Laila Rodriguez
La ville est a vous or Geneva neighborhood flea markets and outdoor parties return for twelve weekends between May and September 2012
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – To the delight of many Geneva residents the popular neighborhoods flea markets / public outdoor parties return.
The La Ville est à vous, also known as the city’s Fêtes de rues, is an event for citizens to “take back the streets,” using the public space for their enjoyment.
For its ninth edition, the city, through neighborhood associations, organizes 12 street fairs between May and September.
The fairs offer outdoor concerts, art performances, food stalls, a flea market in designated streets, and outdoor ludotheques or children’s play areas.
Anyone can set up shop on the streets and sell everything from bicycle parts to clothes you no longer fancy.
Laila Rodriguez
Sonisphere in Switzerland will gather some of the heavy metal icons in one place
YVERDON-LES-BAINS, SWITZERLAND – Enter Sandman may be the best known heavy metal anthem in the world and now almost 21 years after its release it will be played live in Switzerland, courtesy of the itinerant one-day rock fest Sonisphere.
For the first time since the festival started touring Switzerland three years ago, it will stop in Suisse romande, at Yverdon-les-Bains.
The festival will be bringing along a litany of heavy metal / thrash revival from the 70s and 80s such as Slayer and Motörhead. The two groups along with Mastodon – a more recently formed heavy metal band from the US – will accompany the 2009 Rock’n'Roll Hall of Fame inductees.
This concert is an opportunity to see two of the so-called “big four” thrash metal bands of all time, Metallica and Slayer, in one place.
Laila Rodriguez
(Video below)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – With over 31 theatre companies in canton Geneva one is bound to meet a theatre actor at some point in time. That point in time may be this week in your own tub.
That’s right, in your own tub – or a friend’s tub. If you are wondering how that works, well, it is simple.
Thanks to Director Denis Maillefer and actress Aline Papin’s adaptation of the 1968 play, Belle du Seigneur, your bathroom (warm water and bubbles) becomes the stage for the play.
Laila Rodriguez
Saint Patrick's celebration in an old castle in neighbouring France
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Saint Paddy’s day is here and as customary we bring you some of the related happenings around the region.
This year our list has shrunk!
Strangely, many of the pubs that advertised St Patrick’s celebrations in 2011 are not doing the same this year. Once we hear back from some of the pubs we have contacted, we will update our page. Come back and visit us.
In Geneva: Read more…
Laila Rodriguez
The Cully Jazz Festival poster
LAKE GENEVA REGION, SWITZERLAND – The Cully Jazz festival, also known as “the most intimate of Switzerland’s big jazz festivals,” is almost here; tickets are on sale now.
Every spring, for nine days, the charming wine-making township of Cully is transformed into a jazz heaven; sort of a warm-up for the larger Montreux Jazz Festival. The 2012 dates are 13-21 April.
What I like about the CJ is that unlike other fests, it is all about jazz or world beat jazz fusion. There is no pop, rock wanna-bes or one-hit wonders here. They’re all new or relevant artists that use jazz as their main means of expression.
For 2012, the gifted Mina Agossi will be bringing her world beat jazz inspired music. Another interesting artist attending the rendez-vous is the Cuban-born pianist Harold Lopez Nussa who will be playing with Mamani Keita in what can be described as Latin jazz meets African-funk.
Laila Rodriguez
SWITZERLAND – It might be freezing cold outside but this is no reason to hibernate: Carnival 2012 is here. Guggen and brass bands will take to the streets to celebrate the traditional Carnival, Carnevale, Carnaval, Karneval or Fasnacht.
The Basel Fasnacht rolls through the streets with plenty of brass - Photo Ellen Wallace
While Carnival is not celebrated in canton Geneva, plenty of towns around the Confederation and neighboring France (with its Venetian carnival) join in the celebrations. In 2012 carnival dates range from 8 February to early April, and even early May in the case of Lausanne.
The Basel Fasnacht is billed as the largest carnival in Switzerland, starting at 04:00 the Monday after Ash Wednesday. Over 15,000 costumed participants take to the streets. “The parade route is 7km long, but the city’s population joins in so enthusiastically that there are 14km of people,” reported GenevaLunch from Basel in 2010. (If going to Basel read GenevaLunch’s list of do’s and don’ts), check below for the link to the official website.
Here is Geneva Living’s list of the fun fanfare ahead!
Laila Rodriguez
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Calling all crooners and songstresses who dream of being discovered! The Television Suisse Romande, TSR, is gearing up for what can be described as the Swiss version of “American Idol” by calling all vocalists out there for videotaped auditions in the upcoming weeks.
“We are looking for amateurs, not professionals singers. This casting is open to individual performers, not to groups. All phases of the casting will be filmed,” says the public invite sent by the TSR.
Laila Rodriguez
SWITZERLAND – This year you can catch the XLVI Super Bowl game LIVE on Swiss TV, even if you do not have cable or satellite TV. Just tune to TSR2 at midnight on Sunday 5 February.
This also means that you can go to any sports bar around Switzerland, ask them to tune to TSR2 and watch the game. However, once the bars closes at 2:00 you will be asked to leave.
If you’d rather hang out all night long with a few die-hard fans then visit:
- Mr. Pickwick in Geneva or Mr. Pickwick Basel. The bars will stay open all night long (or until 5:00 on Monday 6 February to be precise), serving hot dogs, chilli, buffalo wings and more
- Darling Pub or Le Zinc in Lausanne
- Bolgenschanze in Davos
Reports that the Super Bowl would be shown at the Marriott in Zurich seem unfounded. A clerk we spoke to said they would not be showing it there this year.
On the eve of this game and being a former resident of Secaucus, NJ (home to Giants Stadium), all I can say is: Let the game begin! And.. Go Giants!
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Stay in the know, follow Geneva Living on Facebook, Twitter, RSS, by e-mail; or through GenevaLunch News on Facebook.
Laila Rodriguez
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – This 19 and 20 November, from 11:00 to 18:00, there is something to do in Geneva, art, art and more … champagne?
An opportunity to explore exhibitions, art spaces, meet gallery owners and artists in a less frenetic than in Nuits des Bains, but also in the quartier des bains!
This weekend only.
See the schedule and activities.
And see all the activities I found around Lake Geneva for this weekend in GenevaLunch’s event page.
Video of the Nuits des Bains
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Stay in the know, follow Geneva Living on Facebook, Twitter, RSS, by e-mail; or through GenevaLunch News on Facebook.
Laila Rodriguez
The Staches at BAG - Photo BAG ©Christophe Losberger 2011
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – If you like live music, and have an appreciation for blues, then, you’ll love this resource.
The Geneva Blues Association, BAG in French, a Swiss non-profit dedicated to “preserving and advancing the exchange of blues between the English and French communities,” opens its doors to Blues enthusiasts Mondays and Thursdays.
Better still, paid shows are affordable; CHF25 for “special eves”, CHF15 otherwise; kids with the 20ans/20francs card pay only CHF10, members get in free to all concerts, while the Monday jam sessions are free for all.