Escalade Festival celebrates the independence of Geneva

For an unforgettable European break this winter, visit Geneva on the weekend of 11 to 13 December and experience the unique Escalade Festival, the magnificent annual celebration of Geneva's independent spirit that catches the city as its best.

Geneva is renowned as a global centre for diplomacy, earning the moniker of the Peace Capital of the World, and the Escalade Festival celebrates a defining event in the city's history when, in the early hours of 12 December 1602, the Genevan army successfully repelled an attack by the invading French. Dressed in period costumes, modern-day residents enthusiastically celebrate this landmark event 400 years later with a weekend-long calendar of events steeped in fascinating traditions and rituals, guaranteed to enthral visitors to Switzerland.

The Escalade celebrations are a chance for tourists to see historic Geneva's unique culture and traditions proudly on display, with the city's colours of red and gold emblazoned across all aspects of the festivities. The crowning event is the three-hour torch parade through Geneva's Old Town, commemorating the company of 1602 who fought off the invaders. Legend has it that these soldiers' valiant efforts were aided by a matron who poured boiling vegetable soup over the city walls onto the heads of the invaders, and this event has inspired a range of traditions with cauldrons at their symbolic centre.

Visitors with a taste for chocolate will lavish the Escalade celebrations, where chocolate cauldrons are sold as a festive delicacy, as widely available as Easter eggs are in the Spring. As well as savouring these chocolate delights, festival attendees are also treated to mulled wine and soup, with more sweets and marzipan offerings than children could dream of. Traditional songs are sung in memory of the fallen soldiers, and families with children visiting Geneva can take part in a range of celebrations, as the communal spirit flows throughout the city.

Geneva's winter celebrations are not restricted to the Escalade weekend however, as the city has much to offer travellers who visit throughout the season, taking in the Christmas atmosphere as the city is transformed with lights and decorations. The Escalade marathon also takes place on the weekend prior to the festival, attracting more participants each year in a race around the Old City that has fast become Switzerland's most prestigious sporting event, offering a stunning spectacle for visitors.

Geneva's distinctive cultural history and traditions can be experienced to the full in the city's many museums open throughout the year, making Geneva flights the ideal option for an edifying cultural break in a city with a unique global focus and exceptional quality of life.