Tokyo (SCCIJ) – The 12th Fête des Vignerons in Vevey on Lake Geneva, the most spectacular wine festival of Switzerland, expects about one million visitors between 18 July to 11 August. The idyllic town organizes this festival about the appreciation of the local wine-growing culture only once in a generation. Wine from Switzerland is well-renowned for its high quality, but the Swiss consume most of the annual production themselves. However, the SCCIJ manages to serve Swiss red and white wine at all its luncheons.
A city-wide spectacle
Organized by the Confrérie des Vignerons (the Brotherhood of Winegrowers), an organization that has roots going back to the Middle Ages, the pageant was first celebrated in 1797 and last held in 1999. In 2016, UNESCO included the Fête des Vignerons in the list of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage as the first living Swiss tradition. Vevey was also singled out as “One of the 52 Places to Go in 2019” by The New York Times. The success of each new edition of the Fête des Vignerons and the organizers’ ambition to always do better involve increasing financial investments. It is, therefore, challenging to organize more than five festivals per century. At the core of this first Fête des Vignerons in the 21st century is an extraordinary open-air spectacle in a vast, temporary arena built for the 20,000 spectators who will attend each of the 20 performances over the course of nearly a month.
Advertising poster for the twelfth Fête des Vignerons
Temporary arena in Vevey's market place
The arena is located in Vevey’s Place du Marché, set against the natural backdrop of Lake Geneva, the Alps and the vineyards of the Lavaux Region. Its dimensions are impressive. With a surface area of 14,000 m² and a maximum height of 30 meters, its larger than 1,000 m² main stage is as huge as an Olympic swimming pool, and the four elevated stages provide increased visibility for all spectators.
Thousands of actors
The 2019 theme is about a year in the life of the vineyard and will be performed by more than 1,200 singers and musicians and a cast of 5,500 costumed actors, all of whom are residents of Vevey and the surrounding area. The show is under the direction of Daniele Finzi Pasca, a Swiss-born theater and opera director, who is known for writing and directing the show Corteo for Cirque du Soleil and for drafting the closing ceremonies of the Turin XX Winter Olympic Games in 2006 and the XXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014. Throughout the Fête des Vignerons 2019, the spectacle will spill over into the city streets from morning until late at night. Much of the city of Vevey will become a hub of entertainment and street performances, as bars, wine cellars, and restaurants open their doors, and 60 food and beverage stands are set up, with much of the focus on local wine and Vaudois culinary specialties.
The 2019 festival theme is about a year in the life of the vineyard
Vevey, Lavaux and Lausanne
Vevey is an elegant Swiss city that lies on the shores of Lake Geneva in the heart of the Swiss Riviera. Visitors can easily explore the area by foot, by train and on the Belle Époque lake steamers that still crisscross Lake Geneva. Hiking trails and lakeside beaches are readily accessible. Just outside of Vevey is the acclaimed Chaplin’s World museum, located in Charlie Chaplin’s former mansion, which this year is celebrating the 130th anniversary of the birth of Chaplin. The region is also famed for the Vallée de Joux, the center of Swiss watchmaking.
To the east of the city, minutes away by train is the city of Montreux, site of the legendary jazz festival. Immediately to the west of Vevey are the tiered vineyards of the Lavaux, a major wine growing area that was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. Visitors enjoy vineyard walks, tastings in wine villages such as Epesses and St-Saphorin, and visiting the Lavaux Vinorama wine museum. Fifteen minutes by train from Vevey is the waterfront city of Lausanne, noteworthy for its medieval cathedral, youthful culture and the dynamic exhibitions at The Olympic Museum.
Text: SCCIJ partly with material of Lake Geneva Region; Photos: © City of Vevey
