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Summer Festivals in the Alps 2015

Festivals in & around Chamonix this summer

featured in News & reviews Author Katy Dartford, Chamonix Reporter Updated

It may be hard to imagine when its currently so dreary outside, but soon we could be dancing around in the sunshine to an open air music in our shorts and t-shirts, supping cold beer from plastic cups and getting a tan.

This summer’s festival line ups are being announced and there is plenty of live music in Chamonix and further afield to suit all tastes….So there’s really no reason to bemoan the mountains for their lack of cultural activities!

The summer music parties really kick off with the annual Fête de la Musique - a celebration that takes place every summer solstice on 21st June across France. It’s a free event that spills out from the bars and restaurants onto the streets of Chamonix - all sorts of music is on offer - and as normal licensing laws have been waived - it means the party continues into the early hours with most bars having their own DJ’s or bands.

Next up is the free Music en Stock Festival in Cluses and this year is its 15th Anniversary. Running from the 1st to 4th of July - amongst the line up this year are Black Rebel Motorcycle club and Suzanne Vega. A free shuttle service will be running from 18:30 to 23:30 every 15 minutes, and after the festival from 21:00 to 01:30 taking people to and from Place des Allobroges in Cluses.

In Morzine American rock band Toto will be playing at the Harley Days festival which runs from 11th to 14th July.

The big music event of the summer is of course, the Montreux Jazz Festival on the edge of Lac Leman, from 3rd to the 18th July. This year it has an amazing line up including Emeli Sandé & John Legend, The Chemical Brothers, Damien Rice, Mary J. Blige, Portishead, and of course Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett. The festival is spread mainly between the Auditorium Stravinski and the Miles Davis Hall, and there is also a whole 'street village’ on the lakeside walk with food stalls, bands and market stalls to keep you entertained.

Staying with Lake Geneva, for Electro-Trance fans, The Festival Electro du Jardin Anglais takes place on Fridays throughout June - (5th, 12th, 26th of June ) and the first Friday of July (3rd). On the 5th is the Gathering Party, the 12th is the Colour of Summer, the 26th is Trancenation and the 3rd July is the Closing Night / Mecanica - with DJ’s such as Jean Lostebien, John Parker, DJ Garfield Nicolas DjVega Vernaz - and DPX vs. MFX.

Musilac takes places in Aix-les-Bains from the 10th - 13th July, with the legendary Muse, Chmical Brothers, David Guetta and Imelda May to name a few of the artists.

If classical music is more your thing then from the 17th July to 2nd August the Verbier Festival should satisfy. This year celebrating its 18th edition, the 17-day long event brings together the biggest names in classical music and around 40,000 spectators. There are also educational activities for children as well as conferences for adults whilst the Fest’Off has a daily program of jazz or world music concerts and shows.

In Chamonix from the 25th July- 2nd August it’s a jazz vibe again with the Cosmo Jazz Festival mixing free live music in different mountain locations, such as the top of the Aiguille du Midi, Lac Blanc and Grand Montets. Back in town there’s Apérojazz, where brass bands are let loose on the town, then in the evening, the musicians gather together at the Cham Jam sessions until the end of the night.

From the 30th July -09th August the Fêtes De Genève takes place with ten days of parties along the shores of Lake Geneva - including carnivals, concerts, food stalls and parades. In the evening there are fireworks show and the finale of the festival is the Techno Parade with a rave on each float and costumed dancers getting the crowd going.

On the first Saturday of August the Fête du Lac d’Annecy takes place and is one of the top firework displays in Europe. 70 minutes of fireworks light in rhythm to music, in honour of Napoleon III, and in the style of the great “Venetian” parties of 1860. About 200 000 spectators are expected to head lakesides for the event.

Staying in Annecy from the 24th to 30th August the Annecy Classic Festival is an international meeting of the internationally renowned artists celebrating music of "Savoyard Venice". Each year, the festival mixes young talents and stars of the classic world, performing in sites of the city such as Annecy Castle-Museum, Church of St. Bernadette or St. Peter's Cathedral.

From Monday 10 to Saturday 15th August, Les Gets hosts the Lounge Music Festival. There will be over 35 free concerts, of different music styles from blues to reggae, to pop and jazz, performed in different locations in Les Gets from early afternoon into the evening. There are also various musical workshops for young people and this year it will close with a concert headlined by one of the very top names in French music - Florent Pagny. Florent will perform - as part of his “Veillir Ensemble” tour - his latest album on the Maison des Gets esplanade.

Enjoy!