If you are new to the Nyon area and have never been to a Désalpe before, now is your chance to do so at the Désalpe St-Cergue on Saturday 28th Sept! A Désalpe is a tradtional ceremony where the farmers bring their cows down from the high hills to spend winter at a lower level and in the warmth of barns. The cows are decorated and paraded through the village. See a description here on Swiss info  or on My Switzerland Note: you will have to be up early to watch the majority of the cows parade through the village, the first herd arrives at 08:30 and the last at 12:45. See the full programme here  There will be food stands with local produce on sale and a chance to see some other Swiss traditions such as bell ringing at 14:00. This year there will be performers from the Fête des Vignerons at the Désalpe. Trains run from Nyon to St-Cergue approximately every 30 minutes.

There will be a ramassage des déchets (volunteer rubbish clearing) morning event on Saturday September 28th between St-Cergue and Trélex between 08:00 and 12:00 It is being held on this date to take advantage of the road being closed for the Désalpe on that same day. The event is organised by the Sol à tous volunteer group, please register in advance. Contact Valérie Mérat on 079 560 99 58 or email  solatous@gmail.com  See their Facebook page here. Bring along a hi-viz jacket (compulsory) anti-tick cream, gardening gloves and wear strong shoes. Bring your own drinking water. Children over 10 welcome if accompanied by an adult. Meet at the Nyon-St-Cergue train departure point at 06:45 to leave at 06:52 to arrive in St Cergue at 07:30.  Note - this is a 7km walk so bring lots of energy too!

The new season of Sunday afternoon concerts at the Conservatoire in Nyon by the lakeside in Nyon, begin on the 22 September with the Duo Obco "Huitzil-Colibri". Flute, percussion, contemporary, renaissance and baroque music mixed with the spoken word. To reserve a seat, call 021 802 4393 or email info.nyon @cov-vd.ch

A reminder to readers that the 16th September is the Monday Jeûne Fédéral holiday in Vaud and most shops and supermarkets in Nyon will be closed. This year 2019, the Nyon council run outdoor swimming pool is remaining open one week later than usual. It will close for the season on the 16th September at 19:00 The weather forecast is looking good for this long weekend so it's your last chance this year to take a dip in the pool with the gorgeous view of the lake, the Alps and Mont Blanc in the distance! Note - Parking is currently partially restricted near the pool as the Knie Circus is in town and also in Place Perdtemps in Nyon.

If any parents are looking for an unusual venue for a children's birthday party, did you know that all three of Nyon's museums ( the Roman museum , the Château and the Léman Museum ) offer a 45 minute birthday party package for up to 12 children? How about a party where children (from 07-12 years old) can explore the prisons of the château (these were closed in 1979) and play a police mystery game to discover the "culprit", or a pirate party to hunt for treasure at the lake museum, or a party for little archaeologists at the Roman Museum?  These parties are usually held in French, however there are some guides who do speak English, enquire directly with each museum to find out what they can offer. Gôuter (cakes and snacks) are also available as part of a package.  See pdf here This weekend the 14th and 15th September, both the Château of Nyon and the Musée du Léman will have free entry as part of the annual "heritage days". There are various workshops and debates over the two days. See pdf here . This is the last chance to see the "Un rêve d’architecte. La brique de verre Falconnier" exhibition as it closes on the 15th September.

On Saturday, 14 and Sunday, 15 September, CERN will open its doors to the public. Taking advantage of the second long shutdown of the  Large Hadron Collider , the Laboratory will be offering visitors of all ages the exceptional opportunity to visit its facilities, discover its groundbreaking technologies, have fun with physics and meet the people who work at the cutting edge of science and technology. Some 150 activities are planned across nine of the Laboratory’s sites. During the two days, you will have the chance to operate a mini accelerator, learn about the medical applications stemming from research at CERN, drive a crane, discover the gigantic detectors and interact with scientists and invited guests. Places will be limited for the underground visits to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and its experiments, but there are many other things to discover on the surface. The full list of activities is available on the  Open Days website . Between 30,000 and 40,000 visitors are expected each day. See "plan your visit" for more info. Registration required. Click here.

Nyon's current population is around 22,000 and is predicted to grow to 30,000 within the next few years. What challenges will the town face if this happens? On Thursday 12th September 2019 there will be a public debate to discuss these challenges. The debate will take place from 19:30 - 21:00 at the Salle du Conseil communal at the Ferme du Manoir in the Place du Château in Nyon. The debate will be moderated by M. Nasrat Latif from Nyon Région Television and M. Michel Jotterand from La Côte  *newspaper and is organised by the parti indépendant nyonnais. The debate will be in French, however all members of the public are welcome. Note the Living in Nyon editor will be present (in the audience) if any reader wants to chat at the apéro about the debate or has any questions about living in the town. *The Living in Nyon column in (English) in la Côte returns on Friday 13th September

The town of Nyon will be participating in "La Nuit est Belle" movement on the 26th September and  will turn off the public lighting in the town (where it is safe to do so). Others communes of Tannay, Crassier, Prangins, Vich, Gilly, Rolle, Le Vaud, Gingins and Chéserex are also taking part in this event. More info coming up later. Please note - Living in Nyon is now taking a short break and will return on Tuesday 10th September.

As summer is coming to an end, there's a chance for both children and adults to learn how to swim in an indoor pool and be ready for the next summer season. The friendly swimming instructors at  Clinique la Lignière  speak English and will be giving classes ranging from complete beginner to advanced stages of swimming. This indoor pool with warm water is in the Centre de Santé la Lignière, and is set in lovely grounds near the town of Gland (just a few miles from Nyon). Note : The instructors always stay in the warm water at 32 degrees, both with the familiarisation classes and with the beginner swimmers. There’s also a Jacuzzi : water at 34 degrees. The swimming school  starts a new season this autumn in*small groups, from September until June. Lessons will last 45 minutes per week on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday *no more than 5 children per group. For more info contact  Sarah Lailler, manager of the swimming school on 022 999 65 81 email  natation@la-ligniere.ch .

New to Nyon?  Here’s a chance for women to meet other women at the IWCN (International Women's Club of Nyon) activities fair. The IWCN is a non-profit organisation for English-speaking women residing in Nyon and the surrounding region. Its purpose is to promote friendly contacts among women of all nationalities through multiple activities and to help facilitate the integration of newcomers. The club has over 500 members. On Tuesday 10th September, the IWCN will be holding  their annual Activities Fair This fair is for both members and (this year for non-members) to discover more about the club and to learn about its many activities which include: languages, sports, photography, golf, genealogy, walking (the club has three walking groups!) working with its charity committee, tennis, Scrabble, gardening, Stitchers etc, too many to mention! The fair will be held from 09:30 - 11:30 in the Salle Communale in  Chéserex. Entry fee on the day CHF 5 for non members which includes a coffee and a cake. The chat and friendship are free! h

On the 12, 13 & 14 September there will be three evenings of jazz in Nyon and Prangins at the 5th "Jazz au Peuple" festival. Venues include: the Temple of Nyon, the Temple of Prangins and the Old Pressoir of Prangins The programme features Armenian-American singer Areni Agbabian, the Arthur Hnatek Trio and internationally renowned Lucia Cadotsch Speak Low. See full programme here . Facebook page here.

Gingibana  - is a village music festival which will be held on Saturday 7th September from 10:30 - 17:30 in the beautiful Château Blanc in Gingins near Nyon. Gingins organises many fun events throughout the year, "Gingibana" was such a success in 2018, the village decided to do it all over again in 2019. This event is for all ages. There will be acoustic bands playing on the day featuring local artists Joshua Howlett, Isarose, Skylend and Yann Mournin’ August. There will also be food at the festival from savoury pies to pancakes and paletas (ice pops made from fresh fruit). Activities for children including a bouncy castle, painting and jewellry making. There will also be a wheel of fortune with prizes to be won, including cinema tickets, CDs, brunch tickets etc. Check out the Facebook page here Bring a blanket to chill and listen to folk music and to enjoy the local food and wine.