Fête de l'Escalade 2026: Compagnie de 1602 brings the Vieille-Ville of Genève back to 1602, 11-13 December

The organiser, the Compagnie de 1602, lists the next edition on those dates, and the Ville de Genève agenda announces three days of animations, period costumes and processions through the old town, held outdoors and free of charge.

The festival commemorates the night of 11 to 12 December 1602, when Charles-Emmanuel Ier, duc de Savoie, made a failed attempt to seize Genève by surprise by scaling its city walls. By morning the city had lost eighteen men; they went to the temples to give thanks, an episode remembered in the song Cé qu'è lainô, which is still sung in chorus by the crowd during the festivities.

The Compagnie de 1602 has more than 2’000 members and describes itself as the largest historical society in the country. Over three days it recreates scenes of everyday life in Genève as it might have looked at the dawn of the seventeenth century. The 2026 edition is a milestone for the organiser: this year the Compagnie de 1602 marks its 100th anniversary.

The Ville de Genève says the programme centres on historical processions in which close to 700 period costumes file through the cobbled streets, re-enacting scenes from the battle and from daily life, with costumed animations of soldiers and militiamen spread across the Vieille-Ville. Fifes, trumpets, drums and a choir set the rhythm of the days.

The organiser's own description adds groups of fifes, drums and brass, arquebusiers, pikemen, cavalry patrols and the cannon named Falco parading through the streets. In the evening the streets are lit by torch-bearers, and mulled wine and paper lanterns are sold during the grand cortège.

Entry is free and the event is open to all audiences in the Vieille-Ville de Genève; it is supported by the Ville de Genève and organised by the Compagnie de 1602. Some demonstrations depend on favourable weather, and the detailed 2026 programme and hours are still to be published on 1602.ch.