Spring is almost here and the list of events in Geneva, Vaud and nearby France is filled with exciting outings to enjoy with the family. Here’s our list of suggestions for March 2019, but remember to keep checking our blog, as we will be updating this post with more events each week!
CARNIVAL CELEBRATIONS
If you missed the Carnival celebrations which took place in February, don’t worry. You can still catch some great masked parades, Guggenmusiks (Carnival marching bands) and masked balls in many villages of France and the Suisse Romande.
During these street parties you can expect masked parades, Guggenmusiks (carnival marching bands), folk dances, confetti fights as well as street performances and many activities for children. It is also traditional to burn the Bonhomme d’Hiver as a rather harsh goodbye gesture to the winter season!
Practical Tips: dressing-up the children is great fun (if they feel like it, that is!) and it’s all part of the Carnival tradition. Dress-up costumes, hats, confetti & face-painting kits are usually available from the beginning of February in the largest COOP, Migros, Manor, Carrefour (in France), toy stores (King Jouet, Maxi Toys, Imaginarium in Switzerland; La Grande Récré and Carrefour in France), but you can also find some princess costumes in H&M.
However, our top tip would be to borrow the kids’ dress-up costumes from your local toy library (ludothèque in French – not all of them stock them but it’s always worth checking). The choice is great and your little buttons can try them on until they find the one they like. You can then borrow the Carnaval costume for a few weeks for a very reasonable price!
Useful links: Toy Libraries in Geneva. Toy Libraries in Canton Vaud.
SUNDAY BRUNCH & INDOOR PLAY CENTRES
You can also check our previous posts to find all the best child-friendly places to enjoy a delicious and stress-free Sunday brunch with your little buttons or the best indoor play centres in Geneva, Vaud and nearby France. And if the Sunday blues hit you don’t fret, we’ve got some great tips for that too.
LIBRARIES & TOY LIBRARIES:
Many public libraries host free events, workshops, story-times (usually in French but many times in other languages too). The bibliothèques in Geneva, Lausanne and neighbouring communes hold too many kids events each month to list them all here so here’s some links you can check regularly:
Geneva public libraries events & activities
Carouge public libraries events & activities
Lausanne public libraries events & activities
Click here to find the best indoor play centres in Geneva, Vaud and nearby France, and remember you can always pop round into your local toy library for a bit of free-play. Here’s a link about great ludothèques in the area.
MARCH 2019 EVENTS LISTINGS:
- 1st-31st March 2019: Festival Couleurs d’enfance, a delightful theatre festival for children aged 0 to 6 in the Geneva and neighbouring France region. Take a look at the official website for a complete list of all the theatre shows, readings, movie screenings and creative workshops available. Tickets can be purchased directly at the door.
- 1st March-15th April 2019: Festival du Film Vert, a film festival with a green conscience taking place across 30 towns in France and Suisse Romande. The festival will be showcasing an amazing range of international movies that deal with important ecological issues that concerns us all. Take a look at the official website for full programme details.
- Sunday 3rd March 2019: Free entry to all museums and exhibitions in Geneva, a special initiative organized by the city of Geneva offering free access to permanent and temporary exhibitions on the first Sunday of every month.
- Sunday 3rd March 2019: Petits Rendez-Vous for children at Geneva’s MAMCO, conducted in French and English. These are free, interactive guided tours for kids aged 5 to 10 accompanied by an adult. The tours start at 11.15pm. FREE entry, no advance booking required.
- Sunday 3rd March 2019: “Le baby Bazar – Grand Bazar” free music workshop for babies and toddlers aged newborn to 2 at Geneva’s MEG museum (in French). The workshop run by Espace Musical will take place everz 30 minutes from 3pm to 5pm, each workshop lasting 20 minutes. FREE ENTRY, no advance booking required but places are limited. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Sunday 3rd March 2019: “Chasseurs, pisteurs, traqueurs de secrets” avec Tohu Wa Bohu fun guided tour for little ones at Geneva’s MEG museum (in French). Suitable for toddlers from age 2, the first session will take place from 3pm to 3.45pm in the museum’s foyer, and the second one from 4pm until 4.45pm. FREE ENTRY, no advance booking required. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Wednesday 6th March 2019: “À LA NEIGE !”, part of the Mercredis Family family workshops at the Musée d’art et d’histoire in Geneva (Rue Charles-Galland 2). Children aged 6 to 10 accompanied by an adult are welcome at 3pm to discover all about the museum collections in a fun, interactive way. FREE ENTRY, no advance booking required.
- Wednesday 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th March 2019: Les mercredis à la Villa Freundler, free Wednesday activities for children at the Villa Freundler in Plainpalais (Place de Saint-François 4). Activities include games, creative workshops, sports and they will run from 1.30pm to 6pm. FREE ENTRY, no advance booking necessary, children must be accompanied by an adult/carer.
- Wednesday 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th March 2019: Jours d’ouverture aux familles at the Maison de la Créativité in Conches (7, chemin Calandrini). These family activities will take place in the afternoon from 2.30pm to 5.30pm. Entry is 3CHF per adult and per child aged 2+.
- 7th-17th March 2019: 89th International Motor Show at Geneva’s Palexpo. This motorshow needs no introduction, so we’ll just share some good tips: all tickets bought on site after 4pm are half price; there will be a day nursery in the Entrance Hall, caring for children aged 3 months – 7 years (1st hour free of charge, after that CHF 6 per hour). Last but not least, beware of the traffic congestion around Geneva’s airport for the duration of the motor show.
- 8th-17th March 2019: International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) at the Maison des Arts du Grütli in Geneva (16, rue du Général-Dufour). Don’t miss this extraordinary festival, which showcases films and documentaries about contemporary human rights: violence against women, poverty, torture, international justice and climate change.
- 8th-18th March 2019: L’autre salon, organized by the association PRO VELO Genève, runs in parallel with the International Motorshow and offers an eco-friendly alternative for all those people who’d rather cycle than drive. This is ‘alternative’ Geneva at its best: the programme is filled with very interesting activities (whether you’re a bike-pro or not) including bike parades, live music in various locations and vélo-polo.
- 9th-10th March 2019: GENEVE CHÊNE-BOUGERIES Festival de marionnettes et Cie. A great puppet-show festival (in French) from age 3 at the Salle Jean-Jacques Gautier in Chêne-Bougeries (Route du Vallon 1). Tickets cost 10CHF per person. There will be puppet shows and workshops (advance booking required), click here to download the full programme.
- Wednesday 13th March 2019: “J’ÉCRIS COMME LES ÉGYPTIENS”, part of the Mercredis Family family workshops at the Maison Tavel. Children aged 6 to 10 accompanied by an adult are welcome at 3pm to discover all about the museum collections in a fun, interactive way. FREE ENTRY, no advance booking required.
- Wednesday 13th, 20th & 27th March 2019: Jours d’ouverture aux familles at the Maison de la Créativité in Conches (7, chemin Calandrini). These family activities will take place in the afternoon from 2.30pm to 5.30pm. Entry is 3CHF per adult and per child aged 2+.
- Wednesday 13th, 20th & 27th March 2019: Les mercredis à la Villa Freundler, free Wednesday activities for children at the Villa Freundler in Plainpalais (Place de Saint-François 4). Activities include games, creative workshops, sports and they will run from 1.30pm to 6pm. FREE ENTRY, no advance booking necessary, children must be accompanied by an adult/carer.
- Friday 15th March 2019: Le MAH à tout petits pas – Mercredi Family pour les tout-petits free guided tours for children aged 3 to 5 accompanied by an adult at the Musée d’art et d’histoire in Geneva starting at 10.30am. No previous booking required, FREE OF CHARGE.
- Saturday 16th March 2019: Samedi des Bibliothèques, a special day for all public libraries in Canton Vaud, Fribourg, Valais and Neuchâtel. Public libraires will be offering activities, story times, workshops and much more. Take a look at the official website for a list of activities in all participating libraries. FREE ENTRY.
- 16th-24th March 2019: Habitat-Jardin, a fantastic home decor & garden exhibition at the Expo Beaulieu in Lausanne. With 500 exhibitors this is the place to go to find that special piece of furniture you’ve been pining for, or everything you need to indulge your inner gardener. Open from midday to 8pm during the week and from 10am to 6pm at the weekend. Tickets are 16CHF for adults and entry is free for children up to the age of 16.
- 17th-23rd March 2019: Rock the Pistes Festival at the Portes du Soleil (France). If you love skiing and rock music then this is the right festival for you: with great live concerts right on the best ski slopes in Europe, fun is pretty much guaranteed (and the best thing is, you can enjoy a live rock concert without having to book the baby-sitter!). Visit the official website for full details.
- 19th-24th March 2019: Voix de Fête music festival in Geneva. A programme filled with live concerts and events by the best musicians and artists of the Suisse Romande, France, Canada, Belgium and Africa. Don’t miss the live music shows in the city’s coolest bars, part of the festival’s “Bars en Fête” spin-off.
- Wednesday 20th March 2019: “Que mangent les champignons ?” – Ateliers Verts du Jardin Botanique in Geneva for kids aged 10-13 (in French). What better place than Geneva’s beautiful botanical gardens to learn more about nature, micro-organisms and plants ? These fantastic workshops take place on Wednesday from 2pm to 4.30pm and cost 15CHF per child. Places must be booked in advance at 022 379 70 68.
- Wednesday 20th & 27th March 2019: Jours d’ouverture aux familles at the Maison de la Créativité in Conches (7, chemin Calandrini). These family activities will take place in the afternoon from 2.30pm to 5.30pm. Entry is 3CHF per adult and per child aged 2+.
- Wednesday 20th & 27th March 2019: Les mercredis à la Villa Freundler, free Wednesday activities for children at the Villa Freundler in Plainpalais (Place de Saint-François 4). Activities include games, creative workshops, sports and they will run from 1.30pm to 6pm. FREE ENTRY, no advance booking necessary, children must be accompanied by an adult/carer.
- 21st-24th March 2019: Moudon Carnival, probably the “coolest” of them all as the theme this year is “Arctique Brandons”. The kids parade takes place on Saturday 23rd of March at 3.30pm.
- until Saturday 23rd of March 2019: the Musée Ariana in Geneva hosts a series of fun guided tours and Saturday workshops for little ones aged 2 to 4, but you must reserve your places now so make sure you do it well in advance! Call 022 418 5450 or email adp-ariana@ville-ge.ch to reserve your place. Until the 11th of May 2019, they will also host the “Samedis des enfants de 5 à 7 ans”, for older children aged 5 to 7. These take place on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm.
- Saturday 23rd March 2019: Fête de la Première Feuille at the Maison de Quartier Chausse-Coq in Geneva. This fun spring celebration will run from 12pm until 4.30pm and there will be games, activities for the little ones, circus workshops, live concerts, Nepalese ferris wheel and much more. FREE ENTRY.
- Saturday 23rd March 2019: Jours d’ouverture aux familles at the Maison de la Créativité in Conches (7, chemin Calandrini). These family activities will take place in the morning from 9.30am until midday and in the afternoon from 2.30pm to 5pm. Entry is 3CHF per adult and per child aged 2+.
- 23rd-24th March 2019: “Festival Ramdamjam”, dance and music festival for little ones at the MEG museum in Geneva (Musée d’ethnographie de la Ville de Genève, Boulevard Carl-Vogt 65-67). From Indian dance workshops to Beatbox how-to classes and “eveil musical” lessons for babies, this festival has it all covered. Shows and workshops are suitable for children aged 2 to 10, tickets are 15CHF for a child day-pass, free entry for adults. Find the complete programme online. Places for all workshops can be booked only at the MEG Welcome Desk from 9am on the same day.
- Wednesday 27th March 2019: Jours d’ouverture aux familles at the Maison de la Créativité in Conches (7, chemin Calandrini). These family activities will take place in the afternoon from 2.30pm to 5.30pm. Entry is 3CHF per adult and per child aged 2+.
- Wednesday 27th March 2019: Les mercredis à la Villa Freundler, free Wednesday activities for children at the Villa Freundler in Plainpalais (Place de Saint-François 4). Activities include games, creative workshops, sports and they will run from 1.30pm to 6pm. FREE ENTRY, no advance booking necessary, children must be accompanied by an adult/carer.
- 29th-31st March 2019: Avenches Carnaval, the kids’ parade starts at 3.30pm on the Saturday and will be followed by many activities & street entertainment throughout town from 8pm.
- Sunday 31st March 2019: Les Puces de Nyon, very scenic flea market in the pretty lakeside town of Nyon (VD). Grab a fab bargain or a delicious crêpe bretonne!
SAVE THE DATE:
- 6th-7th April 2019: chocoholics rejoice as the Festichoc is back in Versoix for its 15th edition. This is the best chocolate festival in the Suisse Romande: with over 33 exhibitors and chocolatiers present you will be able to taste some delicious chocolate, learn how these scrumptious creations are made and also take part in a Chocolate Egg hunt on Sunday at 11.30am. See the official website for full details.
- 6th-7th April 2019: Carnaval d’Annemasse, fun carnival celebrations in Annemasse (France). Don’t miss the parade kicking off at 3pm on Sunday, with its carnival floats and children in full dress-up costumes! FREE ENTRY.
ONGOING:
- until 15th September 2019: “Roulez les mécaniques. La loi du moindre effort” at the Musée d’histoire des sciences in Geneva. A fun, hands-on exhibition for the whole family, with plenty of machine based on the “Law of the Least Effort” to play and experiment with.
- until 21st June 2020: “L’ARBRE – De la petite graine à la vieille branche” a great new art exhibition suitable for ages 4 to 10 at the Espace des Inventions in Lausanne (Vallée de la Jeunesse 1). Open Wednesdays to Saturdays from 2pm until 6pm, and on Sundays from 10am until 6pm. Tickets are 7 CHF for adults and 5CHF for children. Entry is free on the first Saturday of every month.
- The permanent exhibition “Noblesse Oblige” at Prangins Castle is a great day-out for the whole family. Take a step back in time with your children to see how a noble Swiss family lived in the 18th century! Find out more about this fantastic family exhibition in our previous post.
