Switzerland: Zurich fest

Air acrobatics, ski jumping, diving, Swiss air force, Ferris wheels, music, Cornish pasties, beer, Caphrinis, dragon boat racing, wake boarding, fire eating, poise, djs, dodgems, condoms, noodles, Raclette, contemporary dance, tattoos, candyfloss, fireworks, ice cream, roasted nuts, high wire, camel rides, bouncy castles, singing, tango, salsa, handmade jewellery, daredevils, tombola, musicians, orchestras, bratwursts, helicopter stunts, kebabs, lychee champagne, football, disco balls, piercings, sweet corn. This was not the Switzerland I was expecting.



I turned up in Zurich the one weekend of the year the city was closed. Closed, and in its place they filled the streets with an amazing festival. In the cobbled squares sat dj booths and bars, down the side street lay stages and dance floors, parks filled with fairground attractions and activities, pavements lined with stalls and everywhere in between hundreds of food vendors offering every types of food imaginable. My 24 hours in Zurich was a whirlwind of activity and festivity. I’m not sure why the Swiss people had overthrown this city and made it into a festival, I am not even sure what language they speak in Switzerland, but I am glad they did. It was what you would expect from any festival, a vast array of performers; jazz, dance, acoustic sets, rock groups etc but then so much other stuff too. The Swiss air force was showing off their flying skills throughout the day; people wake boarded stood on chairs and skiers ski jumped into the crystal clear river which runs through the city.


This was perhaps the most authentic experience of the modern culture in any country I had yet...as well as being fun: In and amongst the young and old, the locals and not so local. The Swiss have style, not just in the way they dress, but the posters, signs and logos which I saw mainly when driving out of the city. It’s clear that they love a good grid system here. I would have liked to stay longer in Switzerland as the festival distracted from the reason I had gone to Zurich, to visit an exhibition, but I couldn’t afford to. It is true what they say. Switzerland is expensive. But they can certainly show you a good time, just ask those passed out on the street the next morning whilst I headed off to France.