Don’t stop me now: Freddie Mercury and Montreux
Thousands of fans converge on the western Swiss lakeside town of Montreux every year, enticed by an ever-growing number of Freddie Mercury-related attractions that help them to relive the superstar’s colourful life. The lead singer of rock band Queen died in 1991, but his grip on the town seems to tighten as the years go by.
Montreux was Mercury’s peaceful place, where he could walk the streets without being bothered by fans or paparazzi. Six Queen albums were recorded here at Mountain Studios, including hits such as “Under Pressure” with David Bowie. The band bought the studio in 1979, and it was later resurrected as a museum External linkby the Mercury Phoenix TrustExternal link, set up shortly after Mercury’s death with the aim of helping to fight HIV/AIDS. Entry is free and visitors can see original Queen instruments, the clothes worn by the flamboyant lead singer and the band’s mixing desk.
The Freddie champion
One man in particular is helping to guarantee that Mercury will not be forgotten in Montreux. Lucien Muller organises the Freddie ToursExternal link and the Freddie DaysExternal link birthday celebrations held every September, featuring four days of music from tribute bands, conferences, boat tours and a disco. The extravaganza was launched by his father, Norbert Muller, at the start of the century. Norbert’s sudden death in 2024 has left Lucien holding the reins and his dedication to preserving Mercury’s legacy is as much a tribute to his father as it is to the band.
“The event is free, and we want to keep it that way,” Muller says. “It’s run by volunteers, and we ask the bands to come and play for free as a tribute to Freddie.”
His business really took off after 2018, when the film Bohemian RhapsodyExternal link was released, introducing Queen’s music to a new generation. It became the highest-grossing musical biopic ever and won four Academy Awards, including best actor for Rami MalekExternal link as Mercury.
The knock-on effect for the Freddie Days was huge, Muller says. “We really noticed a huge boom during the September 2019 edition. Attendance was easily quadrupled. Since then, it’s just been growing and growing.” He estimates that there were 16,000 visitors in 2024, but there are no official figures from Montreux Tourism. The event celebrates its 20th edition this year.
They want it all
Muller started the Freddie Tours five years ago, during the Covid pandemic. The walks became so popular that he was able to ditch his day job as a web developer in a company he founded, to concentrate on running Mercury-related events full-time. He says it’s preferable to writing lines of code. “What touches me the most is meeting fans who never knew him, who were born after Freddie’s death, and they know so much about his life already when they come on these tours.”
Muller’s partner in the business is Peter FreestoneExternal link, Mercury’s former personal assistant for 12 years and a close friend of the Muller family. Freestone has been participating in the Freddie Days since the event was created more than 20 years ago. He told me what Montreux meant to the star.
The guided tour in six languages takes the memorabilia-hungry group past the penthouse apartment Mercury owned and lovingly decorated on the lakefront, and down to the casino, home of Queen: The Studio Experience, the museum dedicated to the rock band. The tour reaches the Mercury tribute wall, where fans are invited to leave a comment. Lucien Muller hands out the felt tips and the group gets stuck in.
Most of these fans are far from home and need places to stay. In 2024, a hotelExternal link named after Freddie Mercury – originally intended simply as a training centre for the hotel industry – opened its doors to outside guests. The hotel had been officially inaugurated by Queen manager Jim Beach in 2018. The interior pays homage to Mercury’s life, with a nod to his childhood in Zanzibar and his love of cats and Japanese art. Assistant manager Madie Giussani showed me around.
The Montreux MuseumExternal link is also warming to the idea of celebrating its most famous visitors. Montreux is a member of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network External linkin the music category, and there are plans to dedicate an area of the museum to music and the famous personalities associated with it, including Freddie Mercury. That’s not all. “It’s also likely that an exhibition on the world of Freddie Mercury will be set up in another of the town’s emblematic locations,” says Sophie Brinca, a communications officer from the municipality of Montreux.
Is Montreux becoming to Queen fans what Graceland in Memphis has become for Elvis-lovers? Grégoire Chappuis, Montreux’s head of marketing & communication, assures me that they have no intention of making it more Queen-centric. “Disneyland isn’t our goal at all. Montreux is positioned as a city of music by virtue of its history and activities. The field is much broader than Freddie, even if he is certainly one of its icons.”
The show must go on
Montreux is on the bucket list of many Mercury fans: a place that absolutely has to be visited once in a lifetime. But how long will this last, as the rock legend becomes a historic figure?
Lucien Muller is certain that the town has a lasting appeal. “There are always new things happening, both here in Montreux and internationally with Queen,” he says. “So I don’t think it’s going to run out of steam. Just last year, there was a huge auction of Freddie’s belongings at Sotheby’s. Fans were fighting to get hold of the items, so the prices rose. There was a lot of media hype surrounding it.”
Visitors queue to take selfies next to the Mercury statue on the lake front, nearly three decades after it was erected in 1996. One man even proposes to his future wife there on bended knee. At the base of the statue are tributes to the star from fans who have made long pilgrimages to be here. Bronze Freddie remains forever frozen in performance mode, looking out across the water, one hand stretched up to the sky, the other clutching a microphone, ready for action. But who wants to live forever?
Edited by Samuel Jaberg/ts
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.