Rag’n’Bone Man and Zucchero to headline Montreux Jazz Festival

A downsized Montreux Jazz Festival is set to go ahead in July thanks to the easing of Covid restrictions. Woodkid, Rag’n’Bone Man, Zucchero and Fatoumata Diawara are among the headliners, the organisers said on Tuesday.

The “Small is beautiful” 55th edition of the festival will take place from July 2-17. The prestigious summer music event was cancelled last year due to the pandemic.

Other highlights for this July’s intimate edition include Ibrahim Maalouf, Fred Hersch, Raul Midon, Nubya Garcia, Roberto Fonseca, Alfa Mist, Robben Ford, Bill Evans, Sarah McCoy and Christian Sands.

The reduced format will take place on four stages, two paying and two free of charge. Some 500 fans will be offered a spectacular view of the Alps at certain shows performed on a stage built on the lake, 25 metres from the shore. In total, the festival can welcome between 1,200-1,500 people per day.

“The Montreux Jazz Festival wanted to prioritise the comfort and safety of festival-goers by preserving the format of the edition as announced on 31 March. An intimate edition, focused on the Festival’s values of hospitality, musical excellence and breathtaking setting,” the organisers said in a statement.

The Montreux Jazz Festival is one of the few big music events in Switzerland to have taken the plunge to organise an edition this summer. Many outdoor music festivals including Paléo, Bern’s Gurten festival and the St Gallen Open-Air cancelled for the second year in a row due to the pandemic.

Covid infection rates have stabilised in Switzerland in recent months, allowing the Swiss government to slowly ease restrictions. These include raising the cap on public events like concerts, football matches and theatre performances both indoors and outdoors.