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EVENTS

Five Swiss events to help you shrug off the January blues

The Christmas markets may have packed up, the nights drag on and summer feels a long way off... but don’t despair, January’s not all bad. The Local rounds up a few events to get you off the sofa and out and about this month.

Published: 4 January 2017 10:38 CET
Five Swiss events to help you shrug off the January blues
January: not all doom and gloom. Photo: Snow Bike Festival
1. Lauberhorn races, Wengen – Jan 13th-15th
 
Photo: Lauberhorn.ch
 
Head to Wengen to watch the world’s top professional skiers compete in the longest downhill race in the world. A fixture of Wengen’s event calendar since 1930, its races (downhill, slalom and combined) attract tens of thousands of spectators every year. Food trucks, music and an air display help make this a fantastic slope-side party.  
 
2. SIHH, Geneva – Jan 16th-20th (open to the public on 20th only)
 
Photo: Richard Juilliart/AFP
 
The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) is one of the world’s most prestigious trade fairs for watches. Though primarily aimed at industry folk, this year for the first time it will open to the public for one day only on January 20th so you can go and ogle the latest designs and marvel at some of the finest (and most expensive) timepieces in the world.
 
3. Inferno Races, Mürren – Jan 18th-21st
 
Photo: Inferno
 
Inspired by the Lauberhorn? Head to nearby Mürren for the Inferno, the largest amateur ski race in the world. Every year some 1,800 competitors hurtle down the 14.9km course. As well as the classic downhill race – now in its 74th year – the event includes an evening cross-country race, a giant slalom and combination race, as well as festivities and entertainment for spectators and competitors. It’s too late to enter this year’s race, but going to watch may give you something to aim for next year…
 
4. Snow Bike Festival, Gstaad – Jan 19th-22nd
 
Photo: Snow Bike Festival
 
Now in its third year, the Snow Bike Festival has become a popular new event in the ski resort of Gstaad, which was one of the first places in Europe to welcome fat bikes (bicycles with extra-wide tyres for gripping on snow). Open to all fat bike enthusiasts, the weekend includes a stage race, a night race under floodlights and a time trial, as well as plenty of entertainment for spectators.
 
5. Antigel Festival, Geneva – Jan 27th-Feb 19th
 
Photo: Antigel
 
Taking over Geneva from the end of January is this fantastic music festival, now in its seventh edition and comprising 104 shows spread over 40 venues. Among the local and international names performing are Lambchop, The Dandy Warhols (pictured) and the legendary Patti Smith. Dance events, kids entertainment, DJ nights and even a nightswimming party in a pool help make this a festival not to be missed.
 

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EVENTS

How Cologne is preparing for the start of Carnival on Friday

Dressing up, singing, and drinking: On Friday, countless Jecken (revelers) in Cologne will once again celebrate the start of the Carnival session.

Published: 9 November 2022 10:29 CET
How Cologne is preparing for the start of Carnival on Friday

Dubbed Germany’s “fifth season” by locals, the event starts every year on November 11th at 11:11 am, and typically stretches into February or March, when colourful parades spill into the streets.

Carnival stronghold Cologne in particular is preparing for the onslaught of tens of thousands of people who will flock to its Altstadt (old town), and especially to the student quarter, starting early Friday morning. 

READ ALSO: 10 unmissable events in Germany this November

“Far too many people want to celebrate in far too small a space,” city director Andrea Blome told DPA. “We can’t stop anyone from coming to Cologne now.” 

More security this year

In the popular Kwartier Latäng student quarter, there have been regular bouts of drinking by young partygoers in the past, who crowded into a confined space, leaving litter everywhere and publicly peeing on the corners of buildings. 

Google Maps shows the location of the so-called Kwartier Latäng part of Cologne.

But with a new security plan, the city and police hope to keep the situation under control.

Several checkpoints and road closures have been set up to secure the safety of the revelers and relieve the burden on worried residents, according to Blome. Visitors will only be able to enter the closed-off area around Zülpicher Straße via a single access point. 

On Friday, Cologne is also set to send a total of 150 employees from the Ordnungsamt (public order office) onto the streets, who will be supported by 520 private security guards. 

A glass ban will again apply in the celebration zones, and several hundred toilets will be set up at the hotspots, “which nevertheless will probably not be used by all visitors,” Blome predicted.

READ ALSO: 10 words you need to know at Cologne’s Carnival

Up to 1,100 police officers are expected to be on duty on the day – about 200 fewer than last year, said head of operations Rüdiger Fink. But he expected to keep the situation “under control with a new security plan.”

What to expect

On Cologne’s Heumarkt, there will be a stage program all day with bands such as the Bläck Fööss, the Paveiern and Brings. 

Google Maps shows Cologne’s Heumarkt along the Rhine River.

According to the Willi Ostermann Society, about 10,000 tickets were sold in advance for the event, which will be aired by German WDR for several hours.

Meanwhile, in Düsseldorf, the day will start at 11:11 a.m. with the “Hoppeditz Awakening” in front of City Hall. 

According to a spokesman, the police will be adequately prepared for the start of the season, with a particular focus on the Altstadt, where there will certainly be celebrations.

“But 11.11. is a very different event here in Düsseldorf than in Cologne,” he said, referring to a more orderly start and fewer guests.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about celebrating Carnival in Germany

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