One of the unique aspects of seeing a music festival in Switzerland is something that many of us who live here easily take for granted: Alpine views, mild summertime temps, AMAZING local festival food & beverage, and high caliber performers eager to attend because of aspects as mentioned above. One of our favorite parts of these festivals is always the discovery of new artists bringing their infectious vibe to the world stage.
Zermatt Unplugged
April 9-13
Zermatt
Acoustic music experiences of powerful voices await you in intimate settings throughout Zermatt. A perfect way to segue from winter into spring in one of our favorite ski villages with a lot of our favorite musicians.
On our list: Kate Nash, Birdy, James Arthur, Flora Cash, Angus & Julia Stone, JP Cooper
Cully Jazz
April 5-13
Cully
Dubbed Switzerland’s coolest music festival by those in the know, this lakeside festival dedicated to jazz and its musical cousins electrifies the village of Cully and is in its 41st edition this year.
On our list: Nubya Garcia, Navvy, The Herbaliser Band, Raul Midon, Catherine Russell
Balelec
May 3
EPFL: Lausanne
Europe’s largest student musical festival happens right on the shores of St. Sulpice when the EPFL campus is transformed into a day-long event with 100% local Swiss performers on 3 stages organized entirely by students.
On our list: Niska, A-Trak, Cryptofauna, Maud Paquis
Caprices
March 29-31 & April 5-7
Lens (Crans Montana)
Globally recognised for its unique glass "Modernity Stage," this two-weekend Electronic Dance Music festival takes place at 2200m.
On our list: Samson, Sacha Yonan, Honey Dijon, Âme
Vibiscum
May 30- June 2
Vevey
The fresh and colorful pop art vibe will celebrate the diversity of styles at this 3rd edition of Vibiscum. You are sure to be inspired by the variety of artists on the Place du Marche in Vevey this summer.
On our list: KT Gorique, Shaka Ponk, Crawlers,* Benjamin Epps
Caribana
June 5-8
Crans (Nyon)
We are big fans of this “little” music festival. A quick jaunt from Nyon to this beachside venue puts you front and centre with the band- there isn’t a bad seat in the house.
On our list: Raphaël, Tom Odell, Cassyette, Birdy
Festi’Neuch
June 13-15
Neuchatel
Almost overlooked, this surprisingly "old school" lineup on the beautiful shores of Lake Neuchatel is one that we are looking forward to this year.
On our list: Louise Attaque, Phoenix, French 79, Varnish La Piscine, Oliva Ruiz
Greenfield Festival
June 13-15
Interlaken
https://www.greenfieldfestival.ch/
Switzerland's biggest rock festival, the Greenfield Festival is the place where fans of internationally renowned rock musicians meet each year with panoramic alpine views and audiences that rave.
On our list: Green Day, The Prodigy, Sum 41 (who we saw at Caribana last year and was as amazing as ever!) Dropkicks Murphy's
Fête de la Musique
June 21
https://fetemusiquelausanne.ch/
Originating as a national Swiss tradition since 1982, this “music everywhere, concerts nowhere” festival has traditional Pagan roots as it is celebrated on the Summer solstice (June 21) every year, regardless of the day of the week. A part of the Ville de Lausanne music repertoire since 1995, this free-to-the-public event takes place in over 40 different venues around town with over 2,000 musicians voluntarily performing. It is something to behold, and the lineup is in the works.
Open Air St. Gallen
June 27-30
St. Gallen
No list of music festivals is complete without mentioning Switzerland's biggest and longest-running open-air festival. Founded in 1977, it is attended by more than 110,000 people each year.
The list of performers is quite extensive, but here is a short list of our pics: Mount Jacinto, Holly Humberstone, The Hives, Queens of the Stoneage, The Chainsmokers, Placebo
Festival de la Cité
July 2-7
Lausanne
Another one of our adored local city fêtes, is there anything better than wandering the streets of Lausanne during these whimsical festivals? Live music echoes throughout the ancient cobbled streets of the old town; if you haven’t fallen in love with our city yet, now is your chance.
Lineup is coming soon with a focus on the genres of hip-hop, Italian disco, and post-punk.
Yadlo
July 5-7
Probably the most “active” music festival you could attend this summer, this intimate and quirky gathering on the lovely beach of Preveranges has a range of performers and activities depending on your mood, as long as it is “farniente!” On our list: Wolverine (Swiss bluegrass with a blues harmonica?!? YES, please!!) La Bricole, and Lily Gasc
Montreux Jazz Festival
July 5-20
https://www.montreuxjazzfestival.com
Our favorite iconic Riviera festival in Montreux has become a tradition for many of us at TLG. This year is no exception and we will be the first to share the lineup as soon as we know it on April 16th. Stay tuned for our top picks!
Open Air Frauenfield
July 11-13
Frauenfeld, Solothun
https://www.openair-frauenfeld.ch/
THE hip hop, rap, and R&B music festival of Switzerland.
On our list: Nikki Minaj, Playboi Carti, 21 Savage, Ice Spice
Gurten Festival
July 17-20
Bern
Our best Gurten memory is hands down Florence and the Machine and we are pretty sure this year’s headliner, Nelly Furtado is going to rival that experience. Perched atop a plateau outside of Bern, this experience is worth the hike up to jam with the bands.
On our list: Nelly (of course,) Burna Boy, Peter Fox
Paleo
July 23-28
Paleo launched ticket sales this week and sold 200,000 of them in 21 minutes. To say that this festival is in high demand is the understatement of the year. Lucky for those of us who were not present in the first half hours of sales, 1,500 more tickets go on sale the day of each event.
On our (very hopeful) list: Mika, Sam Smith, Sean Paul, Patty Smith
Zurich Open Air
August 23-24, 30-31
Rümlang
The 12th edition of Zurich Air takes place this summer with an expected focus on hip hop, house, and pop.
On our list: Sam Smith, Macklemore, Jorja Smith, Martin Garrix
Nox Orae
August 29-31
Tour de Pelz
A “human-sized” festival on the shores of Lac Leman, this festival is a reference in the region for its psychedelic rock, electro-tinged pop, post-punk, and ethnic music. We are intrigued and always hear good things. Look forward to discovering their lineup on April 2!
PALP Festival
May-September
PALP is an innovative festival that takes place in various locations ranging from private apartments to historical castles, Roman amphitheaters, public gardens, cultural venues, remote mountain pastures, villages, and city centres throughout Valais. PALP Festival has been showcasing unique, tailor-made events featuring music, performing arts, local produce, and wonderful landscapes for the past 12 years.
On our list: Chairlift brunch, Floating Lounges, Masked Ball, and Electroclette (I mean we want to go for names of the events alone!)
La Matrices
Sept 15-17
Lausanne
https://www.lamatricefestival.ch/
This festival in the heart of Lausanne is dedicated to serving as a springboard for rising artists, from both local and international rap, trap, and hip-hop culture by offering them a stage upon which to perform. In addition, there will be comedic relief at the end of the festival for families wanting to end on a note of hilarity.
On our list: Mussy, Poissonchat, Doums, Rowjay, 34 Murphy
