International Alphorn Festival

AN OFFICIAL COMPETITION

The Alphorn players compete in an official blind competition: the jurors are inside a tent without knowing the identity of the players who perform, which guarantees their total impartiality. This competition attracts the best Alphorn players from all over Switzerland and abroad.

A OFF COMPETITION

With its rules offering more freedom to players and composers, the OFF competition allows the most experienced among them to stray from the beaten track and traditional pieces. It opens the door to contemporary pieces in several pitches. It is also an opportunity for the public to discover this ancestral instrument in a more modern style.

MOMENTS OUTSIDE OF TIME

For the public, the highlight of the International Alphorn Festival is undoubtedly the ensemble pieces performed. Originally used to communicate from one valley to another, the Alphorn resounds once again in the mountains, but at the power of 100 (the number of players who join together to offer us this moment of grace).

A LARGE EMPHASIS ON FOLKLORE

The International Alphorn Festival is more than just a gathering of Alphorn enthusiasts; it is a great celebration of Swiss traditions. Numerous folklore productions punctuate the two-day festival. PROGRAMME (subject to change)

SAMEDI 27TH JULY 2024 – NENDAZ STATION
09:45–11:30 Official alphorn competition with a blind jury
11:00–18:30 Musical entertainment and artisanal market
11:30–13:30 Alphorn OFF competition with a blind jury
13:30–18:30 Official alphorn competition with a blind jury
17:30 Church service in Haute-Nendaz
19:00 Big parade with floats and animals
20:15 Production of Alphorn group
20:45 Big folkloric evening
22:00 Trio St. Jakob
22:30 Dance with Magic Men

DIMANCHE 28TH JULY 2024 – NENDAZ STATION
08:30–17:00 Alphorn production and folk festival on the Plaine des Ecluses - musical and folkloric animations, artisanal market, Alphorn making workshop, demonstration by Bramois wrestlers and flag throwers
10:30 ‘Morceaux d'ensemble’, official part and speech
11:30 Alphorn competition final
14:30 Winners productions of the classes “Young” and “OFF”
15:00 ‘Morceaux d'ensemble’, results and award ceremony, official speech
15:45 Group production