Illustrating the Festival - Alice Bienassis Every year there are lots of journalists, writers, TV stations, photographers and film crew all working behind the scenes at Paléo. Many of these press professionals are there with top of the range cameras, video and tech equipment (and recently, drones) all to capture the images of the festival. See our interview here from a few years ago with Paléo photographer Anne Colliard. Alice Bienassis is also one of those professionals working behind the scenes, but she does not need any high spec equipment to portray the concerts, she simply uses an artist's sketchbook, pencils and a few pens. Her illustrations are used in "Vivement l’Eté", the in-house Paléo magazine that is distributed to the hundreds of volunteers working at the festival. Alice told Living in Nyon "I aim to capture the spirit and energy of the artist or band, their movement, their look. Every artist is different and it's fascinating to watch them all. This year there have been some memorable concerts such as Rone,Sate, The Staches, Taxiwars, Sandor, Pixies and Radio Elvis, I am glad I was there not only to illustrate them, but to experience the ambience at the time. I am currently working on a BD project and will continue to illustrate more of the Paléo concerts this year". Note: BD means this refers to comic books which are very popular here in Switzerland, France and Belgium. There is a big BD festival held in Morges every year. This year it will be held in September. Here are three of Alice's drawings from Paléo 2017 concerts. Check out her website here and you can see more of her illustrations on her Instagram account here

After a red hot start on Tuesday, the festival kept the rhythm going for its second day. The sun was out again for most of the evening, the rain making a light and welcome entrance during the last concert, before continuing for most of the night to the campers’ delight (or not). Part of Paléo’s success lies in proposing an eclectic mix of big headliners and smaller, quirkier groups. Most days are usually arranged around a certain genre or at least a certain musical flavour. After Tuesdays heavier, noisier stuff, it was time for some slightly more melodic rock. The highlight of the evening was by far Midnight Oil who delivered an amazing show on the main stage. Peter Garrett and his band have lost nothing of their delightful energy and charm, sharing with the crowd that had gathered for the first main concert of the evening a moment of musical generosity and politically engaged songs. Peter Garrett was particularly chatty, starting the concert with a “many many songs so little time” summing up quite accurately the generosity of their performance, excusing his poor French and joking about the fact that if the French had been faster, they might have colonised Australia and he’d be speaking to us in French! In between hits such as Blue Sky Mine and Forgotten Years, Garrett celebrated the Festival, especially the fact that it was run cooperatively and not for profit. Midnight Oil’s values of sharing and coming together through music were well in phase with the values that Paléo has been defending for the past 42 years. The Australian band finished their concert with their greatest hit and social justice manifesto, Beds Are Burning, and truly the crowd of l’Asse danced and burnt with them, erupting with joy when the first few chords of the song resonated across the grounds. The world might still be burning, and things might not seem like they’re getting better on the international scene (Garrett celebrated the fact he’d managed to avoid using the “Trump-word” during most of the show and not have him ruin the evening) but Midnight Oil look like they’re ready to keep on fighting and dancing with their music and their hearts. The Swiss music scene gave its best under the club tent, starting off the day with the galactic tunes of Len Sander. The Swiss-German band delve deep into an enchanting and synthesiser-heavy universe, dark and mysterious yet electrifying and light as well. The Club Tent hosts most Swiss bands, and as you might have gathered from past reviews of the Festival, I consider this to be one of the most interesting stages of the festival. If you want to discover the latest local talents, you’ll be sure to find them there. The musical excellency continued under the tent throughout the evening, with double bass player Vincent Bertholet performing in two very different projects. The first was Hyperculte, an experimental post-punk duo with drummer Simone Aubert. An hour or so later, he was back on stage with slightly more people, as the XXL version of Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp had brought all 15 of their musicians to the Club Tent! This crazy orchestra lives up to the promise of its name, powerful and as wacky as their Dadaist hero. They build hypnotic loops and catchy tunes thanks to the multiple instruments played by the orchestra. A perfect case of technical virtuosity meets unadulterated and joyous energy. On a slightly larger scale, at least in the star-system, but with quite a few musical similarities, Arcade Fire continued the evening on the main stage. They created an arresting visual show, the nine musicians partly hidden by copious amounts of smoke for most of the show, giving off a mysterious and magical atmosphere that reflects their music perfectly. The Canadian band differ from other electro-rock bands by the variety of instruments they play on stage, moving away from the (sometimes boring) guitar-bass-drums configuration. Their performance felt more lively and welcoming than the other headliner of the evening, the Pixies, who delivered a rather flat concert. Seeing such big groups live is always a risk, as you never know if they retain the enthusiasm and generosity of earlier times. In that respect, Midnight Oil was the perfect example of a band that never disappoint despite the decades of activity. Talented French producer and DJ Rone capped off the evening with an amazing set on the stage of the Arches. His perfectly crafted beats had the whole crowd shaking and jumping, and he perfectly balanced his set between powerful and high-powered tunes and slower more contemplative pieces. They say a picture speaks more than a thousand words, so don’t miss out the best of video that Paleo brings out every day, giving you a 2-minute taste of the previous evening. Also, a reminder that the festival is sold-out, but that 1500 tickets are released online every morning at 9:00!

For those readers who have never been to Paléo, or haven't been there for a while, here are a few practical tips for festival-goers. Money Draw cash out before you head up to the grounds, there are bank ATMs just inside the entrance but the queues can often be very long at peak times of the festival. Low battery on your phone? There is a large phone charging area at the Romandie Energie centre located behind La Terasse (the main terrace overlooking the main stage). Paléo App Paléo has a great App with lots of useful info on it Not feeling well? There is an Infirmerie on the grounds near to Les Arches stage Food Feeling hungry? There are lots and lots of food stalls at Paléo offering everything from Abysynnian food to kebabs, fish and chips, burgers, food from Central America, gluten free food and more. The queues for some of the popular food stands can be long in between the major concerts, so if you can, eat while a concert is on (if it's one you don't want to see!) There are also sit down restaurants on the grounds where you can be served by staff if you prefer this option. Travel Take public transport up to Paléo to save the hassle of parking. The trains and buses shuttle between Nyon (and other local towns and villages) and the festival grounds all evening and through most of the night. Train and bus travel on these routes is free during the festival period. In the past couple of years, the organisation has vastly improved on the monitoring and efficiency in the train queues and now most of the trains on the line are new and come with air conditioning! Full transport details here. Meeting up with friends Some regular festival-goers have adopted a golden rule of never making plans to meet anyone at the festival grounds, they prefer to leave any meetings completely impromptu. Sometimes the best-made plans can go awry and time is lost either constantly phoning or messaging people trying to find out where they are (usually they are at the opposite end of the field!) or when the appointed meeting time arrives, they or the other person are really enjoying a concert and don't want to leave. However if you do really need to meet someone, there are plenty of landmarks to suggest to meet at such as the big fountain near the entrance, near the big "Volcano" (photo below - you cannot miss it!), the Voyageur Bar in the Village du Monde is another popular meeting spot. Not all of the entertainment is on the stages or in the tents. Keep an eye out for the street entertainers that wander through the grounds.

The first night of Paléo began under hot, cloudless skies and the crowds poured in when the gates officially opened at 15:30. By 19:00, music lovers were already in party mood listening to the tropical electro sounds of CERO 39 in the l'Escale Bar in the Village du Monde, and at 19:45 the Dome tent was packed with fans dancing to Colombian band LA-33. See Living in Nyon Facebook videos below. https://www.facebook.com/livinginnyon/videos/1525493967493358/ https://www.facebook.com/livinginnyon/videos/1525541067488648/ Above - Paléo Fans Above - Dancing in the Dome tent Once the sun had set, the lights across Paléo illuminated the grounds and the "Volcano" (see previous post here) looked spectacular. By 22:30 everywhere around the main stage and as far as the eye could see were packed with fans waiting to see The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Their wait was worth it. The band exploded onto the stage with Can't Stop and kept the pace going with classic songs including By the Way, Soul to Squeeze, Suck My Kiss, Californication, Snow (hey ho) and more. Paléo had kicked off in style. See video below (apologies for the shaky start!) https://www.facebook.com/livinginnyon/videos/1525700667472688/ Earlier on in the evening The Foals played on the main stage and said they were happy to be back at Paléo (in 2010 they played the much smaller "châpiteau" tent - see Living in Nyon post from that time!) All photos in this post - C. Nelson-Pollard. Photo in header of Red Hot Chili Peppers by lflusin- courtesy Paléo festival

The theme of the music in the Village du Monde area at Paléo this year comes from Central America. Along with lots of delicious food on offer such as burritos, quesadillas and fajitas, the L'Escale bar has a salon inspired by Frida Kahlo and a small intimate stage for performances by artists. Around the Village du Monde area there will be dancers and strolling musicians to entertain the crowd. This year the La Ruche area of Paléo celebrates its 10th birthday. This area dedicated to street theatre and circus arts can be found in the Quartier des Alpes. Note: Keep an eye out for a special report on La Ruche coming up on this site. Living in Nyon will be reporting from Paléo every day, don't forget to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @LifeinNyon

Paléo Festival begins on 18th July and on Monday morning the final touches were being added to the stages, bars and public areas around the grounds before the gates officially open on Tuesday at 15:30. This year, HES-SO (University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland) has created an enormous "volcano": a structure of several floors of scaffolding and clad in cloth. There is a fabulous view of the festival to be had from the top of the volcano. Inside the structure itself, there are eight different events for festival goers to try out including a "bubble" area (see photo below). When night falls the volcano will erupt into lots of different colours. Photo above - HES - SO students looking onto the structure they created. Photo below - the view from the top! The Monic La Mouche company (a regular invitee to Paléo) will be there with their carving of rusty metal, fire and lights. These installations alway provide a magical ambiance to the festival. Photos above Monic la Mouche - Photo below - one of the many other installations around the grounds New to Paléo this year is a brocante truck selling second-hand clothes.

School's Out for Summer! Living in Nyon will now be taking a short break but we'll back for Paléo and will reporting every day from the grounds. See below for news about Paléo, and traffic restrictions near the town from the 3rd -14th July. It was the annual children's parade in Nyon on Thursday 29th June. Both children and teachers from Nyon primary schools took part and walked through the centre of town (in the pouring rain!) along with marching bands and headed by the town's officials. See the Living in Nyon Facebook live videos of the event. This parade marks the end of the school term and the start of the summer holidays. Check out the new large play area for children that has just opened in Nyon at the lake end of Place Perdtemps car park There's a range of wooden seating, slides, a wendy house and sand for children to play in. There's also a buvette next to the play area which will be open on Mondays from 17.00 - 22:00 Tuesday - Saturday 08:00 -22.00 and Sunday 08:00 - 17:00. Paléo - note:Møme will replace Kaleo on Tuesday 18 July. The Icelandic band announced a few days ago they would be unable to perform at Paléo for medical reasons. If any festival-goers wish to return their tickets because of this replacement, they can do so via the official ticket forum or ticket market, open for business until 9 July. Traffic restrictions One way traffic restrictions in Alfred Cortot from 3- 14 July. The road surface is being replaced to reduce road noise and improve the quality of life for residents. Traffic will be permitted only in the direction of the town. A deviation will be in place for traffic in the other direction via the Route de Divonne.

Short animated films screening in Nyon plus, Transformers: The Last Night and documentary films in the open air at the Château de Prangins. There will be a one-off screening of the 2017 Oscar nominated short films in the animation category on Monday 3 July at 21:00 at the Capitole cinema in Nyon. All films are in English (or without any dialogue) with French subtitles. The target audience is 16+, although the winning film is made by Pixar and is for all audiences. The screening will last 1 hour and 27 minutes. Also on Monday 3th July at Nyon cinema, the Monday movie in English is Transformers: The Last Night and will be screened at 20:30. Tickets can be bought in advance online. Open-Air films under the Stars On the 6th, 7th and 8th July the Visions du Réel documentary film festival and the Château de Prangins will be screening three films in the open-air in the courtyard of the castle. The films are linked with the temporary exhibition " Le travail. Photographies de 1860 à nos jours ". Click here 6 July 21:30 Work Hard – Play Hard de Carmen Losmann, Visions du Réel 2012 (in German subtitled in French) 7 July 21:30 Burning Out de Jérôme le Maire, Visions du Réel 2017 (in French) 8 July 21:30 Rosetta des Frères Dardenne, Palme d'or Cannes 1999 (in French)

Early summer is when many expatriates living in the Nyon region are either relocating to other countries or they are moving back "home". There's lots to do to prepare for such a move. Apart from the actual packing and long list of administrative tasks to be taken care of, there are specific requirements to consider when moving from Switzerland. The Swiss Moving Company is an international moving company based in Gland near Nyon that can help with all aspects of a relocation, from beginning to end. From the customs forms you need to complete for an international move, to other tasks you may not have even thought of such as arranging with the local authorities to reserve sufficient parking space for removal vehicles (if the space is in the public domain). They also can offer a complete and professional cleaning service of your property and can fix appointments with specialist tradespeople if necessary, such as an electrician for disconnecting the washing machine or a multimedia system. They can arrange for a painter, plumber, carpenter to carry out any refurbishments required in your old property. The SMC have produced a very handy unique checklist (in English) for a smooth move. If you would like this list or a free quotation for a move or to use any of the company’s other services, call The SMC’S managing partner and sales director Jimmy Bruzzese on +41 21 807 26 86 or +41 21 807 26 86. He speaks English and can help you with any enquiry you may have. If you are leaving the Nyon area, au revoir from Living in Nyon! Don't forget you can still keep in touch with that's going on in the town and area by following us on Facebook.

There's plenty of music on offer over the next few weeks in Nyon, in Arnex-sur Nyon, in Montreux and over in France! Firstly, from Thursday 29 - Saturday 1 July it's the Golden Festival at Arnex-sur-Nyon. Click here for more details On Friday 30th June it's the start of the Montreux Jazz festival with over two weeks of music on offer. From Soulwax to Herbie Hancock in the auditoriums, live music on the Montreux Jazz boats and Jazz trains and free music in certain venues, there's a full programme to choose from. Even if you haven't got a ticket for a concert, it's worth heading off to Montreux just for the atmosphere. There are scores of artisanal stands, bars and food stalls along the lakeside during the festival period. Rive Jazzy begins in Nyon on the 1st July and continues until the 12th August. Free live music is played on selected dates (usually on a Friday or Saturday and on some Thursdays) at various venues in the Rive area of Nyon. "La Nautique" (the restaurant at the sailing club) is a new venue that has been added to the programme this year. Also on the 7th and 8th July, there's a festival over the water at the Yvoire Jazz Festival. The Living in Nyon editor has never been to this festival but it looks like it would be possible to head off to an early concert and take a CGN ferry back to Nyon (the last boat back is at 22:13 during the summer schedule) Finally, there are free Sunday lunchtime concerts from 11:00 - 13:30 from the 4th June to the 3rd September at the Esplanade des Marroniers in Nyon (by the Roman Columns). There's a varied programme from Rock n' Roll to Country Music to Rhythm and Blues. Drinks and snacks for sale at these concerts. Programme here.

The Bourg-de-Rive park in Nyon has a new floral mosaic. This year, the mosaic has been created in homage to Jacques Prévert, a French poet and screenwriter. There is a great series of photos (including photos taken with a drone) on how the mosaic was made on the Nyon council website (scroll down to June 16). The parks and gardens of Nyon are looking particularly beautiful at the moment. Check out the piles of hay amongst the urban buildings at the Parc de la Morâche!

If you are looking to host a social or networking event, or you simply would like a place to drink with a great view of Nyon, the balcony bar at the Base Hotel is now open for summer from 17:00 - 22:00 Monday to Saturday. The bar serves a selection of cold beers, cocktails and local wines. The hotel is at Rue Jules-Gachet 2 in Nyon and is just a couple of minutes' walk from the railway station. To reserve a table or space for an event or party, email - bb&b@basenyon.com