I will still be writing about life in Geneva, but under GenevaLunch’s new platform, which begins 29 April. Expect major changes, though one thing will remain unchanged: great content.

GenevaLunch will continue to be a non-profit venture run by Ellen Wallace who started it back in 2006. Ellen is absorbing all costs to make this an even better website. I urge you to contribute to help this transition.

Donate anything you can: CHF10 or CHF10,000! The money will be used to enhance your experience and to pay for the move. We do not receive salaries for our work on this site.

Donate now!

Help us continue serving our great community!

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Canton Geneva pools are scheduled to open on 1 May.

See the full list here.

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Film festival in Nyon – Photo ©Jared Bloch

January

• Black Movie Festival – Third week of January. Organizers describe it as the ultimate place to find “emerging and well-established talent.” It includes programming for children. 

February

• Ecran-Mobile International Short Film Festival – Three days of shorts, wine tasting and lots of fun. Since 2013, the festival moved from January to February.

March

• International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) – Usually takes place the first week of March. Founded in 2003, the festival coincides with the Human Rights Council’s main session and serves as a “platform for discussion and debates” concerning human rights.
• CinéGlobe Film Festival at Cern – Since 2009 it has been showcasing short films “to challenge the commonly perceived divisions between science and art.”
• Green Film Festival – The eco-friendly festival takes place the second week of March around canton Geneva, Vaud and neighbouring France. 

April

• Geneva International Oriental Film Festival – Usually runs the last week of April, first of May. It takes place in the city of Geneva, Versoix, Lausanne, La Chaux-de-Fonds and in Gex and Annemasse, neighbouring France.
• Visions du Réel Nyon, international film Festival – It takes place in the beautiful town of Nyon, usually the third week of April. It is the largest film festival in the Swiss French-speaking region, and one of the three largest in Switzerland.
• Geneva Jewish Film Festival – New in Geneva, the Jewish film fest takes place for only the third year in 2013. It is described as the place to view “films exploring Jewish cultures and experience”.

July / August

September

• Geneva’s Gay and Lesbian Film Festival: Everybody’s Perfect - A bi-annual festival which began in 2010. It is centered around gay, lesbian, bi, transexual, transgendered and queer themes.

October

• The 48-Hour Film Festival – (Month and dates change every year, the 2013 edition is scheduled for October). Teams group to write, shoot, edit and score a short film in 48 hours. The films are then showcased and a winner is named.
• Geneva International Animation Film Festival Animatou – The young festival brings Swiss and international animated films to compete in Geneva.

November

• Geneva International Fiction Film Festival, Tous Ecrans - Usually runs the first week of the month. Self described as the place to “discover all types of fiction.”
• FILMAR en América Latina – One the largest Latin-American-themed film festivals in Europe. It takes place for 30 or more days in November each year. Many movies include English and French subtitles.

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Hanging horse at Geneva gallery – Photo Zabriskie Point

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A horse, or to be more precise, a hanging horse, is making some Genevans a little bit uncomfortable.

Pedestrians walking by the Plainpalais area can freely view a taxidermic horse exhibited at The Zabriskie Point Gallery, suspended by leather slings from the ceiling.

The gallery is a small, glassed-in room located in the heart of the area.

The artists in charge of the exhibit, Maya Boesch and Régis Golay, say the display, called ”War Horse”, seeks to highlight the ever increasing “precariousness of the cultural world.”

Art exhibit Kaltwaser Koberling at Zabriskie Point – Photo provided by the gallery

The art space is well known for holding outdoor exhibit openings that mix guests and passersby.

The War Horse will be on display until the end of May.

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Swiss Film Awards nominees celebrate ©EddyMotion

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - This week catch all the movies nominated for the Swiss Film Awards 2013 at the Grutli Theater for only CHF5 a movie; then attend the Swiss equivalent of the Oscars’ in one of the most beautiful buildings in Geneva, the Batiment de Forces Motrices.

Organizers say “originality, bravery, poetry and social commentary characterize the films selected for the [2013] Swiss Film Awards,” which will take place on 23 March in Geneva.

The QUARTZ Swiss Film Awards  - as it is officially known – takes place in a different city each year.

The awards are not only a way to recognize national talent, but also a means to promote Swiss filmmakers; the nominees receive between CHF5,000 and CHF25,000 each.

Among the nominees are Swiss heavyweights Ursula Meier, shortlisted as the Swiss entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2013 Oscar’s Academy Awards and Markus Imhoof, nominated for the same award in 1981. 

The movies can be viewed at the Grutli from 19-25 March.

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• Charly O’Neills in Geneva – Weeklong celebration from 13 March to 17 March
• MAD Geneva hosts Jamie Clarke’s Perfect on 14 March
• Mulligan’s is hosting a St Patrick’s weekend from 15 to 17 March
• The Geneva Irish Association is hosting its traditional brunch/party on 16 March at the Warwick Hotel
• Grand-Saconnex is hosting a parade and open air fair on 16 March
• Mr. Pickwick’s hosts Rhythm & Reel Special on 17 March
• Geneve Casino du Lac is hosting a special soirée irlandaise on 17 March
• Terroirific wine bar is adding a Portuguese twist to the Irish tradition by serving green wine on St Paddy’s

Lausanne and around Lake Geneva

• Jamie Clarke’s Perfect performs an encore in Lausanne, 15 March at Base Bar
• In Lausanne, the King Size Pub hosts a four-day Irish festival beginning on 14 March
  
• In Lausanne, Captain Cook Pub celebrates with wigs and loads of green
• In Lausanne, the Great Escape has Guinness and beef and Guinness stew on the menu, 17 March
• In Vevey, Le Bout de Monde bar welcomes the Valais-based Celtic music group Anach Cuan on 17 March
• Celtic music and fun at the Fort L’Ecluse in neighbouring France on 16 March

Enjoy.. and if drinking, leave the driving to others.

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The Fritschipastete or Chügelipastete is a traditional meat pie from Lucerne – Photo courtesy Coop Magazine

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – By now you must have gotten your guggen on, so it is only natural to follow up carnival with some typical Swiss foods eaten at the time. (See the full 2013 Swiss carnivals list).

Here’s a roundup of some of the season’s most popular foods and recipes, some of them in German:

• Zwiebelwähe or Swiss onion tart.
• Mehlsuppe or flour soup served during the “Morgestraich” in Basel, made from roasted flour, onions, butter and broth.
• Fastnachtschüechli, Beignets de Carnaval or powdered sugar fritters very popular in French-speaking cantons.
• Fastenwähe or caraway/cumin-seed sort of pretzel also popular in Basel.
• Schenkeli, Swiss deep-fried cookies served in the German-speaking region of Switzerland (link will redirect you to a video of a wonderful Swiss lady guiding you through each of the steps).
• Schlüferli, similar to a beignet but with a lemony flavor
• Fritschipastete/Chügelipastete or croustade à la lucernoise, a meat pie typical from Lucerne, made of veal and pork sausage and veal stew, served during carnival and on 2 January (see here an additional recipe from a well known local blogger in German).
• Risotto con luganighe or rissoles au sérac from canton Ticino. This Risotto makes use of local Ticinese sausages and saffron.
• Bacheschnitte or spiced honey cake from Appenzell served during carnival and early spring.
• Zigerkrapfen or sort-of fried doughnut filled with curd cheese from Zurich.

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Although there is no Carnival in Geneva, a number of towns around Lake Geneva have scheduled carnivals for late February and early March, including a Venetian carnival in Annecy.

The Basel Fasnacht is billed as the largest in Switzerland, starting at 04:00 the Monday after Ash Wednesday and lasting “exactly 72 hours”. Read GenevaLunch’s ultimate survival guide before heading to Basel (you’ll need it).

Carnival in Switzerland is all about the brass – Photo Ellen Wallace

Here is the ultimate 2013 carnival, carnevale, carnaval, karneval or fasnacht list: get your Guggen on!

• 8 January-31 March, canton Ticino (Schedule for all towns in Ticino including Lugano and Locarno)
• 31 January-3 February, Schaffhausen
• 1-3 February, Bulle (FR)
• 2 February, Lotschental (VS)
• 2-10 February, Pfäfers, (SG)
• 3-16 February, Sargans (St. Gallen)
• 6-12 February, Kerns (LZ)
• 6-10 February, Wil (St. Gallen-SG)
• 6-12 February, Leukerbad (VS)
• 7 February, Altstatten (St. Gallen)
• 7-9 February, Appenzell (SG)
• 7-11 February, Flums (St. Gallen)
• 7-11 February, Le carnaval de Sion (VS)
• 7-12 February, Zug
• 7-15 February, Lucerne
• 7-12 February, Stans (LZ)
• 7-12 February, Le carnaval de Monthey
• 7-12 February, Monthey (Valais)
• 7-12 February, St. Gallen
• 7-12 February, Baden
• 7-12 February, Carnaval d’Evolène (VS)
• 7-12 February, Carnaval en Anniviers (VS)
• 7-12 February, Carnaval d’Evolène (VS)
• 7-12 February, Carnaval en Anniviers (VS)
• 7-12 February, Chur (GR)
• 7-12 February, Wurenlingen (Aargau)
• 7-15 February, Lucerne (LZ)
• 8-12 February, Le carnaval du Jura à Bassecourt (JU)
• 8-12 February, Bolzes (FR)
• 8-12 February, Broc (FR)
• 8-12 February, Fribourg (FR)
• 10 February, Solothurn
• 10 February, Carnival de Sindiez et Nendaz (VS)
• 11 February, Bad Ragaz (SG)
• 12 February, Brunnen (LZ)
• 12 February, Mels (St. Gallen)
• 12 February, Schwyz (SZ)
• 12 February, Zinal (VS)
• 13-17 February, Biel/Bienne
• 14-16 February, Rapperswil (Lake Zurich)
• 14-16 February, Wartau (SG)
• 14-15 February, Bern (BE)
• 14-17 February, Brugg/Zurzach (AG)
• 15-16 February, Winterthur
• 15-17 February, Arbon (Thurgau)
• 15-17 February, Zurich
• 15-18 February, Carnaval de Payerne (VD)
• 15-17 February, Carnaval de Sainte-Croix (VD)
• 17-18 February, Overnight carnival train (from Swiss Romande to Basel)
• 18-21 February, Basel Fasnacht 
• 21-23 February, Estavayer-le-Lac
• 23-24 February, Venetian Carnival, Annecy (France)
• 28 February-3 March, Les Brandons de Moudon (VD)
• 2-3 March,  Les Brandons de Grandson (Lake Geneva region)
• 8-10 March, Les Brandons d’Yverdon-Les-Bains (VD)
• 16-17 March, Savognin (Graubunden)
• 16 March, La Chaux-de-Fonds (NE)
• 15-17 March, Orbe (Vaud)
• 2-5 May, Lausanne

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New M bus service to Saint Julien – Map ©TPG

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The Geneva public transportation system TPG announced new schedules and bus lines in the canton:

• As of 18 February, a new bus line (codenamed “M”) will connect Collonges-sous-Salève and Saint-Julien, France
• The M line will connect with bus line 44 (Carouge – Croix-de-Rozon) and the D bus in Saint-Julien
• As of 4 February, lines 11, 18, 57, D and Dn have altered their timetables to accomodate construction schedules
• Next week – 11 to 15 February – the Geneva public schools go on their mid-winter break, which means reduced service, therefore check the schedules

Le Labyrinthe modern dance at the TPG bus depot in Geneva Photo Antigel Festival ©Xavier Ripolles

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – It’s mid-winter, time to stray-off the beaten path, time to “blur the boundaries between art forms, and open up new artistic horizons”, at least that is how the Antigel arts festival describes its programme.

The prime Geneva alternative festival seeks to bring the performing arts onto alternative stages: hammams, top of buildings, under bridges, bus depots, vineyards and construction sites – to name but a few - in 20 communes in the canton.

At the Bains de Paquis – Photo Antigel Jean-Christophe ARAV

Boucing Universe in a Bulk by Eric Arnal Burtschy – Photo Antigel ©Jean-Christophe Arav

The festival can only be described as alternative Geneva at its best.

Shows for everyone, including families with kids.

Yearly from late January to early February.

Hurry, the 2013 season ends 10 February.

Dancing at a construction site – Photo Artgenève Antigel Xavier Ripolles

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