July is this month where you kind of find a ton of festivals and musical events around the country. There are also some highlights like the Alphorn meetings in Nendaz, the Montreux Jazz Festival and many more that you can find here below to spice up your month between one dive to the lake to another.
So here you go:
1st of July
Geneva: The Street Food Festival with over 60 international food trucks and local bars at the Plaine de Plainpalais. Dates: June 25 to July 5.
Zurich: Stadtzürcher Seeüberquerung is a lake crossing, where up to 9,000 experienced swimmers tackle a 1,500-meter route across Lake Zurich from Mythenquai to Tiefenbrunnen. Date: July 1, 2026 (backup dates: July 8 or August 19)
Lausanne: Festival de la Cité in the historic neighborhood with a mix of completely free live music, theater, dance and circus performances. Dates: from June 30th to July 5th.
Zug: ZugMAGIC, a free, month-long outdoor water and light spectacle along the Lake Zug promenade. Dates: June 27 to July 26.
Ascona: JazzAscona transforms the lakeside town into a mini New Orleans, featuring over 200 concerts, jam sessions and brass band parades that celebrate jazz, funk, and soul. Dates: from June 25 to July 4.
Gstaad: The Swatch Beach Pro, an international beach volleyball tournament from July 1st to 5th.
Grindelwald: The Street Festival with live bands, local food stands and outdoor bars. It runs every Wednesday from 20:00 to midnight on Wednesdays between July 1st and August 12th right on Dorfstrasse.
Davos: Alpine Music Davos 2026, an open-air concert series at the Arkadenplatz that reimagines traditional alpine folk music by blending it with modern genres like jazz, pop, and rock. Dates: July 1st to July 5th.
3rd of July
Zurich: Caliente! is a large open-air Latin music and street food festival at the Kasernenareal, featuring live salsa, reggaeton and bachata across multiple stages. Dates: from July 3 to 5.
Montreux: The Montreux Jazz Festival, a massive, world-famous music event celebrating its 60th edition with everything from legendary headliners to over 700 free outdoor concerts right on the shores of Lake Geneva. While you have to buy tickets well in advance for the big names playing the indoor venues, you can just show up to enjoy the lakeside food stands, beach clubs, and free stages running from July 3 to 18.
Weggis: The Weggis Rose Festival is a summer lakeside party featuring live music, local food stalls, a carnival, Saturday night fireworks and the traditional crowning of the Rose Queen. Dates: from July 3 to 5.
Aarau: The Maienzug is the city’s biggest traditional folk festival, celebrating the start of the summer school holidays with a morning youth parade through the old town. It takes place on July 3, with the parade starting at 9:30 AM.
Realp: The 100 Years of the Furka-Oberalp Railway festival celebrates a century of Alpine transit with historic vehicle displays and vintage steam locomotive rides. It runs from July 3 to 5, and you can buy a special 25 CHF anniversary day pass online for regional travel, which includes free morning steam train rides between Realp and Andermatt on Saturday and Sunday.
Sion: The Pollen Festival, a free, open-air cultural event in the old town featuring a mix of live music, DJ sets, visual art installations, and theater performances. It takes place over two weekends between July 3 and 11.
Neuchâtel: The Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) dedicated to fantasy, sci-fi and Asian cinema, featuring indoor screenings across the city and an open-air cinema at the Place des Halles. Dates: from July 3 to 11.
Samnaun: The Arlberg Classic Car Rally with around 130 stunning vintage cars in the village of Samnaun for a scenic midday stopover during their 600-kilometer Alpine route. The cars are expected to roll in around 11:00 AM.
4th of July
Gonten: Appenzell Cantonal Wrestling Festival, a traditional regional sports event featuring youth matches on Saturday and the main adult tournament on Sunday. Dates: July 4-5.
Geneva: La Tour Genève Triathlon lets athletes of all skill levels swim in Lake Geneva, bike on closed city streets and run along the waterfront. Dates: July 4 to 5.
Zermatt: The Goats’ Tour is a daily summer tradition with a herd of about 50 blackneck goats parades through the center of town along the Bahnhofstrasse. It runs from July 4 to August 14, with the goats making their appearances at around 9:00 AM and 16:30.
Schwarzenbach BE: The Historischer Handwerkermarkt Huttwyl, a medieval festival and historical crafts market, featuring over 70 artisans, sword fighting demonstrations and a traditional tavern. Dates: July 4 and 5.
5th of July
Thun: Ironman Switzerland, a triathlon where athletes swim 3.8 kilometers in Lake Thun, bike 180 kilometers through the Bernese Oberland and run a 42.2-kilometer marathon.
7th of July
Biel: The Pod’Rin, a free, open-air cultural festival in the old town featuring live music, theater, global food stalls and afternoon activities for kids. Dates: July 7 to 11.
9th of July
Locarno: Moon&Stars, an open-air concert with international acts right by Lake Maggiore. Dates: July 9 to 19.
Frauenfeld: Openair Frauenfeld is a hip-hop festival with major international rap artists to the Grosse Allmend. Dates: July 9 to 11.
Lugano: Estival Jazz with a mix of jazz, soul and world music, officially kicking off the larger LongLake Festival. Dates: July 9 to 11.
10th of July
Basel: Biker Days Basel takes over the St. Jakob area for a completely free weekend of custom motorcycles, live rock music and street food. Dates: July 10 to 12 with massive motorcycle parade that anyone can join as it rides through the city on Saturday at 16:00.
Cheyres: Festi’Cheyres, a free, open-air music festival held right on the beach of Lake Neuchâtel, featuring a mix of local live bands, DJ sets and food stalls. Dates: July 10 to 12.
Lenk im Simmental: Jazz Tage Lenk transforms the mountain village into an open-air venue for traditional jazz, swing and blues, with local bands and international guests performing daily on the village square. Dates: July 10 to 18.
Vallemaggia: The Vallemaggia Magic Blues, an open-air festival with international blues and rock bands to play in the historic village squares of Brontallo, Cevio, Maggia, and Avegno. Dates: July 10 to August 6.
11th of July
Weissenstein: The 75th Weissenstein Schwinget, a traditional Swiss mountain wrestling festival with 90 top athletes.
Gstaad: The EFG Swiss Open Gstaad brings elite men’s professional tennis to the Bernese Alps. Dates: July 11 to 19.
Biel: The International Chess Festival with over 500 players from ambitious amateurs to world-class grandmasters. Dates: July 11 to 24.
12th of July
Chur: The Brambrüesch-Schwinget, a traditional regional Swiss wrestling festival held on Chur’s local mountain.
Sigriswil: The Älplerfest der Bärgjodler, a traditional Alpine festival hosted by the local yodeling choir with live yodeling, alphorn performances and flag tossing.
Saas-Fee: SaasFeestival, a pop and indie open-air concert surrounded by the local mountains. Dates: July 12 to August 14.
15th of July
Wabern: The Gurtenfestival on the local mountain overlooking Bern, with a lineup of pop, rock and hip-hop acts. Dates: July 15 to 18.
16th of July
Lucerne: LUZERN LIVE by the lake with bands and DJs on multiple stages by the shore and there are also different food stalls around. Dates: July 16 to 25.
Avenches: The FEI Eventing Nations Cup brings top European equestrian athletes to the Institut Équestre National Avenches (IENA) to compete in dressage, cross-country and show jumping. Dates: July 16 to 19, and admission is completely free. Aside from watching the main competitions, you can explore the exhibitors’ village, grab something to eat from the local food trucks, or visit the nearby Swiss National Stud Farm.
Sion: Sion sous les étoiles, an open-air lineup of French and international pop, rock, and variety acts to the Tourbillon area against the backdrop of the historic castles. Dates: July 16 to 18.
Gstaad: The Menuhin Festival Gstaad brings elite classical musicians, world-class conductors and top orchestras to the Bernese Oberland. Dates: July 16 to September 5.
Verbier: The Verbier Festival with international classical musicians and emerging talents, symphonic concerts, chamber music and masterclasses. Dates: July 16 to August 2.
17th of July
Basel: The Basel Tattoo with international military bands, bagpipers and show drum corps on the Kaserne area in Kleinbasel. Dates: July 17 to 25, and while you definitely need to buy tickets well in advance for the main arena performances, anyone can walk through the Tattoo Street outside the arena for drinks and food, or catch the large free parade marching through the city center on Saturday, July 18.
Pfäffikon ZH: The Reeds Festival with reggae, riddims and Caribbean food to the shores of Lake Pfäffikon for a 3-day open-air celebration. Dates: July 17 to 19.
Lugano: Blues to Bop is a completely free open-air festival from July 17 to 19.
Tegna-Ponte Brolla: The International Cliff Diving Championship on the Maggia Gorge with dives from up to 20 meters high. Dates: July 17 to 18.
19th of July
Rigi: The Alphorn Treffen brings dozens of traditional alphorn players and flag tossers together for a massive, synchronized performance on the scenic pastures of Rigi Staffel. The main concerts start around 11:00 AM.
Kiental: The Ramslauenen Schwinget, a traditional, regional Swiss wrestling festival held right by the Berghaus Ramslauenen. Starting at 9:30 AM, and features authentic folk entertainment alongside the wrestling matches.
21st of July
Nyon: The Paléo Festival, a well known open-air music festival from July 21 to 26.
21st of July
Degen: The Open Air Lumnezia with a mix of international and Swiss pop, rock and hip-hop acts. Dates: July 23 to 25.
24th of July
Nendaz: The International Alphorn Festival with over 100 traditional players on the scenic plateau of Tracouet, making it the largest gathering of its kind in the world. Dates: July 24 to 26.
Locarno: Luci e Ombre takes over the Locarno-Muralto lakefront with live music and local food stalls. Dates: July 24 to 26, the highlight of the festival is a massive fireworks display over the Gulf of Locarno on Saturday night around 10:30 PM, which gets pushed to Sunday if the weather is bad.
Bellinzona: The Bellinzona Blues Festival with open-air blues, soul, and rock directly to Piazza Governo. Dates: July 24 to 25.
La Tour-de-Peilz: The 49th Régate des Vieux-Bateaux, a gathering of historic and classic sailing boats on the shores of Lake Geneva for a long weekend of traditional maritime racing. Dates: July 24 to 26.
Aarburg: Das Wasserfest Aarburg, a summer celebration to the banks of the Aare river against the backdrop of the town’s historic fortress, featuring live music, food stalls, and a large Luna Park. Dates: July 24 to 25.
25th of July
Bern: BernPride, a large parade and open-air festival in support of the queer community.
Interlaken: The 21st International Jugglers’ Festival with street performers, acrobats, comedians and musicians from around the world. Dates: July 25 to 27.
Les Diablerets: The International Alpine Film Festival “FIFALP” brings documentary and feature films dedicated to mountains, extreme environments, and alpine cultures to the local cinema hall. Dates: from July 25 to August 1.
26th of July
Wengen: The Männlichen traditional costume festival, an authentic Swiss folklore, including yodeling choirs, traditional dances, flag tossing and alphorn playing, to the mountain ridge between Wengen and Grindelwald.
29th of July
Estavayer-le-Lac: The Estivale Open Air. A lineup of francophone rap, pop, and international acts on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel. Dates: July 29 to August 1.
Schaffhausen: The Stars in Town festival with pop and rock headlines in the historic old town square. Dates: July 29 to August 8.
30th of July
St. Moritz: Concours Hippique St. Moritz with show jumpers from Switzerland and neighboring countries at the San Gian equestrian grounds. Dates: July 30 to August 2.
31st of July
Basel: Federal celebration on the Rhine, a street party by the river to celebrate Swiss National Day a day early. It’s completely free to attend with food stalls, live music, and a huge fireworks show at 23:00.
