Zermatt in Switzerland rolls out 40th annual Folklore Festival
For the past 40 years, the Folklore Festival has attracted more than 1,000 people fascinated by traditional costume and culture from across Switzerland. The Folklore Festival begins with a yodelling mass in the parish church of St. Mauritius.
On Sunday 10 August 2008, the traditional folklore festival will take place in Zermatt. This great cultural event has been casting its colourful spell on guests, locals and participants for 40 years.
At exactly 1.30 p.m., the procession will get underway through the busy Bahnhofstrasse to the parish church of St. Mauritius, to Steinmatte, and then in the direction of the Obere Matten festival ground. Most of the 45 groups come from Upper and Lower Valais, some from Central Switzerland and one from France. Only ten groups are from Zermatt. The yodel mass in St. Mauritius parish church on Sunday morning should not be missed. Following the procession, acts will take place at two different locations, the Obere Matten festival ground and in front of the superb scenery on Kirchplatz, from 3.00 p.m. Small groups in particular will be shown to great advantage here. The main action will be at the large Obere Matten festival ground. Alongside the acts, there will also be lots of refreshments available. In order that all parents are able to enjoy the dancing, music and costumes, children will have the opportunity to take part in various activities close to the festival area. A visit with the whole family is well worth it.
The proceeds from the festival will go to the Zermatt club "Jugend mit Wirkung" (Young People with Influence), which is under the patronage of Franziska Lutz, a member of the Cantonal parliament of the Canton of Valais. The "Trachtenverein Zermatt" (club for traditional dress) makes an outstanding contribution to the organisation of the festival, in which way over 1000 traditional dress and folklore enthusiasts take part, attracting the attention of thousands of guests from all over the world.
The 41st Folklore Festival will take place on Sunday, 9 August 2009.
Day program
11.00 am
Yodel mass in the church yodeling group "Beggrieder"
11.30 am
Opening of the food & drink stands and animation
1.30 pm
Start of the parade from the train station
3.00 pm
Presentation of the groups at the festival grounds & church
August 5, 2008
Posted in: Switzerland