Speaking half way through the ongoing event, they said 365,000 of the 400,000 tickets available up to August 11 had been sold. This makes it the most frequented edition ever.
In addition, the festival has drawn a total 600,000 visitors to the western Swiss town of Vevey in its first two weeks. Highest attendance was on Swiss national day, August 1, when 100,000 flocked to the town on the shores of Lake Geneva.
Organisers also expressed satisfaction with the “canton days”, which have been introduced for the first time and which they say have been a “big success”. For example, the day dedicated to canton Freiburg drew 60,000 people, while a traditional torchlit parade put on by canton Basel Country drew some 5,000 people at 10pm on a Sunday night, they said.
Advice to visitors to use public transport has worked better than expected, with seven out of ten visitors doing so. Paying car parks on the outskirts of the town are only one-third full so far, according to the organisers.
Some 50 people a day have been treated by health staff for minor problems, which have nevertheless resulted in some 30 transfers to hospitals in the region.
As for the police and security services, they have so far intervened 1,200 times because of incivilities and violations of police regulations. Complaints, fights and assaults were also mentioned by the organisers. But chief of security Denis Froidevaux says this is not a lot compared with the size of the event, according to newspaper Le Temps. He says alcohol consumption has been “moderate”. “But,” Froidevaux adds, “I would like to appeal to the public to look after their children. Every day we have lots that get lost.”
More
More
Teenagers take to the stage in giant winegrowers’ festival
This content was published on
A Rio carnival-scale festival is underway on the shores of Lake Geneva. Teenage actors and singers tell swissinfo.ch why they think it’s cool.
First large-scale alpine solar plant approved in Switzerland
This content was published on
The approval was met with satisfaction by the project's organisers, but it also brings with it a certain amount of pressure.
Medieval squirrels may have ‘helped spread leprosy’
This content was published on
An examination of squirrel remains in the United Kingdom has opened up interesting questions and possibilities in terms of the history of the disease.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Expat Swiss celebrated at historic winegrower’s festival
This content was published on
The expatriate Swiss community has been attending the once-in-a-lifetime Fête des Vignerons, currently taking place on the shores of Lake Geneva.
Swiss artist Daniele Finzi Pasca designs the 2019 Fête des Vignerons
This content was published on
A portrait of the stage director and choreographer from Ticino, the designer behind the 2019 Fête des Vignerons, which opens in Vevey on July 18.
How Vevey organises its once-in-a-generation winegrowers’ festival
This content was published on
Throwing the Fête des Vignerons, a traditional winegrowers’ festival held roughly every 20 years in the lakeside town of Vevey, is no small endeavour.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.