All throughout the year, major events and festivals are happening in the ski resort town of Zermatt in Switzerland. If you want to make your Swiss Alps vacation even more memorable, why not consider coming here in Zermatt during one of these festivals. This way, you will not only enjoy Zermatt skiing but you will also be able to join in the celebration and festivities.
We have listed below some of the major events and festivals celebrated in Zermatt so you can plan your Zermatt vacation better.
These festivals celebrate the Swiss culture and the heritage of this mountain resort town.
Swiss Food Festival in Zermatt
Who can’t say no to a food festival? No one, not even the diet conscious can resists the fabulous fare prepared by the top chefs of the various restaurants in Zermatt hotels as well as those stand-alone world class dining places in Zermatt.
Zermatt’s Swiss Food Festival usually last 3 days and takes place during the beginning of August. This year’s festival is projected to begin on Friday, August 10, 2012 and will last until Sunday, August 12, 2012.
The top chefs from both world class Zermatt’s restaurants and local restaurants will prepare and cook a variety of regional specialties. These delectable food choices will be available for taste tasting as well as for purchase in the Bahnhofstrasse chalets.
One of the things being look forward to is the Sunday morning cable-car breakfast. You can ride in a cable car of the Matterhorn Express and at the same time you will dine on traditional Swiss favorites including muesli, dried meat, freshly made rye bread and cheese.
This is an awesome way to experience the traditional cuisine of Switzerland in the midst of a beautiful sunrise and breathtaking view of the Swiss Alps from your vantage point in the cable car.
Zermatt’s Folklore Festival
Zermatt is a ski resort town at the base of the majestic Matterhorn, one of Europe’s most popular landmarks. The town is also a close neighbor to European countries like France, Italy and Germany. Because of its strategic location, there is an inherent diversity to the residents of this Swiss Alps resort town and this diversity gave rise to the Swiss Folklore Festival.
The Swiss Folklore Festival features more than 50 different folklore groups boasting of over 1000 musicians, yodelers, dancers and entertainers. This celebration starts with a parade along the main street. After the parade, these groups will then perform at the fairgrounds and at the church square delighting locals and tourists.
You can also find an assortment of foods and drinks kiosks in the fair ground. If you brought your kids on your Zermatt vacation, then they will definitely have fun trying out different children activities during this event.
If you are staying in one of the Zermatt hotels along Main Street you can observe the activities from your hotel room. But it’s more enjoyable to get there on the street and celebrate with the locals.
Don’t miss out on dancing and grooving to the tune of traditional Swiss music to make for a truly memorable and unforgettable Zermatt experience.
Zermatt Festival
One of the newest festivals celebrated in this Swiss Alps resort town is the Zermatt Festival. This musical event is celebrated usually every September.
During the Zermatt Festival, choirs, musical ensembles and soloists come to Zermatt to perform classical music in front of a large audience. You can look forward to wondrous classical music from a chamber orchestra and from world renowned musicians.
Horu Trophy Zermatt
For sports enthusiasts vacationing for a grand Matterhorn ski adventure during January, you can look forward to the Horu Trophy Zermatt. This big winter sporting event attracts teams from all over the world to come to Zermatt and compete for the Horu Trophy Championship title.
Horu Trophy is Europe’s most popular and respected Open Air Curling Tournament. Curling is a team sport event with 4 members in a team. Each of the 4 members will slide a heavy granite stone referred to as “the rock” across a curling sheet of ice aiming to get as close to the target or the ‘house’. It can be a real challenge as the target is segmented into four rings making it difficult for players to hit close to the target. Higher points are given to stones reaching closest to the house, each of the team members points will be summed up and the team with the highest point brings home the crown.
More Major Events
In addition to Zermatt’s festivals, the town is also home to a variety of top major events like the Mountain Marathon Zermatt-Rothorn ski tour race, the famous golf tournament in Zermatt the Matterhorn Eagle Cup and the summer tennis tournament, the Raiffeisen Open.
If you are now planning to book your Zermatt accommodations during the festival seasons, book through us at Zermatt Matterhorn to avail of discounts on hotel bookings and Switzerland cheap airfares.
