Infos pratiques
Opening hours
The festival site opens Tuesday to Sunday at 5pm.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday: 5 pm - 1 am
Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 5 pm - 2 am
Information booth
Time and place
The info booth is located next to the Cathedral entrance, opposite the market stairs, and is open every evening of the Festival from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm.
Hotline
Every day of the Festival from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
+ 41 21 311 03 75
Shop
Since 2020, Lausanne-based designer boutique Laboratoi/RE has been developing a project to recycle t-shirts from past editions of festivals in French-speaking Switzerland. The Festival de la Cité has decided to support this project by giving the Laboratoi/RE team carte blanche to reuse its stock, which had been sleeping in the office's attic. Prototypes can be found at the Laboratoi/RE boutique and at the Festival info booth, where you can also order your own exclusive pieces!
Laboratoi/RE
Rue Mercerie 16, Lausanne
www.le-laboratoire.com/RE
Lost & Found
Lost and found items can be dropped off or picked up at the info booth throughout the Festival.
Daycare
The Festival de la Cité Lausanne offers festival-goer parents a childcare service, from Tuesday to Saturday from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm. A team of volunteers supervised by a professional educator will take care of your children, offering them a range of fun and creative activities.
Where
CVE de la Cité, rue Charles-Vuillermet 3-5
When
Tuesday to Saturday, 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
For whom
Accessible to children aged 3 to 8, clean, subject to availability.
Children's area
For a quiet moment with the family, a cosy space for parents and children is set up under a teepee in the Cour du Gymnase.
Available nametags
Stickers with your child's name and telephone number are available at the info booth.
If you lose your child, contact the info stand: it's also the ideal place to meet your child if you can't find them!
Bulles d'air workshops
Gymnase courtyard, wednesday from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Children must be accompanied for the duration of the activity - subject to availability. A workshop offered by Les Ateliers Bulles d'air.
www.bullesdair.ch
5:00 pm to 5:45 pm: Discovery and construction of maracas (3 years and up)
6:00 pm to 6:45 pm: Craft workshop (ages 4 and up)
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm: Tales and music from the African continent
Welcoming the public
This year's shows take place in and around La Cité, in the center of Lausanne. The festival staff will be delighted to welcome you and give you all the information you need on site. They'll also be on hand to help with seating arrangements in the event of larger crowds.
The Festival Staff can be identified by their T-shirts.
Samaritans
An infirmary is located near the info booth, opposite the Cathedral entrance.
Security
The Festival de la Cité Lausanne has hired Protect Service to watch over the site at night. This service works closely with the police and the fire department to ensure that you enjoy the Festival to the full. In case of an incident, please follow the organizers' instructions.
Care Team and Angela
The Festival de la Cité aims to provide its audiences, staff and artists with a caring and safe atmosphere.
Here, everyone is welcome, but not violent, aggressive, oppressive or discriminatory behavior. There will be no tolerance for racist, homophobic, validist, fatshaming, sexist, classist, ageist behaviour or any other form of oppression.
If you witness or are a victim of inappropriate behavior, don't hesitate to contact the Care Team members, who can be identified by their fluorescent clothing.
Just ask for Angela! We are also implementing the "Ask Angela" procedure, which enables anyone to discreetly report to any of the Festival bars that they feel in danger, and to take refuge there to feel safe.
A first aid post is available at the top of the market stairs in the "Salle des Français", place de la Cathédrale 1.
Public transport
The Festival takes place mainly in the Cité district. If you're coming to the Festival on foot, all you have to do is go to Lausanne Cathedral to be in the heart of the Festival.
Consult timetables in real time, save favourites and buy tickets from your smartphone. The tl App is your personal travel assistant. Simplify your journeys and download the app from the App Store or Google Play. You'll also find Lausanne's public transport timetables on the official tl website.
By metro
From Lausanne train station (about 20 minutes' walk), take the M2 towards Croisettes, and get off at Riponne-Maurice Béjart or Bessières.
Every 6 minutes or so.
By bus
From St-François, Bus 8, direction Grand-Mont, Bessières stop. Approx. every 10 min.
Night service
Night buses run at weekends on lines N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6 between approx. 00.40 am and 05.00 am, as well as on SBB, LEB and PostBus lines. More information on pyjama buses.
By train
If you're looking for train times to and from Lausanne, check out the official SBB website.
Car
Think green: share your car journey with other festival-goers. The Festival de la Cité encourages carpooling, for example with www.e-covoiturage.ch.
For festival-goers travelling by car, the underground parking lots at Riponne, Valentin and Rôtillon offer good capacity in the city center.
Underground parking lots: - open 24/7.
- Parking de la Riponne, Place de la Riponne, 1190 spaces
- Parking du Valentin, Rue du Valentin 13, 89 spaces
- Parking du Rôtillon, Rue Centrale 28, 180 spaces
Accommodation
Lausanne offers a wide range of accommodation options during the Festival, from 5-star hotels to B&Bs, from rural tourism to camping.
www.lausanne-tourisme.ch
+41 21 613 73 73