Every year, a quiet little town in the heart of Switzerland transforms into a global musical crossroads. In a matter of days, Lucerne – picturesque lake and mountain setting – becomes a frenzy of violins and cellos and grand pianos and the musicians who make music like no one else on the planet.

Welcome to the Lucerne Festival and welcome to a collection of gifts from the best classical artists of the world, from which crowds have travelled to experience like nobody else can. For anyone who is curious about classical music in Switzerland at its best, look no further. 

The Lucerne Festival is far more than a chronology of concerts. It is an entire world of music. From the last days of August until early September, Lucerne’s halls and roads and waterside cafés are packed with music. What is so special? The people. The best of the best arrive- the best orchestras in the world, world-renowned conductors, and soloists whose name fills concert halls in every city from New York to Tokyo. What could be that experience?

Some nights it is the Berlin Philharmonic; if you are lucky to see the astounding young soloist who will be performing with a different group from the Lucerne Festival Academy the next night.  Musicians of this caliber come from far and wide to Lucerne to perform, and the same is true for all of their biggest fans as well.

Everybody gathers to Lucerne for one shared experience – the same infectious excitement of live music that inspires and enlivens the evenings well after the last notes sound and the silence descends. But once the festival arrives, magic happens in Lucerne! Fare to experience this magic concert. Concerts happen in small concert halls, chapels, and open spaces. 

Music spills out of windows. Strangers exchange secrets in coffee shops. It feels like the entire town participates in the festival. This is what makes classical music in Switzerland so alive here. It’s not limited to a concert hall, it’s everywhere. “Oh, do you have to be a classical music expert to go to the Lucerne Festival?” this is the most asked question.

NO. You don’t need to know your Brahms from your Bartók to be moved by a beautiful performance. Many people come just to feel something powerful. The festival is designed to broaden accessibility there are concerts, open rehearsals, and family and learning programs.

Whether you are a lifelong enthusiast, or are just becoming aware of classical music, there is something for you. That’s the great thing about classical music in Switzerland: it really is for everyone.  

You will see legends perform. But the Lucerne Festival also showcases new talent and new ideas. The Lucerne Festival Academy is a big part of this. Young musicians from all corners of the globe have come to Lucerne to be educated, create and perform. 

They commission bold new music, even occasionally premiering something that the public has not ever heard performed live. If you want to witness where the future of music is being written, this is the place. Such is the key to Lucerne. It honours the past while it forwards.

Ask a fan who returns each year the Lucerne Festival whether it’s the music, and they are probably going to tell you, no, it’s the vibe. But even for those who are fans in a more relaxed sense, it’s a sensation that reaches the heart. 

So what exactly transpires when the world’s greatest artists meet in a single Swiss town? You feel yourself encountering flashes of enchantment. You encounter one town transformed by sound and by spirit. And you enjoy one of the most unforgettable classical music in Switzerland. Lucerne Festival is not where you come- it’s something you carry with you, way beyond the last notes.