Lakefront Festival

Saturday 31 July

Saturday 31 July: for the first time, four events will be organized in Geneva’s harbour: the Rowing Sprint Cup, the Rescue Boat Race, jump waterskiing, and an all-new racing boat demonstration. A captivating, eagerly awaited spectacle!

5th AVIRON SPRINT CUP
from 2:00pm to 6:00pm

The widely appreciated rowing regatta is the main event in the Rade (Geneva’s harbour). Aficionados flock to admire the wood or carbon fibre boats and the perfect synchronization of the rowers. This year, for the 5th time under the auspices of the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), 10 teams will compete: the SNG, the women’s team of Vésenaz, teams from Lausanne, Monaco and several from the German-speaking region of Switzerland. The regatta will take place in two stages: the qualifiers from 2pm to 4pm and the final from 5pm to 6pm.
From the start of the afternoon, the 8+ boats (eight rowers and cox) with one oar per rower will glide at 30 km/h from Pont des Bergues in the direction of the Jet d’Eau, with eight rowers and a coxswain on board. The teams are divided into two groups, each team competing against the others in the same group. Semi-finals start at 5pm, with the winners participating in the final, which will be run in two rounds. It all goes very quickly on this 400m stretch, and even if the time is not a factor, each team has but one goal: to participate in the final, and win!
If you are interested in this all-round Olympic sport, the SNG organises workshops and courses for youngsters and adults.

4th LIFEBOAT RACE
From 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm

Just after the Aviron Sprint Cup, a very different display starts on the same course: the imposing rowed lifeboats of the Genevan clubs hit the water. One of these beauties, the “Servir”, dates back to 1947 and weighs a tonne and a half. There are ten rowers and a cox on board. There is no timing, simply an energetic race to show that they are still in working order, no matter what the weather.

THE 2nd EDITION OF THE “GLADIATORS OF THE RADE” JUMP WATERSKIING COMPETITION.
Qualifiers from 12 noon to 2pm – final from 6:30pm to 8pm.

Due to the tremendous success of last year’s spectacular demonstration, the jump waterskiing competition is being repeated thanks to the support of the Société Nautique de Genève. Switzerland’s best water-ski jumpers will be present, including the Duris brothers and the Genevan Sébastien Di Pasqua, who is hoping for the “jump of the century”. Competitors from England, the United States, Russia and Scandinavia will also take part.
Three factors make up a good jump: the run up to the ramp, the takeoff, and the flying technique. Competitors must wear reinforced suits and helmets. A boat tows the water-skiers at 57 km/h. The skiers gain speed by cutting diagonally across the wake and can reach 120 km/h before hitting the ramp and taking off to 7-8 meters above the water with the goal of travelling as far as possible before touching down. The world record is still held by the American Freddy Krueger with a jump of 75.2m in 2009 in Florida. Sébastien di Pasqua exceeds 70m in training.
Will the Genevan beat his own record on the lake?

A BIG FIRST: RACER DEMONSTRATION
4:20pm to 4:55pm

The former Formula 1 of the seas, the “three-point racers” of the 1950-1970s, which for a long time were faster than catamarans, will give a demonstration on a 1.4 km loop circuit. They are called “three-point” because during racing only three points of the boat, each the size of a postcard, are in contact with the water: two points to the right and left of the front of the hull and one in back close to the propeller.
Generally made of mahogany, they weigh between 350 and 900 kg depending on the engine capacity. The record is 248 km/h, but in Geneva’s harbour the speed must be limited. Five or six of these veterans, in fine fettle, each piloted by only one person, await your applause.

THE FIREWORKS DISPLAY OF THE RADE
at 10:30pm
As a fitting conclusion to a splendid day, there will be a 20-minute musical fireworks display. (The sound will be audible only to those seated in the stands at the Jardin Anglais.)