The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Swiss police break up illegal rave

rave party
The all-night party near Bulle in western Switzerland was eventually shut down by police on January 1 at 12pm. Police cantonale Fribourgeoise

Police broke up an illegal outdoor party attended by about 500 people on New Year’s Eve at a forest near Bulle in western Switzerland, it was reported on Sunday.

One officer was slightly injured during the police operation, Fribourg cantonal police said in a statementExternal link.

The illegal rave, which began at 9.30pm on December 31 at a location known as “Grande Cithard”, was eventually shut down by several police units on January 1 at 12pm.

Around 500 people had travelled to the party from Switzerland, France and Italy.

The organiser, a 29-year-old Fribourg resident, has been identified and will be reported to the authorities, the cantonal police said on Sunday.

“These kinds of wild parties are not tolerated on our territory,” the police said.

More

Elsewhere in Switzerland thousands of people flocked to New Year’s Eve celebrations, enjoying the first Covid restriction-free events for the first time in two years. The unseasonably mild temperatures also helped draw crowds.

Thousands gathered at Lake Zurich to witness the “Silvesterzauber” (New Year’s Eve magic) fireworks which took place just after midnight. Large New Year’s Eve celebrations were also held in other Swiss cities. In Geneva, there was a big party by the lake with live concerts, as well as the traditional fireworks.

More

Popular Stories

News

E-cars account for 10.5 per cent of new registrations in the canton of Zug

More

E-cars account for 10.5% of new registrations in the canton of Zug

This content was published on Nowhere else in Switzerland are electric cars as popular as in Zug. Currently, 10.5 per cent of cars registered in the canton of Zug are purely electric, as new data from the online platform Energie Reporter and Energie Schweiz and Geoimpact show.

Read more: E-cars account for 10.5% of new registrations in the canton of Zug
ETH climate researcher honoured with the German Environmental Award

More

ETH climate researcher honoured with the German Environmental Award

This content was published on Swiss climate researcher Sonia Isabelle Seneviratne from ETH Zurich receives the German Environmental Award 2025. She shares the prize, endowed with 500,000 euros, with the management duo of the steel galvanising company Zinq.

Read more: ETH climate researcher honoured with the German Environmental Award

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR