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What's on in Verbier summer 2018

The best events in Verbier this summer

featured in News & reviews Author Barnaby Bos, Verbier Reporter Updated

The winter season has come to an end in Verbier, and what a season it was - fantastic snowfall, an array of fantastic events, good vibes, and great apres-ski sessions. However, when the spring snow melts, the mountains change into a beautiful, green, and vibrant landscape, with lots of wildlife and fauna appearing as the first signs of summer start to show.

Alongside the plethora of summer adventure sports available, there are some fantastic events happening over the coming months. Here’s our pick of the best ones to look out for.

What's on in Verbier summer 2018

Trail Races

Verbier plays host to a number of different race events over the summer season, for both amateur and professionals.

On Sunday 3rd June, the Tour du Val de Bagnes is taking place. This is a popular event, in which teams of 3 runners compete in a relay race, first covering a 5km ascent, then a 7.7km flat road and descent, and finally a 7.3km ascent.

The first part is usually reserved to climbers, the second one to regular runners and the last to all-terrain athletes.
There is also a course reserved for children, so this is a great event for the outdoorsy family.

On 7th and 8th July, there is the Trail Verbier St Bernard, a series of trail running races including a 6km, 29km, 61km & 111km. The course goes through some incredibly challenging terrain, and as such attracts athletes from all over the world to compete.

August 4th is the date for the Trophee des Combins, one of the oldest races in the Alps, dating back to 1965. There are two races taking places, a 7.8km course, and a new race of 21.4km. All are welcome to the shorter race, although kids under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

What's on in Verbier summer 2018

Music Festivals

Verbier has a history of fantastic live music events, hosting shows all throughout the winter and summer. One of the most notable is the Verbier Festival, which runs from 19th July all the way through to 5th August. Created in 1994, it has rapidly acquired a reputation for artistic excellence and is now considered to be among the major European classical, jazz, and world music festivals.

There is an outstanding programme of concerts on offer, featuring some of the biggest names in the classical music world. On top of this, the Discovery programme offers a constant supply of amazing and insightful master classes and educational activities with the festival artists, Academy, and its Orchestras, aimed at both adults and children.

Only a week later, another brilliant festival arrives, this time the Rocklette festival. From 11th-15th August, there will be a series of rock concerts in various mountain based locations around Verbier.

You can buy tickets for individual concerts or a full four day pass for the whole festival.

What's on in Verbier summer 2018

Other Events

1st August sees the annual Swiss National Day, a day filled with festivities across
the country. Verbier is no exception to the rule, and there will be fireworks, street stalls, and
concerts on both the evening of 31st July and 1st August.

On Thursday 16th August, and continuing for 11 days, Verbier welcomes the Horse Jumping
International
, a prestigious equestrian competition with a world-class arena, taking place in the
Perrin parking lots by the Sports Centre.

The best horse riders from over 20 different countries will take part, with the first 3 days hosting the
Verbier National competition, followed by the International competition. While the horse jumping competition is going on, there is also another exciting event taking places in Verbier - the Grand Raid Mountain Bike Race.

Crossing 6 valleys for a total distance of 125kms and a total vertical ascent of 5025m, this is effectively the longest single leg mountain bike race in the world! Leaving Place Centrale at dawn, over four thousand participants test their strength and endurance, battling to reach the strategically placed cut off points, and finally finishing in Grimentz.

There will be a village set-up of stands and tents of all things mountain-bike, as well as other
entertainment throughout the day and a smaller children’s race.