Here, we are!! Be ready to move to the rhythm of the football games! This edition is historic since it’s the first to be held in the Middle East and in Q4.
St. Moritz — The Snow Polo World Cup 2020
The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, comes to an end and leaves space for THE glamorous sporting event of January!
This Snow Polo Cup sets within the same Swiss region; namely, in St. Moritz (Sankt Moritz) the luxury alpine resort in the Engadin valley. Snow-capped mountains, VIP white tents, fantastic polo players, first-class equine animals and Perrier-Jouët champagne are all elements that render St. Moritz’s Snow Polo World Cup’s uniqueness.
EC60 - A Magic Celebration in Saint-Tropez
Sun, soundchecks, stunning luxury and spectacular vista.
These are the ingredients to the recipe for a successful celebration! Plus it isn’t always that work rhymes with birthday parties for two legends at one of the hottest spots of the French Riviera. So we ended up partaking in a once-in-a-lifetime evening at the coastal town of Saint-Tropez in the southeastern region of France. Are you ready for it?
Fête des Vignerons 2019
Imagine having to wait 20 years to attend a national event… Well, this is what is happening right now in Vevey.
Please let us introduce to you La Fête des Vignerons or FdV or FeVi for the connoisseurs. Although not very often translated into English it is known as the “Winegrowers’ Festival”. As the name holds, la FeVi is an event organized by La Confrérie des Vignerons and held in Vevey (VD) Switzerland by the shores of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). The region boasts a pretty important wine culture since its vineyards in the Lavaux region are included in UNESCO Heritage.
Paléo Festival
Well, well well…
We can hear you come with the “Another music festival again?! ” If that’s the case maybe you haven’t fully grasped what LeCircles is and what we do. Or maybe you simply didn’t know that Switzerland hosts a plethora of music festivals despite its small 41,285 kilometer square..
No but more seriously — chances are that if you’ve been around summertime in Switzerland you’ll have heard about MJF and “Paléo”. Paléo or officially The Paléo Festival de Nyon is a Swiss music festival set in Nyon, Vaud(VD), Switzerland. It was created by its current President Daniel Rosselat who vowed to have an open-air music festival in the region. And you know what?!? He just created Switzerland’s biggest open-air music festival and one of the marquee open airs in mainland Europe!
We just love it too — it’s totally something else from Montreux Jazz Festival but think of it as a decent laidback Swiss open air that gets along very well with rain and mud. No but seriously… Be ready to pack your raining boots because when the festival isn’t blessed with a blazing sun — the rain and mud make a perfect wedding for gigs that run from afternoon to late night! The camping space is just fine for what it is but don’t expect the Glamping offer e.g., Coachella’s luxury lodging.
Though what we love are all the various food stalls that make you travel all over the world! Obviously it’s more about the music than anything else! With a single ticket just flock from a stage to another. You’ll have the choice between five of them — all with different styles, schedules and artists — La Grande Scène, Les Arches, Le Club, La Ruche, Le Dôme and Le Détour as of 2019. I swear it’s truly worth it but don’t have “luxury” in your mind — go to Paléo to have an authentic Helvetian open-air acoustic experience!
Let us know next year!
The Paléo Festival de Nyon’s main entry gate, Paléo, Nyon VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Jacob Banks’ superb show at stage Les Arches, Paléo, Nyon VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Paléo’s 2019 Lightening Sign Paléo, Nyon VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Central Tent with a bar, Paléo, Nyon VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Exit Portal - À Bientôt! , Paléo, Nyon VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Montreux Jazz Festival
Here we are — it’s June!!! It is one of our favorite month not only because here in Switzerland it’s the Summer’s solstice but also because this year on June 14th we observed the women’s march for equality followed by Juneteenth the same month.
Alright but the reason for us to be psyched for this month is THE SUMMER EVENT of the Swiss Riviera… The one and only Montreux Jazz Festival(MJF)!! 2019 rings the 53rd edition of this gem of a festival! Come on guys… Please tell me you know about it?! I mean it’s a premium high-caliber festival that brings fancy folks together. Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” was coined after the band came to play at Montreux and witnessed the tragic event of the Casino burning! But even if you aren’t familiar with this story, you can’t say you’ve never heard of the International Swiss festival that hosted Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald and Quincy Jones just to name a few… Or can you?!?
Speaking of Quincy Jones… brace yourself — he is one of the person behind the success of the festival. indeed, as said by himself, late Claude Nobs — the pioneer founder of ‘ledit’ Festival was like a brother to him. So hereafter is part of the formula behind Montreux Jazz Festival’s success — Claude Nobs’ hard work & vision coupled to Quincy Jones’ meticulousness & expertise! I guess the fact that the event takes place by the shores of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) and its wonderful vista plays a role in the festival’s triumph! Don’t tell everyone but even for us at LeCircles it remains our favorite premium festival in the region!
Therefore, work isn’t really work over here… Don’t get me wrong — business is still conducted very seriously and we still run all over the place in order to make sure everything and everyone is all set for a great experience, artists and visitors alike! But hell yeah feels good after putting several hours of work to have a drink at Montreux Palace’s Funky Claude Bar or just by the lake at one of the short-lived terraces. What about the concerts?! Well this year’s favorites were definitely Elton John’s farewell show, Janet Jackson’s comeback, Janelle Monae who came to slay and obviously Quincy Jones’ soundtrack of the 80s which closed a Quincy Jones’ tour around Europe.
Maybe next year you will be part of the family — may it be on the artist’s side and if not… you ought to be one of MJF’s guests! For both endeavors just remember that LeCircles hooked you up on the trend! Oh yeah… the anecdote is that the city even named one of its main streets after late Claude!
Odonym after MJF’s founder Claude, Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Setting of the event — shores of Lake Geneva, Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Auditorium Stravinski’s Hall (B4) 2m2c , Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Elton John’s farewell’s concert at the Stadium La Saussaz, Montreux Jazz Festival 2019, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Janet Jackson at Auditorium Stravinski Concert Hall, Montreux Jazz Festival 2019, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Janelle Monae’s Powerful show at Auditorium Stravinski Concert Hall, Montreux Jazz Festival 2019, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
VIP Area — 3 main paying stages’ lineup (peep the Gems at Stravinski), Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Quincy Jones’ closing concert of the Montreux Jazz Festival 2019, Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Iconic MJF sculpture by the docks, Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
SEF.2019 - Interlaken
It’s May but this year no Festival de Cannes for us. I know very surprising!!! But what can we say?! After the busiest of time at Coachella and around the U.S. our heavy schedule made us miss our usual stopover at “La Croisette”.
Nevertheless, we couldn’t miss to partake in the Swiss Economic Forum (SEF) — Switzerland’s leading economic conference and most important spring business event. We are talking of exclusively C-levels guests, high-profile businesses, academia, media & political figures. This isn’t your local gathering!
Indeed, with Davos WEF it is the most prestigious event with an international outreach that promotes exchange of ideas among leaders and that is — a real paragon of promotion of entrepreneurship. Wait a minute!!! Don’t think you will simply get to show up that easy. You need to go through a meticulous screening process in order to be part of the event and demonstrate high achievements in your field or be invited as a special guest given your pedigree.
For us, it remains the best business meeting in the Bernese Highlands. Aside from jaw-dropping conference and valuable exchange of ideas, we love SEF because of its setting. Indeed, it takes place in Interlaken, Bern, Switzerland. If you do not know the picturesque town at the base of several attractions such as the Jungfrauhoch and boasting lake Brienz — you should look it up. Ok as a non-Swiss these names won’t tell you much but trust me from the streets to the hotels, stores and casino you will fall in love with it! And what if you joined the millions of tourists that have had a glimpse of the municipality?
Or you could perhaps join the town during the SEF for some masterclasses or conferences on the topics that shape tomorrow — No, this isn’t the WEF Davos its the SEF Interlaken and nothing to by shy of. Don’t get it twisted.
Entry - Control Access/Security Check, “SEF”, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Main Hall’s Entry - Partner’s Area (Casino), SEF, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Main Hall (Partner’s Zone), SEF, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Networking “Apéro” in the Garden, SEF, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Luxury Hotel Victoria Jungfrau, SEF, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Conference Auditorium, SEF, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Geneva International Motor Show
It is that time of the year… Switzerland particularly Geneva is in a frenzy. Why? Let’s forget you asked that. Geneva International Motor Show has began. It is set annually and is one of the most important motor shows. This year many automakers didn’t show up but we were still delighted since Audi, Porsche, McLaren, Pininfarina, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini and Bugatti did exhibit their models. “La Voiture Noire” which is a one of one was definitely a killer! If again you don’t know what this means let’s maybe admit this blogpost isn’t for you after all. For connoisseurs, let’s say that we will take solace in the fact that it is still possible — though highly exclusive — to be behind the wheel of the Divo or Chiron. What, it’s ultra limited? Since when is this a problem at LeCircles?! Oh yes… Apparently there’s a lot of controversy around this… But Bugatti is French not Italian trust me but that doesn’t hinder your Dolce Vita to be fully lived.
Bugatti at GIMS 2019, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Bugatti Divo at GIMS 2019, Switzerland. ©LeCircles
Bugatti La Voiture Noire (Unique piece) at GIMS 2019, Switzerland. ©LeCircles