GENEVA, Switzerland – Leaves are falling, days are getting cooler and shorter… yeap, fall is here. After a glorious summer, we will soon be surrounded by gray skies. Gotta get busy this October! Here’s my selection of what’s on in Geneva (and beyond). A few favorites in blue. Namasté.
Navigate the list easier by clicking on the following categories:
- Art & Other Exhibits
- Concerts, Films and other Performing Arts
- Fairs, Lectures, Conventions, Special Events
- Food and Wine
- Sports/Fitness Activities
Art & Other Exhibits
- 1 Oct-8 Jan: The World of Dinosaurs – a giant and rather laaarge exhibit at Palexpo, for the whole family!
- 2 Oct: Free entry to all temporary exhibits of the city of Geneva museums
- Starting on 7 October: Geneva vs Savoie through forts and knights (Châteaux forts et Chevaliers) at the Geneva Art and History Museum (review to come).
- Until 9 October: Frankestein, Creation of Darkness – very à propos since Mary Shelley began writing her masterpiece in Cologny
- 28 October: Free guided visit of the Museum of the Reformation
- Until 29 October: New Zealand artist Bill Culbert exhibit in Geneva
- Until 29 October: Reformation Wall at 100, discover how this iconic Geneva monument came to be. At Maison Tavel
- Until 30 October: Money, objects of exchange – A wonderful collection of objects that were once considered better than money to exchange and/or barter, Geneva (free)
- Until February 2017: Jewels of the Distant East, Gold Across the Seas at the Bauer Museum
Concerts
- 1-29 Oct: Contreband Festival – jazz, latin jazz and funk – 57 concerts & 7 jam sessions in 24 different venues throughout the Lake Geneva region including in neighboring France
- 6 Oct: Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals in Geneva
- 12 Oct: Pink Martini “little orchestra” in Lausanne
- 13 October: The Messiah of Handel at the St Pierre Cathedral
- 13-15 Oct: Vernier sur Rock, French metal, reggae, hip hop and other urban rhythms
- 15 Oct: Glenn Miller Orchestra in Geneva
- 16 Oct: Piano concert w/Duo Aurore, free, Lausanne
- 21 Oct: Laura Pausini
- 28-30 Oct: Electron Hub Weekend, electronic music festival
- 31 Oct: Turandot, a Puccini opera
- 2 Nov: Zucchero in concert
- 3 Nov: Tribute, the Best of Pink Floyd, Annecy, France
- 11 Nov: J. Balvin (reggaeton) in concert, Zurich
Films and other (Performing) Arts
- 30 Sep: European Researchers’ Night, Cern: Film festival, ATLAS guided visits, evening exhibit and of course.. some food trucks.
- Until 1 Oct: Theatre in English, Crimes of the Heart
- Until 2 Oct: Poésie en Ville, Geneva poetry festival around town including Bains de Paquis. Uber cool
- Until 2 Oct: Annecy’s Italian Film Festival in Geneva
- 5 Oct: Free film at the Graduate Institute of Geneva – The Great European Disaster Movie
- 6 Oct: Free film, Suffragette, at the UN, part of the Geneva Gender Champions
- 6-15 Oct: Animatou International Animation Film Festival in Geneva
- 7-9 Oct: Geneva Gaming Convention and cosplay meet (Move on Polymanga!)
- 11-16 Oct: Geneva’s I Love Theatre Festival – Play readings, films about theatre, “pop-up” performances, improve and more, – mostly free but some require to reserve ahead!
- 14-22 Oct: Geneva Int. Queer Film Festival (Everybody’s Perfect)
- 16-22 Oct: La semaine des P’tits Malins – a kids festival, one week of events for children including puppets, concerts and workshops in Thonon, France
- 21 Oct-5 Nov: Ba/Rock, baroque ballet at the Opéra des Nations in Geneva
- 22-23 Oct: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Lausanne
- 28 Oct-18 Nov: Kenji Mizoguchi – retrospective of 17 films directed by the Japanese filmmaker
- 29 Oct: Georgian National Ballet
- 18 Nov- 4 Dec: Latin American film festival: Filmar en América Latina – a staple of the city, Spanish-language films w/subtitles in English and/or French. Don’t miss it!
Fairs, Lectures, Conventions and other Special Events
- 1 Oct: Miss Geneva Balkan
- 1 Oct: Vessy Hydroelectric Open Doors Day – Visit the hydroelectric, participate in workshops & eat from one of the food truck vendors, free
- 1-2 Oct: Glam & Rock Festival – a vintage-feel, rockabilly inspired fest with a car exhibit, concerts and.. burlesque show! In Avusy, Geneva
- 2 Oct: Expat Expo, Geneva
- 2 Oct: Japanese culture festival in Carouge
- 2 Oct: Mission Terrain, ICRC & IFRC on field missions in Syria, Yemen and more at the ICRC museum
- 2 Oct: The Assault of Chillon Castle – plenty of activities planned as part of the Day of Swiss Castles.
- 3 Oct: Discover the St Jean neighborhood in Geneva (free guided tour in French, some volunteers speak English)
- 10 Oct: Workshop, learn to fix your electronics, free, but must live in Carouge
- 13 Oct: Lecture, the Future of Work by the Brookings Institution, free
- 14 Oct: Panel, A gender reality check in global health, free
- 16 Oct: Marche de l’Espoir – rally and festival in favour of Colombia
- 22-23 Oct: Annecy Wedding Fair, France
- 29 Oct: Swiss Parliament Open Doors Day, Bern, free
- 5 Nov: TedX at Institut Le Rosey, Rolle
Food and Wine
- 1 Oct: Rally des Chocolatiers – 12 artisan chocolate makers present their specialities (get the Alka-Seltzer ready :))
- 2-3 Oct: Whiskies and spirits tasting & conferences in Lausanne
- 6, 13, 20, 27 Oct: Food market & music in Carouge from 14:00 to 21:00. Concerts from 17:00 to 20:00. At Place du Marché. More info: redacarouge@gmail.com
- 7-8 Oct: Whisky and Spirits Convention: single-malt lovers this one is for you! Tastings begin at CHF2, stands, masterclasses and conferences in Geneva
- 15-16 Oct: Geneva celebrates its local food (Genève fête son terroir), local wines, cheese and other products in a two-day fair
- 21-23 Oct: Geneva Beer Festival – local/regional brewers and food truck fest
- 22 Oct: Goat & Sheep Festival, petting zoo and all kinds of cheeses, Carouge, free
- 30 Oct-1 Nov: Annecy, France flower festival (fête de la Toussaint)
- 5 Nov: Wine festival in Peissy, Geneva
- 17-18 Nov: Barkavin – Geneva wine cruise presented by local vineyards and wine sellers
- 26 Nov: Geneva independent wine-makers festival
Sports/Fitness Activities & Other Outdoor Activities
- 30 Sep-1 Oct: Urban Big Air, (Sosh Big Air) Annecy, France
- 30 Sep-2 Oct: Shake that Lake (rockabilly, Lindy dance festival), Geneva
- 1-2 Oct: Mountain biking in the city, Moudon (Manche de la Swisscup)
- 1, 8, 15, 21, 29 Oct: Geneva Hockey Team at home games
- 8-9 Oct: Parkour competition at the Maison de Quartier de St Jean in Geneva, free
- 8-9 Oct: 24 Hours Waterpolo & Swimming in Lausanne
- 8, 15, 29 Oct: Follow the Trail, Solve the Crime – outdoors in Geneva, see if you can uncover some mysteries
- 8 Oct: Pink Night at the Geneva-Servette Hockey Club to collect funds against breast cancer
- 15-16 Oct: Motorcycle races and exhibit in canton Geneva, free
- 30 Oct: Lausanne Marathon (registration open now)
Find us on Facebook where we post news from other blogs and news sites. We are also on Twitter with news from Geneva and beyond . To receive the posts via email, kindly subscribe at the bottom of the page.
All About Geneva 