From music festivals to traditional Easter processions, these are some of the events to enjoy in Switzerland in April 2025.
April 1st: Fool’s Day
Okay, so it is not an actual ‘event’ as such, but on this day, all kinds of buffoonery is not only allowed, but actually encouraged.
To give you some ideas, this is the biggest Swiss prank in recorded history:
READ ALSO: The most successful April Fools’ Day prank of all time
Zermatt Unplugged
Zermatt, Valais, April 5th-12th
This mountain resort may be known for winter sports, but it’s also worth visiting at other times of the year.
And this music festival, featuring pared-back performances, is a great time to sample Zermatt’s vibrant scene in the off-season.
Click here for more information on Zermatt Unplugged.
International Exhibition of Inventions
Geneva, April 9th-13th
If you’re looking to be inspired or you are in the world of innovative business, the International Exhibition of Inventions might just be the place for you.
It features creations from 40 countries and hundreds of innovators.
More than 30,000 visitors attend this event every year, including hundreds of journalists and entrepreneurs.
It’s taking place at the Palexpo, Halle 5.
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Lucerne Spring Festival
Lucerne, April 11th to 13th
One of the world’s premiere classical music festivals, it stretches throughout the year in curated blocks of programming.
Its ‘star’ is the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and soloists performing works, with emphasis on Beethoven.
Easter events
Many special events leading up to Easter on April 20th will take place in various parts of the country.
For instance:
Holy Week Procession
Mendrisio, Ticino, April 17th and 18th
These Holy Week processions, which are inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, take place inside the Borgo di Mendrisio on Thursday and (Good) Friday evening.
The processions, which are both mysterious and solemn, have part of traditions in the Ticino town since the 17th century.
Easter Market
Sion, Valais, April 18th
You will find over 160 stands and booths at the traditional Easter market in the Old Town (from Grand-Pont until la Place de la Planta) of the Valais capital.
You will be able to buy not just traditional Easter foods and trinkets, but also locally made specialties like pastries, jams, herbal teas, wines, and dairy products.
The market will be open from 8 am to 5 pm.
‘Living Easter’
Unterseen, Bern, April 20th
Every year on Easter Sunday morning, a pair of Easter bunnies appear in the Stadthausplatz square by the church steps, in the town of Unterseen.
In fact, in 2016, the Office for Culture of the Canton of Bern added Unterseen’s Easter bunnies to the cantonal list of living traditions and they are now a registered cultural asset.
You can see all the other Easter events here.
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Sechseläuten
Zurich, April 28th
This four-day festival, which translates to the ‘the six o’clock ringing of the bells’, starts on Friday April 28th.
The highlight is the procession of the guilds to Sechseläutenplatz with the giant ‘Böögg’ (a snowman effigy that symbolises winter) being set on fire.
The weather is cold in Switzerland since Tuesday. That is without doubt due to the failure or the bringer of spring, the Böög, at the Zurich Sechseläuten to burn, as it was supposed to. The event was nonetheless fun! pic.twitter.com/KhuT9NijD7
— Thomas Zurbuchen (@Dr_ThomasZ) April 19, 2024
While not a public holiday, many businesses, offices, and banks close on Monday so that Zurich residents can celebrate this ancient spring festival.
READ ALSO: Here’s why people in Zurich burn a huge snowman every April
