Zermatt Unplugged Passenger casts a spell over the tent

Zermatt Unplugged 2023 is open: The alleyways are flooded with guests looking forward to five days of the finest music. Find out everything about the first festival of the year in this ticker.

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21:50

One man, one guitar, one unique voice

Englishman Passenger animates the audience and interacts with them. He plays softly and gently on his acoustic guitar, you would recognize his voice among hundreds.

When he takes one last breath after his hit "Let Her Go" to sing the ballad "Scare Away The Dark", he gets the Zermatt guests to stand up and sing along. And it is precisely this singing that draws him back on stage after his "last" song.

He plays songs for those "who feel a little lost". Whereupon someone shouts "yes", which amuses Passenger. However, he understands the person, as it is a crazy world we have lived in over the past few years.

The Englishman is extremely likeable and you wish the concert had never ended.

17:06

Stefanie's crêperie always has long queues

Crêpes are a highlight in cold Zermatt, and not just for tourists from all over the world. Every time you walk past the inconspicuous crêperie, people are queuing well into the street. And this even away from the Taste Village of Zermatt Unplugged.

In the center of the festival, however, you will find the Valais specialty Cholera - a vegetable pie with leeks, potatoes, cheese and apples - as well as various other things. For small and large appetites.

There are chocolate bars the size of a third of a snowboard and cupcakes that are gone in two bites. You can find more food from the Taste Village in the picture gallery. It's impossible to leave Zermatt hungry.

14:04

The large chandelier in the tent stage

Heinz Julen has founded the "Friends of Zermatt Unplugged" with long-time companions. They are responsible for the spirit and decoration of the mountain resort and the festival.

Julen himself built the countless chandeliers in Zermatt - the largest of which has now been maneuvered from his Hotel Vernissage into the large tent as an unofficial opening for years.

"Sometimes this ritual is accompanied by musicians, but this year a priest was there to bless us. Because of all the things that go wrong in the world," says the artist. "It probably took me about a month to build the chandelier."

The chandeliers have also inadvertently become the festival's marketing: Visitors enjoy them and take smaller ones home with them.

Heinz Julen also has an anecdote about his chandelier and the band Simple Minds: "They had rehearsed an unplugged gig, even produced an album in this style after their performance here and went on a European tour. The band then asked me if they could have the chandelier as a symbol of their revival. It then traveled all over Europe for five months. Every evening I got a picture of my chandelier in a new city."

11:04

On the third day, the Matterhorn shows itself after all

The sky opens up, the temperature gets colder - it's currently minus 5 degrees in Zermatt. Many tourists and festival visitors take photos of the Swiss landmark.

Today, several big names in music are counteracting the cold: Vance Joy from Australia will hopefully bring the warmth from his homeland with him, performing at 9 pm at the Vernissage. Headliner Passenger will also take the microphone on the tent stage in the evening. The Englishman's performance can not only be enjoyed by the guests on site, you can also follow the concert live at home - from 8.30 pm on blue News and the free TV channel blue Zoom.

19:55

The weather isn't playing ball, but the guests are all the more so

Although the temperatures are not as low as Zermatt is used to, the wind is making for an unpleasant climate. Nevertheless, the guests don't let it spoil their mood: German musician Mayberg in particular knows how to help the audience. Even if the concept does not require electricity, the band is of course allowed to show up with a drummer.

During the song "The new style of my generation", the audience swayed along and enjoyed the young German.

You can see more impressions of the second day of the festival in the picture gallery.

16:47

Curly Bird can't get enough of Zermatt

In the afternoon, Curly Bird spread relaxed vibes in the style of his influences Jack Johnson and Bob Marley. The young Valaisan fits perfectly with the setting of the campfire.

After his performance, he said: "It was wonderful to see people sitting in a semi-circle around the fire, actively listening. It was a very nice gig!" Although Curly Bird are not usually unplugged. There were just two of them next to the campfire in the middle of the Taste Village. They were missing the drummer a little.

And the smoke from the fire didn't bother him either: "If I had been singing for an hour now, I don't know what it would have done to my voice."

The musician has already performed at the Openair Gampel, but he also said about Zermatt Unplugged: "I've never been as nervous before a performance as I was today, probably because it's a big show after all."

10:53

Day 2 at Zermatt Unplugged

Zermatt normally has just under 6000 inhabitants, but this figure is likely to be significantly higher during the ski and festival season.

On Wednesday morning, things are quiet in the Valais mountain resort. The guests are probably recovering from a little hangover here and there, triggered by the first day of the festival. They drink their coffee outside, although the sun doesn't show itself at all or only rarely in the morning.

The snow doesn't make it to the village either - it's still just above 0 degrees - and the Matterhorn is surrounded by clouds.

After last night's sold-out concert by Patent Ochsner, the second big name at the Unplugged Festival follows today: Peter Maffay takes to the tent stage at 8.30 pm.

blue Music is recording his concert so that you can still experience it at home on Saturday, April 15, on the free TV channel blue Zoom.

21:44

Patent Ochsner rock the tent stage

After the concert was sold out immediately, the time has come: Patent Ochsner is on the tent stage and really heats up Zermatt.

Büne Huber and his band have been making music for over three decades and are still able to draw in the crowds. Especially in the unplugged format, the band can give their songs even more feeling.

Patent Ochsner is also the first Swiss band to land an unplugged concert on MTV.

19:36

A Spanish musician lures out the Matterhorn

Queralt Lahoz played in the middle of the Taste Village, the audience gathered around her - at a pleasant 10 degrees towards the evening, the Matterhorn shed its clouds and showed itself. Almost completely, anyway.

The guests at Zermatt Unplugged let the 31-year-old Spaniard warm them up and still managed to take a snapshot of their local mountain.

18:04

Alice Merton live at Zermatt Unplugged

The 29-year-old pop musician was born in Germany, but grew up in Canada and England. She first attracted attention in 2015 on an album by the band Fahrenhaidt - as a songwriter and singer.

Her breakthrough followed in 2016 with her hit single "No Roots". Since then, it has been impossible to imagine the industry without her.

Now she's on stage at Zermatt Unplugged and of course she wants you to watch her performance - here on blue News and on free TV on blue Zoom.

16:21

Alice Paroissien sings around the campfire

After winning "Sing It Your Way", Alice makes her first appearance at Zermatt Unplugged. She performs in the middle of the audience next to the campfire.

People listen to her angelic voice and enjoy the warmth of the fire. After every song, there is applause for the 23-year-old musician - she thanks them modestly and takes another breath for another song.

You can hear what Alice sounds like in the studio below.

14:20

Here we go!

Hello and welcome to the live ticker from Zermatt Unplugged. We have arrived in beautiful Valais and are enjoying the special atmosphere on the streets. Music fever is already in the air everywhere. First impressions of the start of what is probably the most intimate festival in Switzerland can be found in the gallery.

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Anyone who organizes more than 120 concerts on 16 stages over five days can expect a flood of guests.

The audience wants to enjoy the music and the mountain panorama - the latter is still missing for the time being, as the Matterhorn does not present itself in thick clouds and light rain.

So the music will have to do all the more to warm people up: as every year, top-class and multinational artists will be visiting again. On the opening day, Patent Ochsner will be on the tent stage, with their concert starting at 8.30 pm.

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Just half an hour later, Alice Merton kicks off at the Vernissage. The German with Irish roots made her international breakthrough in 2016 with her song "No Roots".

This year's "Sing It Your Way" winner Alice Paroissien will also be performing at Zermatt Unplugged for the first time - up close and personal with the fans. She will be performing her songs this afternoon at 3 pm at the Campfire in the middle of Zermatt.

Over the next few days, Peter Maffay, Passenger, Of Monsters and Men and Calum Scott will also be performing - in that order.

You can find the full program of the Zermatt Unplugged Festival here.