well-known acts from around the world. The grounds are smaller than other Swiss festivals, however, the festival has persisted and is very popular with its excellent music and mountain backdrop in the midst of the Graubunden mountain landscape. The line up includes Biffy Clyro, Dropkick Murphys, Paul Kalkbrenner, 77 Bombay Street, Alligatoah, Giant Rooks and many others. Ticket from 2020 and 2021 hold their validity. The festival is currently sold out but if you are keen to go tickets can still be found on Marketplace and Ricardo.
Gauklerfest Interlaken ~ 29 – 31 July ~ Interlaken: The 17th International Buskers Festival is back. The Gauklerfest is a unique and family-friendly openair over three days that has street performers from all over the world. There are clowns, acrobats, comedians, jugglers, mime acts, musicians, dancers, singers and more and is a family favourite in Switzerland. Some artists to look out for: manoAmano, humourous acrobats with a touch of naughtiness from Argentina; Les Dudes, create Stories in the City, a mixture of circus skills, live music, comedy and storytelling without words; Peter Mielniczek, a contemporary clown who integrates fiasco, visual comedy, broken plates and a nail biting finale; and, Anaëlle Molinario, a costume designer from Paris who has mastered the art of contortionism.
Flumserberg Open Air ~ 29 – 31 July ~ Flumserberg: On Friday it’s a mega 90s party with party anthems and techno hits with bands and musicians like 2 Unlimited, Dr. Alban, East 17 and Haddaway. Saturday has an Edelwyss Party with the Jungen Zillertaler and DJ Marco Mzee and free entry. And, a Schlagerparty finale on Sunday beginning at 14:00 with giants of German pop: Andrea Berg, Howard Carpendale, Jürgen Drews, Melissa Naschenweng and Nik P. and band, promises a unique display of profound ballads and loud party hits. Against the breathtaking backdrop of the mountains, it is the perfect place to enjoy live music with friends, family or a loved one.
Grund Openair ~ 30 July – 1 August ~ Doppelschwand, LU: The second Grund Openair is sure to happen and the team are preparing an eventful weekend with live music, delicious cocktails and a wonderful ambience. Music styles that will be showcased at the festival include pop, rock, Schlager and a brass band. As well as well known Swiss acts, there will be up and coming artists and musicians from the region who will also be given a platform to perform. Artists include 77 Bombay Street, KUNZ and VolXRoX and in the grounds there will also be a large stage, bar and various food stands. Camping is also allowed and is included in the one, two and three day passes. Additionally, there is a Brunch pass for the 1 August but does not include admission to the Openair itself.
See Summer Festivals – June 2022 for festivals that run from June to July:
Kulturfestival St. Gallen ~ 29 June – 23 July ~ St. Gallen
