What is the Montreux Jazz Festival?
Montreux is a small resort town on the Swiss shore of Lake Geneva, with palm trees, a lakeside promenade and the Alps rising across the water. For about two weeks every July, it becomes home to one of the most famous music festivals in the world. The Montreux Jazz Festival began in 1967, founded by Claude Nobs, a local tourism official and music lover, with friends and the help of Atlantic Records, and it has grown far beyond jazz, into blues, soul, rock, pop and electronic music.
Its history is full of legend. In December 1971, the town's casino, then the festival's home, burned down during a concert by Frank Zappa; the smoke drifting over the lake inspired Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water". Over the decades the festival's stages have hosted Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Prince and many more, and Quincy Jones co-produced it in the early 1990s.
Today the festival has two faces. The ticketed concerts take place in the halls of the Montreux Convention Centre, including the Auditorium Stravinski and Miles Davis Hall. Outside, the lakeside promenade turns into a festival town of open-air stages, bars, food stands and late-night jam sessions, which is where much of the atmosphere is.
The festival also keeps its history. Claude Nobs recorded concerts from the start, building one of the great archives of live music, and some of the most famous live albums of the last half-century were made on its stages. Its competitions for young pianists, guitarists and singers help launch new careers every year.
What to expect
The festival runs for about two weeks in early July, with concerts every night and life on the lakeside from midday until late.
Afternoons
The lakeside
The promenade along the lake fills with stalls, bars and open-air stages, and visitors stroll, eat and listen to free performances by up-and-coming bands and DJs, with views over the water to the mountains.
Evenings
The headline concerts
The big ticketed concerts take place in the halls of the convention centre, from intimate seated shows to standing-room nights in the Auditorium Stravinski, often with two acts per night.
Late nights
Jam sessions
After the concerts, the festival's club venues host jam sessions where musicians from the main stages sometimes drop in to play until the early hours.
A lakeside bar on Lake Geneva during the Montreux Jazz Festival
Photo by Olivier Bruchez / flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0
Planning your trip
Getting there
Montreux is about an hour by direct train from Geneva airport, and a little over 20 minutes from Lausanne, on Switzerland's punctual rail network. The station is a few minutes' walk from the convention centre and the lakeside. Once there, everything is on foot.
Where to stay
Montreux's hotels, from grand lakeside palaces to small guesthouses, fill early for the festival and charge peak rates. Vevey, next door, and Lausanne, a short train ride away, have more options and are well connected late into the night.
What it costs
Tickets for the headline concerts are the main expense and can cost well over a hundred francs each. The lakeside programme is largely free, but food and drink at the stands are priced for Switzerland. Rooms in Montreux are expensive in July; staying in Lausanne or Vevey saves money.
Go like you know
- Take a lake steamer from Lausanne or Vevey to Montreux for the most beautiful arrival.
- Visit the Freddie Mercury statue on the lakeside; the Queen singer recorded in Montreux for years.
- Walk to the Château de Chillon, a medieval castle on the lake, on a free afternoon.
- Britain's Glastonbury Festival is the other great summer gathering of music in Europe, in late June.
- Denmark's Roskilde Festival runs at the same time of year, with a younger, camping crowd.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Montreux Jazz Festival?
For about two weeks in early to mid July. The 2027 edition is listed for July 2 to 17. The line-up is announced in the spring, usually in April, when tickets go on sale, and the most popular concerts sell out quickly. Check the festival's own site for the final programme.
Is it only jazz?
No. Jazz remains at its heart, but the festival has long welcomed blues, soul, rock, pop, hip-hop and electronic music, and its headliners are often big names from well beyond jazz. The free lakeside stages offer an even wider mix, from local bands to international newcomers.
Can I enjoy it without concert tickets?
Yes. Many visitors never go into the halls, spending their time instead on the lakeside, with its free stages, food, bars and views over the lake. The atmosphere along the promenade, especially on warm evenings, is the heart of the festival for many people.
