Sergi Montes-Messeguer. Consultant for public and private organizations residing in Zurich with experience in the cultural sector.
What can be learned in programming festivals in your city of residence?
It is spring and as we approach summer the peak of the festival season approaches. Barcelona is the undisputed leader in festival programming, specifically hosting major musical events such as Primavera Sound, Sónar, or Cruïlla, to name just a few of the many this season. Zurich has a high number of festivals that are part of a frequent cultural program. Many are not comparable in volume of attendance or in global reach to the Barcelona events, but here the offer is diverse, alternative and above all echoes the entire programming; leaving room for both established artists and new talents.
Switzerland also hosts festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, one of the most prestigious in the world; and if we look at the seventh art, the Locarno Film Festival, a film festival that is among the oldest in history. The legacy of these festivals is indisputable, programming the leaders of the scene for generations. Their presence during all these years has been possible thanks to the political commitment to maintain them and the agreement that these are cultural events that have a huge impact on the social capital of cities.
How could you move to Barcelona?
Alliances between the public and private sectors have proven fundamental in the Helvetic cultural offer. This collaboration normally takes the form of a contribution from local governments and the sponsorship of private entities in the country. And to this day it has favored the creation of new initiatives, activating spaces where new trends and social demands are represented. But no less important, public-private collaboration has made it possible to maintain its cultural infrastructures, since giving continuity to already established projects is key to preserving their impact, an aspect that Barcelona cannot ignore if we want to maintain the cultural legacy of ours festivals.
Likewise, the identity of many of these festivals in Switzerland is marked by citizen participation, preventing them from becoming isolated cultural activities for the local population. The direct participation of volunteers is an example of the artistic and cultural interest of the citizen, or the programming of open spaces in festivals, a measure that seeks to strengthen the connection between organizers and inhabitants of the city. All this is possible because the festivals are understood as an essential part of your city project.
