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CULTURE

What’s on in Switzerland: Ten events not to miss this September

Lots of great events are happening in various Swiss regions — from wine tasting to listening to Alphorn music. These are ones you shouldn't miss in September 2024.

Published: 20 August 2024 15:52 CEST
Updated: 26 August 2024 12:07 CEST
What's on in Switzerland: Ten events not to miss this September
Wine tasting will take place in September, in Vaud's spectacular Lavaux region. Photo: Pixabay

Schwendner Chölbi, Appenzell,  September 1st to 14th

This may sound like a tongue twister, but this traditional annual fair is lots of fun, with attractions such as stone throwing competitions, carrousels, high-altitude swings, and other activities — both mild and extreme.

Flâneur – Das Stadtraum Festival Basel, September 5th to 7th

On the evenings of September 5th, 6th and 7th, Basel’s Elisabethenstrasse will be transformed into an eclectic festival-style get-together known as Flâneur.

The urban festival is the perfect opportunity to make new friends while trying out fine local delicacies at pop-up corners, bar hopping, partaking in creative workshops and experiencing live concerts in the middle of the city.

Grape harvest festival, Auverney, VD, September 6th and 7th

Usually, grape harvest begins in Switzerland in October, except in this wine-growing village in Vaud.

You can walk around this very picturesque, ancient community in the Lauvaux region and sample various local procucts in Auverney’s wine cellars.

Alphornn music festival, Flumserberg, SG, September 7th

Each year, a local and international alphorn festival takes place this St. Gallen community. Another traditional Swiss custom, the flag throwing, will also be included in the folkloric show.

Alphorn players will perform together during the festival. Photo by Robin MILLARD / AFP)

 
Knabenschiessen, Zurich, September 7th to 9th

In Swiss-German, this literally means ‘shooting boys’, but these youngsters don’t actually get shot. The annual festival originated in the 17th century as a rifle shooting competition for local boys – and since 1991, also girls.

Every year, both have the opportunity to test and showcase their shooting skills — something Swiss teenagers are good at — in front of a wide audience. 

Classical Music Festival, Montreux-Vevey (VD), September 5th to 13th

The 78th edition of this classical music event will take on the shoes of Lake Geneva, overlooking the Alps.

According to the website, “classical music becomes a multi-sensorial experience where music blends with the visual arts, and even comedy, for eight innovative concerts performed by outstanding musicians. 

Sportissima, Bellinzona, Biasca, Chiasso, Lugano, Mendrisio and Tenero-Contra (TI), September 10th

This is an event dedicated to physical activity in the hope of promoting interest in one’s health and is free for all to attend – simply turn up at 9.30am in the city of your choice (no registration necessary) and work out.

Participants can choose from ‘classic’ sports such as football and volleyball, as well as stand-up paddling, sailing, twirling and other activities.

The sporty event is held in the following cities on September 10th: Bellinzona, Biasca, Chiasso, Lugano, Mendrisio and Tenero-Contra.

Cattle descent from mountain pastures

September is the month when Swiss cattle leave their Alpine meadows where they spent summer months and make their way back to the valley for the winter.

To mark this seasonal rite of passage (literally), the cows — but also sheep and goats — are dressed up in colourful flower headpieces with the traditional bells around their neck.

Throughout the month, this event in celebrated in many Swiss regions, so there is likely one near you.

These are just a few examples:

  • Corbyr, Crans-Monnata (VS), September 14th
  • Wassen (UR), September 14th
  • Emmental (BE),  September 18th
  • Grimentz (VS),  September 21st
  • Charmey (FR), September 28th
  • Klöntal (GL), September 30th

You can see other cattle descents in 2024 here. 

Hiking

If you like walking in nature, then September is a good month to do so.

That’s because the weather is still good but no longer extremely hot, and the changing of seasons from summer to fall is spectacular in Switzerland.

Even though a number of trails have been closed duet flooring and other weather-related damage, there are still plenty of paths allowing you to experience Swiss nature up close and personal — no matter where in Switzerland you live.

Last but certainly not least: cheese!

This is, after all, Switzerland, so if you are expecting to visit some traditional cheese markets, there will be plenty of opportunities to do so throughout September.

This is a great way to taste local cheeses from various regions.

This website lets you know when and where cheese markets will be held. 

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CULTURE

French film legend and Swiss citizen Alain Delon dies at 88

French film legend Alain Delon, who was also a Swiss citizen, was a divisive star known to some as a sex symbol and to others as an egotistical chauvinist, has died aged 88, his children announced Sunday.

Published: 19 August 2024 09:52 CEST
French film legend and Swiss citizen Alain Delon dies at 88

The actor, known for his roles in classics “Purple Noon” (“Plein Soleil”, 1960) and “Le Samourai” (1967), died in the early hours of Sunday August 18th, his son Anthony told AFP. He had been suffering from cancer.

Delon acquired Swiss citizenship in 1999 and was a longtime resident of Geneva.

“Alain Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony, as well as (his dog) Loubo, are deeply saddened to announce the passing of their father,” Delon’s children said in a statement to AFP.

“He passed away peacefully in his home in Douchy, surrounded by his three children and his family,” said the statement, which came after months of public family feuding over the star’s weakening health.

French President Emmanuel Macron called Delon a “French monument” who “played legendary roles and made the world dream”.

Fellow 1960s star Brigitte Bardot told AFP he left “a huge void that nothing and no one will be able to fill”.

Delon had millions of fans but also legions of critics, with feminists appalled by the lifetime achievement award the Cannes Film Festival gave him in 2019.

He lived his later years largely as a recluse, though his personal life kept him in the headlines.

In 2023, his three children filed a complaint against his live-in assistant Hiromi Rollin, accusing her of harassment and threatening behaviour.

The siblings went on to wage a public battle in the media and the courts, arguing over his
health, which worsened after a stroke in 2019. – Instinctive genius –

Far from a cerebral actor, Delon was considered an instinctive genius. He prided himself on never working on his technique, instead relying on charisma.

Former president of the Cannes festival, Gilles Jacob, paid tribute to Delon as “a lion, an actor with a steely gaze”, while Alberto Barbera, director of the Venice film festival, said he was an “icon” who had climbed “to the Olympus of the immortals”.

Delon’s looks were cinematic gold for filmmakers in the 1960s, when he played dark roles such as the manipulative anti-hero of “Purple Noon”, adapted from the Patricia Highsmith thriller “The Talented Mr Ripley”.

And in Jean-Pierre Melville’s “Le Samourai”, he set the template for one of Hollywood’s main archetypes: the enigmatic, silent hitman.

Directors from Martin Scorsese to John Woo and Quentin Tarantino acknowledge a debt to the inner life Delon gave his stylish killer.

“R.I.P to the angel-faced gangster,” US director Jim Jarmusch posted on Instagram, with a photo of Delon from “Le Samourai”.

Delon never managed to make it big in Hollywood. As the New York Times obituary noted, US critics “often saw Mr. Delon only as a pretty boy”.

And the Washington Post wrote in its obituary how he “never found an English role that fully captured his seductive power, but he nonetheless had an ardent global following”.

But international stars lined up to pay tribute.

Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, a screen idol a generation later, paid tribute with a post on X showing three photos of Delon in his prime and the words “Au revoir #AlainDelon. R.I.P.”

Some of his best films were from his time in Italy, including two collaborations with Luchino Visconti, “Rocco and his Brothers” (1960) and “The Leopard” (1963).

“The party’s over,” his co-star in “The Leopard”, Claudia Cardinale, said Sunday. “Tancredi has gone to dance with the stars,” she added, using the name of his character.

Several Paris cinemas were showing “The Leopard” Sunday to full houses. – Controversial views –

Delon’s relationship with women caused controversy. His sons accused him of domestic violence, which Delon denied while admitting slapping women during quarrels.

Delon also drew criticism for supporting Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front, who was in favour of the death penalty and spoke against same-sex relationships.
He had a series of affairs, describing German actor Romy Schneider as the “love of my life” after their relationship in the 1960s.

German-born Velvet Underground singer Nico claimed he was the father of her son, Christian Aaron Boulogne — something Delon denied up to Boulogne’s death in 2023 from a heroin overdose.

Delon married Francine Canovas, known as Nathalie Delon, in 1964, a relationship that ended in divorce in 1969. Other high-profile relationships were with pop diva Dalida and model- turned-actor Mireille Darc.

His death put him back on frontpages Sunday, including in Italy where he made some of his best films in the 1950s and 60s.

La Repubblica bid “adieu to the myth of French cinema”.

Il Corriere della Sera lamented that “there will never be another actor like Delon”, while Switzerland’s Le Temps called him “a true badass with an angel’s face”.

Fans gather 

Delon made his last major public appearance on the red carpet to receive an honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019.

“It’s a bit of a posthumous tribute, but from my lifetime,” he said when receiving the award.

Delon lived out his final years in a small village in France, surrounded by high walls, where he planned to be buried not far from his dogs.

Outside the entrance to his home in Douchy-Montcorbon, dozens of fans placed flowers to pay their respects.

“It’s a part of our youth that is gone, it’s very sad,” said Marie Arnold, laying white flowers with her sister Michele.

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