GENEVA, Switzerland – Events galore in May in Geneva! Get your java, take five and go through this long list of events and activities in the canton and beyond. This month keep an eye out for art and gallery events, flower markets and wine festivals, and loads of free fitness activities.
Unless noted otherwise, the events take place in the city of Geneva. A few favorites are highlighted in blue and those that could be of interest to kids and families are highlighted in green (for a full agenda of events for the little ones, checkout these websites, AmStramGram and HappyKid).
Navigate the list easier by clicking on the following categories:
- Art & Other Exhibits
- Concerts
- Film Festivals and other Performing Arts
- Fairs and other Special Events
- Fitness Activities and Sporting Events
- Food and Drink
- Shopping: fleamarkets, home decor, vintage sales, etc
Art & Other Exhibits
- 2-18 May: Aho & Soldan and Claire Aho exhibit at the UN to celebrate 100 years of Finland’s independence, free
- 4-7 May: Lausanne Art Fair — 80 galleries will exhibit contemporary art works under one roof
- 4-14 May: Reyclage/ Recycled — About 30 artists exhibit their upcycled works
- 6 May: Free entry to temporary exhibits in all the municipal museums in Lausanne
- 6-28 May: Michel Mouthon’s steel sculptures in Romainmotier, canton Vaud — a bucolic setting surrounded by steel
- 7 May: Free entry to temporary exhibits in all the municipal museums in Geneva
- Until 14 May: Dancing Solar Art — an interactive exhibit
- 11 May: Art in Old Town — 15 galleries and 3 museums open their doors for cocktails and art… followed by guided visits on Saturday 13 May
- 17 May until 2018: Images of Science — exhibit of some of the best science images, free the first Sunday of the month
- 17 May: Route 66 — a slide show and talk (in French) by three Genevans who documented their motorcycle adventures through the famous and nostalgic US highway
- 18 May: Nuit des Bains — a very chic evening of cocktails and gallery hopping in the quartier des Bains, free
- 19 May until 2018: The Boomerang Effect, Australia’s Aboriginal Arts, free the first Sunday of the month
- 20 May until 2018: ANTS — all you ever wanted to know about these crawlers, free the first Sunday of the month
- 20-21 May: Night at the Museum — For the fifth year in a row, all of the municipal museums and the Botanical Garden (which will celebrate 200 years that night) stay open until midnight for special performances and exhibits including concerts — free (don’t miss the MAH After Work from 18:00 to 24:00)
- Until 23 May: Grand Défilé — An exhibit of dresses as you have never seen before designed by Albertine, an illustrator with more imagination than most fashion designers 😉 — workshops and catwalk — for kids and grownups, free
- Until 30 June: Enfants Placés – the shameful story of Swiss kids given to adoption or to service, a moving exhibit, Bern – read more here
- Until 2 July: Aqua — two exhibits. One at the Château de Penthes and the other outdoors on the Rousseau Island (seen above), free
- Until 29 Oct: 100 Years of the Reform – over 125 pieces in exhibition tell the story of Calvin and other church reformers
- Until Oct: At Work from 1860 to Our Days — a photo exhibit 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
Concerts
- Throughout May: concerts and jam sessions, free
- 5 May: Chuchichäschtli, rock genevois 🙂 in Presinge, canton Geneva
- 5-6 May: Rencontres Musicales — two-day music festival in Thonex, canton Geneva
- 8 May: Placebo
- 11 May: Jeudis Cuivrés — pop-rock brass concert, free
- 12 May: Tromboranga, Latin American salsa musicians based in Barcelona
- 13 May: J. Balvin, reggeaton
- 14 May: Melodies of Spain and Latin America, free, in Jussy, canton Geneva
- 16 May: Grupo Compay Segundo de Cuba, in Annecy, neighboring France
- 18 May: Classical music concert at the St Pierre Cathedral
- 19 May: Big Up Band (big band/jazz)
- 19-21 May: May at the Park — a series of free concerts at the Villa Bernasconi in Lancy, canton Geneva
- 20 May: Deep Purple
- 20 May: Paolo Fresu, Omar Sosa and Trilok Gurtu — jazz in Thonon, France
- 20-21 May: Weekend en Fanfare — brass music, choral and accordion festival, free
- 28 May: Duo Ambar, piano at four hands
- 1-9 Jun: Les Athénéenes — jazz and alternative music festival
- 7-11 Jun: Wyclef Jean, Evanescence, Foreigner, Alvaro Soler and more a Caribana Festival, Nyon, Vaud
- 14 Jun: Bruno Mars
- 15-18 Jun: M.I.A., the Kooks, and former members of Rage Against the Machine, Cypress Hill and Public Enemy at Festi’Neuch, Neuchatel
- 18 Jun: Depeche Mode in Zurich
- 20 Jun: Slayer in Zurich
- 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
- 2-6 May: Theatre in English: Our Town
- 3-7 May: Fête de la Danse — Geneva Dance Festival, impromptu and organized performances, on the street or at the mall or the theatre…. including several in which anyone can participate, free (the festival takes place all over Switzerland)
- until 10 May: Nock Circus in Plainpalais
- 5-14 May: Printemps Carougeois — films, dancing, concerts, kids activities, street theatre and much much more in Carouge, canton Geneva
- 11-13 May: First International Young Dancers Competition
- 11-28 May: Mapping Festival, Digital Shifts — Audiovisual electronica festival
- 12-13 May: Carnage (in French) — Theatre by students of the conservatory, free
- 16 May: Playreading in English, The Cenci
- 19 May: Concert in the bus — part of the Qu’est-ce qui se Tram? project. One tram will follow the route between Carouge, Chêne-Bourg, Chêne-Bougeries, city of Geneva, Lancy, Plan-les-Ouates and Thônex in canton Geneva, and Annemasse, Ambilly and Gaillard in neighboring France. From 16:00 to midnight, simply hop on and off, free
- 25-28 May: Fanfare Tsuica Circus — a fun, alternative loud acrobatic, animal-free circus in Annecy, neighboring France
- 27 May: Performance Art: Snow Mowing, free, in Annemasse, neighboring France
- 16-22 June: Zanco Wild Things — street theatre in the woods at La Grange Park
Fairs and other Special Events
- 2, 9, 15, 22 May and 1, 12 Jun: Gardening courses — from growing clever containers to edible gardens
- 4-7 May: Carnaval de Lausanne
- 4-7 May: UniCrea — Fashion and design show in Morges, canton Vaud
- 5-7 May: Kermess du Muguet, in Lancy, canton Geneva — food, circus and 80s music
- 6 May: Festival Latino American — zumba, salsa, kizomba and more
- 6 May: Kermess du Collex-Bossy, canton Geneva
- 6-7 May: Vogue de Jussy — township fair, canton Geneva
- 7 May: Journée suisse de la navigation — take a Lake Geneva boat tour at a reduced price
- 7 May: Herens Cow Fighting Finals (Finale nationale de la Race d’Herens), in Valais
- 7 May: Soapbox Derby/Youth Festival in Versoix — loads of fun — race, workshops, circus, food, music and more, free
- 8, 9, 11 May: La Grange Mansion and Gardens guided tours — free but registration required
- 13-14 May: Vogue d’Anières, canton Geneva (town fair)
- 19 May: Neighbors Night Out, Fête des Voisins — set a table outside your building and invite your neighbors for an apèro — it has been proven that it improves relations among participants (and we can agree to that!), free
- 19 May: Salsa, bachata and kizomba dancing
- 19-21 May: Fête de la Nature — from theatre to performance art, from slam poetry to petting zoos and interactive exhibits… Switzerland and neighboring France
- 20 May: Troinex in canton Geneva celebrates 200 years with a market, activities and dancing
- 20 May: Salsa Geneva Cup — over 100 dancers fight for the right to be called the best salsa (Puerto Rican or Cuban) and bachata dancers in the Lake Geneva region
- 21 May: Naval Parade, starting from Cully in canton Vaud and up the lake — the CGN takes its best boats out for a sail
- 27 May: Les Grandes Medievales — Medieval times back for a summer beginning at the end of May, from shows to workshops in neighboring France
- 27 May: Salsa, merengue, bachata dancing in Onex, canton Geneva
Fitness Activities & Sporting Events
- 2 May: Lions de Genève vs Neuchatel basketball playoffs
- 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
- 6-7 May: Harmony Geneva Marathon
- 7 May: Lavaux Up — a sort of critical mass/slow up where adult and kid bikers, roller skaters and pedestrians take over the scenic route between Cully and Vevey (and back!) — a 20km route free of cars from 10:00 to 16:30, free
- 8 May-18 Sep: Urban Training in Perly-Certoux, canton Geneva — every Monday, free but registration required
- 10 May: Guided walk through Vernier, free but registration required
- 10 May: Harlem Globetrotters
- 10 May-20 Sep: Urban Training, free in Chancy, canton Geneva
- 11-14 May: Coop Beach Volleyball — brrr… some brave players will go at it on an artificial beach in Geneva
- 20-21 May: 26th annual Geneva swim meeting
- 20-21 May: Petanque cantonal championship
- 20-27 May: Geneva Tennis Open — part of the ATP tennis circuit
- 21 May: Spring Ball for Seniors at Bastions Park, free (CHF25 for brunch)
- 21 May: Guided walk through Cologny and Vandoeuvres and apèro, free but registration required
- 21 May: Race for Gift — ignore the plain awful name and register to run for your favorite charity
- 21 May: Cyclotour du Léman — Lake Geneva bike tour (Geneva, Lausanne, Evian)
- 23, 31 May and 7, 14 Jun: Tour du Canton de Genève — this 30+km race takes runners through Dardagny, Lancy, Puplinge and Bellevue on four separate dates. For seasoned runners aged 18+
- 25-27 May: Acrobatic gymnastics competition
- 3-5 Jun: Talampaya, ultimate frisbee tournament
Food and Drink
- 1 May: Arvinis — 200 exhibitors, 5,000 wines to discover
- 1 May: Discover and share the various foods of the world — in collaboration with the Red Cross’ Day Centre for Migrants — only CHF5!
- 5 May: Monthly evening market, Marché de Connay in Grand-Saconnex (food stalls, artisans and vegetable market)
- 6 May: Flower Market in Versoix, annual gathering of professional gardeners, food stalls and other fun activities
- 6 May: 30th Annual Spring Flower and Plant Market in Versoix, canton Geneva — food and other activities
- 6 May: Bernex township market
- 12 May: The Ferme de Budé’s future — free buffet to present the new project of the only 100% organic gardens in the city of Geneva
- 13 May: Sixth Annual Flower and Plant Market, Vernier
- Until 14 May: Tulip Festival in Morges, Vaud
- 20 May: Geneva Wineries Open Day — Caves Ouvertes — simply head to any of the wine cellars, pay 10francs for a reusable glass and take the free buses to go wine cellar hopping
- 20 May: Monthly artisans and food market in Laconnex, canton Geneva
- 20 May: Local food artisans market in Russin, canton Geneva
- 25-27 May: Open wine cellars (caves ouvertes) in canton Valais
- 3-4 Jun: Canton Vaud open wine cellars (caves ouvertes)
Shopping: Fleamarkets, artisans and art fairs, vintage sales, etc.
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