Swiss national day at the heart of the harbour!

Les Fêtes de Genève 2015 is honoured by the participation of the City of Geneva and its authorities and guests on Saturday 1 August for the Swiss National Day celebrations.

Thanks to the commitment of the Mayor of the City of Geneva, Esther Alder, the Administrative Council and all the departments involved, the inhabitants of the City of Geneva have the joy of celebrating this great patriotic event as an integral part of the Fêtes de Genève.

At 2:00 pm that afternoon, the piers will come alive with a PARADE DU TERROIR – a parade of players from the Geneva terroir – who will be marching past the Monument Brunswick on their way to Parc La Grange. The parade will move to the accompaniment of music provided by the Cantonal Federation of Genevan traditional dress, with fifes and drums, alphorns, Dek'Onex Guggenmusik and Fanfare du Chablais. Noteworthy is the unusual presence of antique machines and vehicles from Geneva's Agricultural Museum. The very Swiss Geneva Association of Swiss Mountain Dogs and the St. Bernard will also be there and will certainly delight the public and tourists.

After the parade, many activities that celebrate local agriculture and one of its illustrious pioneers, the Jardins de Cocagne, will delight families at the top end of the PARC LA GRANGE.

At the Jardin Anglais, the celebration of Swiss National Day continues in the Genevan Agriculture and Terroir area.

7:30 pm During the OFFICIAL CEREMONY, Mayor Esther Alder will deliver a speech followed by a reading of the 1291 Federal Charter by two children and a speech by a guest of honour of the City of Geneva.

8:30 pm In the evening there will be a concert by the Genevan group ALIOSE at the Scène des Clubs. This talented duo has built an international reputation for compositions and perfectly crafted lyrics.

10:30 pm The entire harbour and bay area (La Rade) will open up to commemorate Swiss National Day with a FIREWORKS DISPLAY lasting 20 minutes and set to music, a gift to the public from the Fêtes de Genève.

After the last fireworks have faded from the sky, the traditional FIRE OF JOY prepared by the City of Geneva will set the entire lakefront ablaze. This has never been seen in Geneva before!

11:00 pm After months of preparation, the Fêtes de Genève 2015 welcomes the famous percussion group TAMBOURS DU BRONX for a unique 50-minute performance on a pontoon placed on the water near the Jardin Anglais. This special concert is a gift from the City of Geneva.

The Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation and the Organising Committee for the Fêtes de Genève would like to warmly thank the City of Geneva and its authorities for their presence and their support during the joint organisation of this celebration of Swiss National Day 2015. The combined strengths and skills of everybody involved makes it possible for us to offer the people of Geneva and our visitors an exceptional commemoration of the 1291 Federal Charter.