For its 18th edition, the pregny Alp Festival goes up a gear with two days of Swiss music, entertainment and gastronomy. Interview with Nicolas Lafargue, co-president of the only Romand festival entirely dedicated to Swiss folklore.
“This festival was born from a hike with friends,” says Nicolas Lafargue. In 2007, three friends decided to bring a little Alpine authenticity to Geneva. 18 years later, the event attracted several thousand people every summer to Pregny-Chambésy.
For this 2025 edition, the festival extends for the first time over two days. “Friday evening, it will be concerts of traditional music. On Saturday, entertainment for children, stands, exhibitions, but also music throughout the day, ”explains Nicolas Lafargue.
Rösti and fondue in profusion
On the program: Yodel, Alps horn, demonstrations of Bernese bouviers, pony towers, fondues and cascading röstis. “It is 400 kilos of röstis and 400 portions of fondue that we serve each year,” says the organizer. A whole logistics provided by an army of volunteers.
The festival is not content to play the card of tradition. It also opens to other universes. This year, the Faals Rock group – which combines Swiss folklore and pop, rock, even rap – will go on stage. He will be followed on Saturday evening by Mémé Hofner, Austrian training from Tyrol, “who will vibrate the scene”, promises Nicolas Lafargue.
He himself got involved in the organization of the festival twelve years ago, almost by chance. “And since then, I have not left,” he smiles. Its objective: to transmit, to live and modernize a culture too often confined to postcards.