GENEVA, Switzerland — The June guide is coming a bit late courtesy of an actual paying job 😉 Nevertheless faithful readers, here is “a selection” of what’s on and free in what is left of June in Geneva. (I will update this post during the week to add more events!)
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, Geneva Family Diaries, 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
- 17 Jun-16 Jul: Botanica — workshops for kids and adults,conferences, guided visits, and food tasting at the Botanical Gardens and 21 other gardens around the canton — most of the activities are free
- 19-29 Jun: Kihnu, Isle of Women — Lying off Estonia’s Baltic coast, the small islands of Kihnu and Manija are home to a community of 600 people whose cultural expressions and agricultural traditions have been kept alive over the centuries largely through the island’s female population — free, at the UN, registration required
- 19 Jun-7Jul: Photo exhibit, 20 Years of Humanitarian Mine Action — free, those without UN badges are required to register — (I’m biased, so I will highlight it blue as a recommended event!)
- 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, 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
- until 2018: Images of Science — exhibit of some of the best science images, free the first Sunday of the month
- until 2018: The Boomerang Effect, Australia’s Aboriginal Arts, free the first Sunday of the month
- until 2018: ANTS –– all you ever wanted to know about these crawlers, free the first Sunday of the month
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Concerts
- Throughout June: concerts and jam sessions, free
- 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
- 20 Jun: Young soloists in residence at the Geneva opera — perform Mozart, Rossini, Puccini, and Tchaïkovski but to name a few — only CHF10-15 a ticket
- 23-25 Jun: Fete de la Musique — Geneva hosts the largest of its kind, with a three day festival, free, all over the city — don’t miss it!
- 25-28 Jun: Winter Bonfire and Peter and the Wolf, at the Opera des Nations — for younger audiences
- 27 Jun: Berliner Philarmoniker, classical music in Geneva
- 28 Jun: Kris Kristofferson in Zurich
- 29 Jun: Sara Hebe and Ramiro Jota, Argentinian rapo
- 30 Jun-15 Jul: Montreux Jazz Festival
- 10 Jul: George Benson in Zurich
- 12-16 Jul: Sting, Zucchero, David Guetta, Christophe Maé and more at Sion Under the Stars (Sion sous les etoiles), canton Valais
- 18-23 Jul: Paleo Festival in Nyon
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Film Festivals and other Performing Arts
- 16-18 Jun: Geneva public art biennale — at the Plainpalais Plaza with concerts, art performances and more — free (click on the Tweet above to see the video of the various art installations and concerts going on in Plainpalais!
- 16-22 Jun: Zanco Wild Things — street theatre in the woods at La Grange Park (or is that… forest mystery theatre?) at 21:15 — free, donations accepted
- 19-23 Jun: Theatre in English, Mini-Drama Showcase by Simply Theatre, Versoix
- 30 Jun-1 Jul: Outdoor movies in Grand-Saconnex: Ma vie de Courgette and Les Recettes du Bonheur, free
Fairs and other Special Events
- 16-18 Jun: Ville-est-a-vous, annual flea markets and food festivals around the city, this time it is in the Paquis, one of the largest!
- 24-26 Jun: Vogue de Perly-Certoux, village fair with concerts, food and more
- 7 Jul: Salsa Under the Stars in Annecy, France
- 8 Jul: Lake Parade 2.0 in Geneva — is back! Techno and a whole lot of nakedness :~
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Fitness Activities & Sporting Events
- Every Saturday until October: free guided walks through Carouge
- 16-18 Jun: Bol d’Or Mirabaud, largest sweet water regatta in the world — from Geneva to Bouveret in canton Valais, Lake Geneva’s must-see water event
- 16-18 Jun: Villars Rando Festival, canton Vaud’s premier hiking festival
- 17 Jun: Gliss en ville, the largest urban water slide takes place in Rue de St Jean in Geneva
- 20 Jun: Moto Mayhem, Nitro Circus
- 24-25 Jun: Weekend Aqua Fun in Carouge ideal for families!
- 25 Jun: Swim to Aid, a Terre-des-hommes initiative to collect funds, simply show up to swim that day
- 1 Jul-27 Aug: Tour de Plage — Carouge becomes an urban beach where water fountains provide all the fun — weekends only
Food and Drink
- 7 July: Marché de Connay, in Grand-Saconnex, monthly summer market
Shopping: Fleamarkets, artisans and art fairs, vintage sales, etc.
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