GENEVA, Switzerland – After two months absence I am back with my pick of top events/activities in the city and canton of Geneva. Events/activities beyond the canton’s borders are duly noted. A few favorites are highlighted in blue and those that could be of interest to kids and families are highlighted in green.

 Navigate the list easier by clicking on the following categories:

• Art & Other Exhibits
• Concerts, Film Fests and other Performing Arts
• Fairs, Conventions, and other Special Events
• Fitness Activities and Sporting Events
• Food and Drink
• Lectures, round tables
• Shopping: fleamarkets, artisans and art fairs, vintage sales, etc

Art & Other Exhibits

• 2 Apr: Free entry to temporary exhibits in all the municipal museums in Geneva
• 5, 26 Apr: Family Wednesdays –– For kids aged 6-10 — meet at the Art and History Museum to discover statues, armors, paintings and even… mummies! Free
• 5 Apr-7 Jan: AIDS, the Fight in Images at the ICRC Museum
• Until 13 Apr: Habalukke, Treasures of a Forgotten Civilization
• 27 Apr: Un Soir Aux Eaux-Vives – A Night at the Eaux-Vives neighborhood — during this first edition, galleries will open their doors offering not only art, but also food, performances and wine
• Until 30 June: Enfants Placés – the shameful story of Swiss kids given to adoption or to service, a moving exhibit – read more here
• Until 14 May: Dancing Solar Art — an interactive exhibit
• 28 Apr-29 Oct: 100 Years of the Reform – over 125 pieces in exhibition tell the story of Calvin and other church reformers
• Until Oct: Photography from 1860 to Our Days — at the Prangins Castle in canton Vaud
• Until 2018: Printed Narrative Scenes on 19th Century Creamware — collection of plates, usually 12, telling one collective story

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Concerts

• 31 Mar-8 Apr: Cully Jazz Festival — the nicest “little” jazz fest in the Lake Geneva area
• 2 Apr: Lausanne Chamber Music Orchestra in Geneva
• 4 Apr: ETM school concerts and jam sessions, monthly, free, in Carouge canton Geneva
• 5 Apr: i Muvrini, Music for Non-violence
• 5 Apr: Duke Ellington Sacred Concert
• 6-12 Apr: Opera, Orleanskaya Deva (sung in Russian)
• 7 Apr: Venezuelan Roots — new music of the diaspora
• 9 Apr: Evaristo Pérez, jazz concert
• 9 Apr: A Capella Genevensis
• 13-16 Apr: Electron Festival
• 26 Apr: Julien Doré, modern French chanson
• 27 Apr: Nina Van Horn, blues
• 28 Apr: Gregory Porter, jazz
• 28-30 Apr: 100 pianists on International Jazz Day
• 29 Apr: Zion & Lennox, reggaeton in Zurich
• 29-30 Apr: 100 Voices Gospel
• 30 Apr: Classical music in Lignon, canton Geneva
• Until end of Apr: concerts and jam sessions, free
• 13 May: J. Balvin, reggeaton
• 20 May: Deep Purple
• 12-16 July: Sting, Zucchero, David Guetta, Christophe Maé and more at Sion Under the Stars (Sion sous les etoiles), canton Valais

Film Festivals and other Performing Arts

• 2 Mar-9 Apr: Green Film Festival – Geneva, Vaud and France
• 27 Mar-7 Apr: ASEAN Film Festival at the UN – if you don’t have a UN pass, register to obtain one, free
• 29 Mar-2 Apr: Geneva International Jewish Film Festival
• 1-9 Apr: Festival Internationale du Film Oriental de Genève
• 20 Apr: Tango Nomade – watch and/or dance tango once a week, free, it includes workshop and apèro!
• 21-29 Apr: Visions du Réel, Nyon International Film Festival, canton Vaud

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Fairs, Conventions, and other Special Events

• 30 Mar-2 Apr: Journées de métiers d’art – visit the workshops, view the work and meet the artists and artisans working as watch and cabinetmakers, upholsterers, quilters, costume designers, sculptors, florists, art conservators, enamel workers, glass eye makers, and other applied art careers!
• 9 Apr: Toutes en Moto — hundreds of—mostly—women bikers roar their engines through a rally across the canton
• 13-17 Apr: Polymanga 2017 — This Japanese manga inspired festival has moved to Montreux with more than 40,000 visitors (mostly youth) attending in 2016 — featuring mangas, anime, video-games, cosplay and a tribute to Japanese culture, the festival includes origami and Japanese calligraphy and a whole lot of wigs and lipstick — read my 2011 review here
• 26-30 Apr: Salon du Livre et de la Presse – Geneva’s book and press fair — your favorite authors, books, demos, conferences and much more
• 27 Apr: Belarusian Spring Festival “Gukanne Vyasny”, at the UN, free but registration required to obtain a UN pass
• 27 Apr: Un Soir Aux Eaux-Vives – A Night at the Eaux-Vives neighborhood — during this first edition, galleries will open their doors offering not only art, but also food, performances and wine
• 29 Apr: Tractor Racing in a parking lot in Vinzier, Rhone-Alpes in neighboring France (near Thonon)
• 29 Apr: Firefighters Open Doors and Job Fair, free, for the whole family — the Bardonnex community is looking for those aged 18 and over, Swiss and/or foreigners, who would like to become firefighters, in Composières, canton Geneva
• Until 14 May: Tulip Festival in Morges, Vaud

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Fitness Activities & Sporting Events

• 30 March throughout April – Walk, Run Training – Grand Saconnex offers athletic coaching for a fee, reimbursing part of the fees to residents
• 1 Apr, 6 May, 3 Jun, 1 Jul, 5 Aug, 2 Sep: Samedis du vélo – Saturdays on bike involves a little bit of pedaling and a whole lot of touring. The city of Geneva sponsors several guided visits, from feminism to architecture, from graffiti viewing to natural history lectures… to Frankenstein in Geneva. It is free, in French and perfect for all fitness levels. Registration required
• 2 Apr: Vivicitta race for the whole family
• 2 Apr-25 Jun: Sports training for all – in Anières, canton Geneva, free, 1h30 training for all levels
• 8 Apr: Swiss Basketball Tournament
• 8 Apr: Urban Training, Sports and Solidarity — relay race, stretch, strength training and more
• 9 Apr: Course de ponts — Bridges race in Geneva, run/walk over all of the bridges in Geneva
• 10 Apr: Roger Federer vs Andy Murray, the Match for Africa, Zurich
• 20-23 Apr: Geneva Futur Hockey Challenge
• 22-23 Apr: Salon Thérapies Naturelles — in Morges, canton Vaud, includes workshops and lectures
• 28-30 Apr: 46th Swann Obersion Swimming Meeting
• 29 Apr: 40th Walking Race of Bernex — walk through vineyards, do some wine tasting and try some of the local food
• 30 Apr: Lake Annecy Marathon — registrations open now
• 6-7 May: Harmony Geneva Marathon
• 22 Oct: Lausanne Marathon
• 29 Oct: 20km de Genève Run

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Food and Drink

• 1-2 Apr: Festichoc, Swiss chocolate festival in Versoix, canton Geneva. It includes tasting, music, and games
• 2 Apr: Easter Market, Lully, canton Vaud (10:00-17:00)
• 6 Apr: Night Market at Village du Soir — shopping, food trucks, artisans and drinks! Over 5,000 people attended the first marché
• 8 Apr: Swiss wine market and tasting — 30 winemakers from Geneva, Vaud and Valais present and sell their wines
• 13-16 Apr: Indian Food Festival — food stalls, live music and Indian dancing under the same roof
• 28 Apr: Whisky tasting in Lutry, canton Vaud
• 29 Apr: 40th Walking Race of Bernex — walk through vineyards, do some wine tasting and try some of the local food
• 1 May: Discover and share the various foods of the world — in collaboration with the Red Cross’ Day Centre for Migrants — only CHF5!
• 6 May: Flower Market in Versoix, annual gathering of professional gardeners, food stalls and other fun activities
• 20 May: Geneva Wineries Open Day — Caves Ouvertes

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Lectures

• 5 Apr: LGBT Rights in Geneva, free, in French
• 6 Apr: The Magic of Space, Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier in conference, free
• 10 Apr: International Organizations as Heterotopia, free
• 25 Apr: The Global Swing to the Right, free
• 27 Apr: Preventing Torture, free

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Shopping: Fleamarkets, artisans and art fairs, vintage sales, etc.

(vide dressing are sales featuring current, fashionable, vintage and second hand clothing. I also carry a full list of updated sales here)

• 8 Apr: Annual Spring Artisan Market in Grand-Saconnex, canton Geneva
• 9 Apr: Fleamarket in Cressy, canton Geneva
• 9 Apr: Fleamarket and vide dressing in Perly, canton Geneva
• 29 Apr: Fleamarket in Meyrin, canton Geneva
• 29 Apr: Fleamarket in Eaux-Vives
• 29 Apr:
• Every Wednesday and Saturday, largest fleamarket in Switzerland takes place at the Plainpalais Plaza in Geneva
• Every Saturday, fleamarket in Lausanne
• Last Sunday of the month, fleamarket in Nyon, canton Vaud
• Monthly art and artisan markets in Annecy, France

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