Published on 6 November 2024

Major events

Switzerland boasts hundreds of festivals, as well as sporting, cultural and political events, and some of them appeal to an international audience. Every 25 years or so, Switzerland mounts a national exhibition.

The international “Locarno Film Festival” shows films d'auteur and holds its own among the world's top film festivals. — © Festival del film Locarno

Hundreds of events and festivals take place in Switzerland every year. There are major international private-sector events such as the «World Economic Forum» (WEF) in Davos and the watch fairs in Basel and Geneva. The world of sport is also represented, with the Lauberhorn races, the «Omega European Masters» golf tournament and the «Weltklasse Zürich» athletics meeting. And then there's «Art Basel», a globally renowned art fair.

The Lauberhorn races take place in January against the backdrop of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains, and are broadcast by over 60 television stations. — © Verein Internationale Lauberhornrennen

Festivals abound in Switzerland. The density of music festivals in particular is nowhere else to be found. They range from classical music, with the «Lucerne Festival», to jazz, with the «Montreux Jazz Festival», flanked by a plethora of rock and pop festivals. «Paléo Festival Nyon» is one of Europe's largest open-air music festivals. But there is also an array of theatre, dance and film festivals reputed around the world, such as the «Locarno Film Festival».

And about once every 25 years, Switzerland showcases its multifaceted identity in a national exhibition. The last one, in 2002, was spread over four sites around Lakes Neuchâtel, Biel and Murten.

Major events – facts and figures

• Davos' 1992 WEF served as the stage for the first-ever meeting between the then South African President, Frederik W. De Klerk, and Nelson Mandela.
• Twenty-five world records have been set at the «Weltklasse Zürich» athletics meeting since its inception 90 years ago.
• «Paléo Festival Nyon» is one of Europe's largest open-air music festivals. In 2019, its 277 concerts on 7 stages attracted 230,000 festival-goers.
• One of the international Locarno Film Festival's highlights is its star-studded open-air evening screenings in the unique ambience of Piazza Grande, which seats around 8,000 film aficionados.
• In 2009, the «Omega European Masters» golf competition in Crans-Montana was the first event in Europe to be jointly organised by the Asian Tour. Today, it is one of Europe's most prominent competitions.
• One of the main attractions at the Expo.02 national exhibition was a huge artificial cloud of mist produced by 88 pumps with 32,000 nozzles.

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