The Annual Caribana Music Festival is back from 4 – 8 June and this year. It boasts an array of talent from arena sell-out performers to up and coming DJ’s from around the world. With three stages and over 40 performers, some of this year’s big acts include Jessie J, Passenger, Bastian Baker and Youssoupha. While Caribana is not as big as some other Swiss music festivals, it offers a certain charm. Caribana takes place on the lake in Crans-Pres-Celigny, and while you’re listening to the live music you can enjoy a wide variety of food.
Caribana Music Festival
Photo ©Glenn-Michel
Friday and Saturday are the big nights and this year French rapper, Youssoupha, who received huge praise for his single “On Se Connaît”, will perform on Caribana’s Main Stage along with chart topping English singer, Jessie J. On the smaller Lake Stage, up-and-coming DJ, Naughty Boy, will hopefully play his signature song “La La La”, featuring Sam Smith. On Saturday night, Swiss teenage heartthrob Bastian Baker will headline the main stage along with Passenger, who is most known for his hit “Let Her Go.” Swiss bandKadebostanywill then take to the Lake Stage to perform their irresistibly catchy set. Sunday is known as “Caribateens,” which offers young bands from around the area the opportunity to perform. Ticket prices for adults are CHF 83 and 22 for children. For the full programme, visit www.caribana-festival.ch.
ForumWallis: Music festival of 100 premieres
And for lovers of classical music there’s ForumWallis, staged in the historic central Valais town of Leuk, which is a music festival of 100 premieres.
Running from 5 to 9 June, the festival presents 30 world premieres and 70 Swiss premieres performed by internationally acclaimed ensembles. It includes multimedia performances, installations and art exhibitions as well as concerts featuring more than 100 living composers.
Entrance is free for most events, but the organizers ask those who can pay to contribute, suggesting CHF20 per concert or CHF50 per day.
The full programme is available online at
http://www.forumvalais.ch/programm.htm
Since the festival day usually starts in the afternoon, you can tie your visit in with a trip to the Leukerbad spa and lunch at one of Leukerbad’s many good restaurants (my tip: the Waldhaus near the spa). If you want to stay over (some concerts start at 10pm or later), Leuk has the highly recommended, reasonably priced Schlosshotel.
Some highlights:
5 June 20:30 mountain panoramas to music. 22:00 Japanese violin virtuoso Takao Hyakutome makes his Swiss debut.
6 June 19:00 Valaisan jazz pianist David Bokel premieres his first CD. 20:30 dissonArt Ensemble Thessaloniki: does what it says on the label
with 62 miniature pieces, including 50 Swiss premieres. 21:30 UMS ‘n Jip: electronic avantgarde music from Russia and Turkey.
7 June 18:00 Taller Sonoro Sevilla: electronic chamber music from Spain, 20:00 Platypus Ensemble Wien: Vienna specialists in presenting new works by young composers.
8 June 16:00 Ensemble Kontur Basel: presenting new texts from prominent Swiss authors. 20:00 hicsuntleones: four adventurous Swiss jazz musicians get together for some “instant composing”.
9 June 15:00 Curious Chamber Players Stockholm: new music from Sweden. 17:00 Carte Blanche; London-based video artist Rebecca Salvadori and the peripatetic Valais musician Yannick Barman in a multimedia performance.
Peter Hulm
