Crans-Montana New Year’s Eve to blend hope and contemplation
New Year’s celebrations at the Swiss town of Crans-Montana will be more muted than normal as it marks the first anniversary of a fatal bar fire that claimed 41 lives.
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Crans-Montana New Year’s Eve to blend hope and contemplation
Thousands of locals and tourists will be celebrating New Year’s Eve in the canton Valais town, but the night is also likely to be marked by a sense of reflection.
“We are approaching this transition into 2027 with great sensitivity and respect,” Bruno Huggler, director of Crans-Montana Tourism, told the Keystone-SDA news agency. “Some will want to enjoy moments of conviviality, whilst others – particularly those directly affected by the tragedy – will experience this time with particularly painful memories.”
The municipality plans to set up two places of remembrance on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, one of which will be in front of the bar where the tragedy occurred, Le Constellation. This marks the spot where 41 people – mostly young people – died in a fire, with 115 injured, on New Year’s Eve last year.
A few minutes’ walk away, near the Saint-Christophe Chapel, another memorial site is to be created. Relatives and visitors will be able to leave personal items and mementoes of the victims.
The memorial sites are intended as a temporary solution until a permanent memorial is erected.
Silent light installation
The official memorial service will take place on January 1 at 10am in Grône, Valais. The local council will broadcast the ceremony live to the Le Régent conference centre in Crans-Montana, so residents of the tourist resort can also take part in the memorial service.
The municipality is also marking the occasion at Lake Grenon, just a few minutes’ walk from the bar where the tragedy occurred. A light installation featuring star-shaped light effects is designed to invite people to pause and reflect in silence.
The municipality has deliberately chosen not to include music or sound effects. The installation will be on display on the nights of December 31 and January 1, from 9pm to 2am on both nights.
The coexistence of New Year’s Eve celebrations and the commemoration of the tragedy will not be easy in practice, said tourism director Huggler.
“Our approach is to create the conditions so that everyone can experience this time in their own way, whilst respecting the feelings and needs of others,” says Huggler.
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