Swiss towns unite to boost Christmas market experience

The Montreux Christmas Market celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Keystone / Cyril Zingaro

Montreux, Vevey and Villeneuve are joining their Christmas markets under the banner "Riviera Noël" with the slogan “Together, we're stronger”.

Montreux will host Santa’s flying sleigh and the Ferris wheel, Villeneuve will feature the Elf Village and Vevey will showcase regional specialities. These distinct attractions will come together in a coordinated regional concept, a move organisers consider essential to manage the influx of visitors, said Yves Cornaro, president and director of the Montreux Christmas Market, in an interview with La Matinale on Thursday.

Faced with increasing numbers of visitors and space limitations, organisers prioritised enhancing visitor enjoyment and safety, making this collaborative approach necessary. “We had to be realistic,” explains Cornaro. “Reducing the number of chalets to manage visitor numbers is unrealistic. Instead, regionalising the project in an area well-served by public transport is a sustainable vision we’re setting up with the hope it endures.”

A preserved identity

Montreux will host Santa’s flying sleigh and the Ferris wheel, Villeneuve will feature the Elf Village and Vevey will showcase regional specialities. Keystone / Jean-Christophe Bott

According to François Cardinaux, chairman of the “Riviera Noël” foundation, spreading the attractions across three sites will maintain each market’s unique identity, especially Montreux’s, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. “One plus one plus one makes four, because we know crowds attract more crowds,” he says. “We’re aiming to bring diverse visitors to different places, encouraging them to extend their visit.”

During weekends, public transport along the lakeside (line 201) will be partially free from 1pm until the end of the day. Additional services, including park-and-ride facilities and a direct train from canton Fribourg to the Riviera, will also be available.

Translated from French using DeepL/amva