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Huge Swiss wine show evacuated as storms hit Vevey

The Local
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Huge Swiss wine show evacuated as storms hit Vevey
Photo: Fete des Vignerons

The daily spectacle that forms the centrepiece of the Fête des Vignerons in Vevey was cancelled mid-show on Thursday night as violent storms threatened the area.

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The show, held in a specially constructed stadium seating 20,000 on Vevey’s Place du Marché, was stopped an hour into its 2hr45 running time, though some spectators had already started to leave when the rain began, reported Le Temps
 
A spokesperson for the festival told news agency ATS the stadium had to be evacuated for safety reasons, due to the risk of lightning.
 
The cancelled show has been reprogrammed for Monday night, said organizers
 
Involving 5,000 participants, plus cows, goats and horses, the show takes the audience through a year in the life of a vineyard, using dance and song. 
 
As well as the show, the once-in-a-generation festival includes daily parades, with each day dedicated to a different canton, as well as numerous food and drink stands around Vevey’s lakeside and old town.
 
 
Thursday night’s storm did little to quell the high temperatures that have sat across much of Switzerland this week. 
 
Many regions of the country experienced a second consecutive ‘tropical’ night, when temperatures remain above 20 degrees overnight. 
 
Zurich’s overnight temperature reached 24.7 degrees, while Lucerne, Sion, Basel and Locarno all sweltered in plus 20-degree night-time heat, reported 20 Minutes.
 
The heat is set to remain on Friday, before cooler weather arrives on the weekend.
 

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