Half a million Swiss francs for the Yodelling Festival 2023

The city council considers a contribution of CHF 500,000 for the Federal Yodelling Festival in the summer to be justified. After the ESAF 2019, Zug can once again make a name for itself throughout Switzerland with this second federal event.

The Zug City Council (Stadtrat) is asking the Greater Zug Council (GGR:Grossen Gemeinderat der Stadt Zug) to approve a contribution of CHF 500,000 to the 2023 Zug Federal Yodelling Festival association (EJF: Eidgenössisches Jodlerfest) for the organisation of the festival from 16 to 18 June 2023.

The city council believes that this municipal contribution should be granted to the EJF, in particular because the EFJ has been an identity-forming element for the people of Zug for generations, as the Zug City Council writes in its latest report. It thereby considers this contribution of CHF 500,000 to be justified. The contribution corresponds to slightly more than half of the contribution the City of Zug made to the 2019 Swiss Federal Wrestling and Alpine Festival (ESAF) in Zug.

The ESAF was supported with around CHF 900,000. In a cross-comparison with the ESAF 2019 Zug, the EJF 2023 is a festival that should attract around 150,000 to 200,000 visitors, and is thereby equivalent in size to half of the ESAF 2019.

The contribution of CHF 750,000 from the canton was also around half of the contribution to the ESAF 2019 Zug, which was supported with around CHF 1.5 million.

The Zug city council wants to contribute CHF 500,000 to the Federal Yodelling Festival that will be taking place in Zug in June.        Symbolic image: Werner Schelbert

A great opportunity for the city
It must be taken into account that CHF 1.5 million will be spent on rent, buildings and permits, the city council continues. A certain part of this amount will almost certainly flow back into the city of Zug as income. In accordance with the current gross principle, the city of Zug will have to invoice the EFJ for the rent of municipal properties, the granting of permits and for services provided by the depot.

It’s not possible to say how high these will be at the current stage of the planning, but the city council is certain that they will make up a substantial part of the city's financial contribution.

By way of comparison: for the ZugFäscht last September, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of Zug railway station, the GGR granted CHF 250,000 (cash contribution: CHF 190,000 and contributions in kind from the city of Zug CHF 60,000). This event attracted around 50,000 visitors, adds the city council.

Four years ago, Zug made a name for itself throughout Switzerland through the success of the ESAF 2019. The Zug City Council believes that this can be repeated this year with the EJF 2023. This visibility and size of the Yodelling Festival one again gives Zug the opportunity to present itself nationally in a positive light. The money should therefore be seen on the one hand as a contribution to a traditional event. But on the other hand it should contribute to a continuously positive image building.