Open-air festivals are by far the largest cultural events in Switzerland today. No other country has such a packed programme of open-air festivals that are renowned throughout Europe. Every summer, thousands make the pilgrimage to Switzerland, mainly teenagers and young adults, but also, depending on the music on offer, entire families, to attend outdoor concert events for one or more days. Normally they do not leave the festival site during their stay. These visitors bring everything they need with them. They spend the night in tents, but do not get much sleep. The open-air festivals are enormous parties lasting several days and for many young people they are unforgettable experiences.
St Gallen Open Air (30.6.2017) © Open Air St. Gallen/Nick Lobeck
St Gallen Open Air (30.6.2017) © Open Air St. Gallen/Michael Dornbierer
Paléo Nyon © Paléo Nyon/Nicolas Patault
Paléo Nyon © Paléo Nyon/Marc Amiguet
Paléo Nyon © Paléo Nyon/Anne Colliard
Paléo Nyon © Paléo Nyon/Jacques Rattaz
St Gallen Open Air (28.6.2015) © Open Air St. Gallen/Tamara Gysel
St Gallen Open Air (25.6.2015) © Open Air St. Gallen/Daniel Gassner
St Gallen Open Air (3.7.2016) © Open Air St. Gallen/Markus Moning
St Gallen Open Air (3.7.2016) © Open Air St. Gallen/Rita-Seixas
St Gallen Open Air (2007) © Peter Hummel
St Gallen Open Air (2007) © Peter Hummel
St Gallen Open Air (1990) © Peter Hummel
St Gallen Open Air (1985) © Peter Hummel
The first St Gallen Open Air (1977), known at the time as the Abtwil Open Air © Peter Hummel
Skyline Stage at the Frauenfeld Open Air (2017) © René Götz
Skyline Stage at the Frauenfeld Open Air (2017) © René Götz
Detailed description
Open-Air-Festival-Kultur (PDF, 398 kB, 29.05.2018)Ausführliche Beschreibung
Category
Social practices
Canton
Connected traditions
Publications
Robert Heyer, Sebastian Wachs, Christian Palentien (Ed.): Handbuch Jugend - Musik - Sozialisation. Wiesbaden, 2013
Christof Graf: Event-Marketing: Konzeption und Organisation in der Pop-Musik. Berlin, 1998
Urs Zurlinden: Open-Airs in der Schweiz: Musik für Millionen. In: Die Handelszeitung, 11.6.2015
Kim Schärer: Schweizer Festivals in Zahlen und Fakten. In: Radio SRF Virus, 19.6.2017
Renat Kuenzi: «Festivals sind musikalisch begleitete Rituale». In: Swissinfo, 8.7.2012
Association Paléo Arts et Spectacles (Ed.): Complices en coulisses - Paléo Festival Nyon. Nyon, 2015
Olivier Horner (Rédaction): La magie de l'éphémère - Paléo Festival Nyon. Lausanne, 2010
Pierre-Louis Chantre: Paléo - au coeur de la légende, 1976-2005. Lausanne, 2005
Keywords
Summer
