Cully Jazz Festival 2026｜10–18 April｜Cully
Wine and panoramic views in French-speaking Switzerland
For over forty years, the Cully Jazz Festival has transformed the wine-growing village of Cully on Lake Geneva into a dense labyrinth of clubs, cellars and pubs every April. With SWISS MUSIC @ home, FONDATION SUISA is using this special atmosphere to bring international professionals to the region – where they can meet Swiss musicians in the midst of the festival’s daily life and forge new connections.
By mid-April, Cully already smells intensely of spring. The sun hangs low over the lake, the view stretching as far as the French Alps is fantastic, and visitors to the Cully Jazz Festival crowd the narrow streets with wine glasses in hand. Anyone drifting through the festival here oscillates between a holiday feeling and sensory overload – and that is precisely what makes this festival so appealing: within a few hundred metres, international stars meet the local scene, and the carefully curated concerts are complemented by free gigs in numerous caveaux.
It is within this atmosphere that SWISS MUSIC @ home takes place: a programme by FONDATION SUISA that invites international professionals to Swiss festivals to connect them with the local scene. At Cully Jazz 2026, this group comprised 17 international guests from France, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and China.
The group walk through the terraced vineyards of Lavaux – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – was described by many as one of the highlights of the stay – yet the centrepiece of the networking activities was once again the ‘speed dating’ sessions between industry representatives from abroad and local musicians – with one significant new feature: for the first time, it was not the musicians but the professionals who moved from table to table.
Artists such as LOUISE KNOBIL, ELINA DUNI, JULIE CAMPICHE and Linus Meier, aka AS IN PLASTIC remained seated and described it as a relief to feel like hosts for once, rather than rushing from table to table in a constant state of self-promotion. The five-minute slots kept the conversations focused; those who needed more time could continue during the wine tasting that followed.
Although the abundance of wine raised a few smiles among some international guests, it is precisely this light-hearted blend of Western Swiss aperitif culture and professional exchange that gives this festival its special magic: the village nestled picturesquely in the hills, the sweeping view across the lake, which meets France in the distance; the shared spring stroll through the vineyards shimmering in the spring light, as well as the glitch in the matrix that briefly shook the balance of power between musicians and industry representatives, are all typical of Cully Jazz.
The next “SWISS MUSIC @ home” partnership is scheduled to take place at the “Stars in Town” festival in Schaffhausen in August 2027.
⚠️ It is not possible to apply for SWISS MUSIC @ home:
Participants are selected and invited on an individual basis depending on the context.
SWISS MUSIC @ Cully Jazz 2026 in pictures:
