Vevey: a party can wait for a generation

A child can attend a Winegrowers’ Festival and then return as an adult to the next one. In Vevey, this great celebration takes place about once in a generation. The 1977, 1999 and 2019 editions show this unusual rhythm, without constituting a mathematical rule that would allow calculating the date of the next show.

The interval does not mean that the activity stops. The Confrérie organisateur regularly examines the work in the vines entrusted to it, then rewards the winegrowers in a triennial ceremony. The great celebration gives this recognition an exceptional magnitude. It developed around the coronation of the workers, with a first platform erected in 1797 on the Place du Marché.

The organization and the shows have changed over the years, while the vine remains in the center. The rare calendar transforms transmission: childhood memories, participation and new discovery can meet decades of distance. The party thus returns to a city that has also had time to change.