Level of contributions city makes to local events revealed

The council has revealed how much is given to organisers of recurring events in the city. At the top of the list is the Lake Festival (photograph), which benefits to the tune of CHF 119,000. Those which receive the least funding are the Bull Market and the Genuss Film Festival at CHF 10,000 each.

The sum allocated for the Lake Festival, i.e. the CHF 119,000, is for each year between this year, 2019, and 2022. What is interesting to note here is that the event which receives the second highest level of funding, namely the Zug Sports Festival, at CHF 85,000, is organised by the same body as the Lake Festival. This means the total amount the organisers of these two major events receive is CHF 204,000 per year. Of note, too, is that it has just been announced that this year, the Lake Festival will take place on one day only this year, Saturday 22 June, rather than over two days as last year. Holding the event on the Sunday as last year was regarded as a test run. However, it might be held over two days again in 2020.

The city divides such events into three categories, namely cultural, sporting and those relating to city development. The Lake Festival, Fairy-Tale Sunday and Swiss National Day (1 August) all come under this latter category, with Fairy-Tale Sunday benefiting to the tune of CHF 80,000, and Swiss National Day to the tune of CHF 32,000. Apart from one art project, all cultural events are actually musical festivals, which benefit from CHF 130,000 in all. The Zug Sports Festival and the Zug Equestrian Event share the contributions in their category, with CHF 85,000 going to the former, as mentioned, and CHF 45,000 allocated to the latter. Out of interest, in 2017, the Zug Sports Festival benefited from CHF 50,000 only, but only one year later it benefited from an CHF 85,000 contribution, an increase of 70 per cent.

The man behind the Zug Sports Festival, Daniel Schärer, said he regretted any discussion over financial matters. “Our main aim is to enliven the city and provide a diversified range of events. It is not a matter of getting more money; it is about getting the maximum use of what is given,” adding that the events he is involved with are not about making profit but providing entertainment for the general public at no charge to them. Of note is that no fewer than 33 sports clubs are involved in the festival.

With the trend for events to be given English names, in perusing the list, readers need only know that the Mittelalter Fest is the Middle Ages Festival, the Weihnachtsmarkt is the Christmas market, the Fronleichnamsfeier relates to Corpus Christi Day and the Chriesischturm is the race with ladders in the Old Town commemorating the day when locals were allowed to pick cherries from trees grown on common land.