On Saturday 24 June from 10:00-18:00 there will be an event in Nyon called "Parking Day" For one day only, certain public parking areas (place du Château, route de Divonne, near the bus stop Cessouest, the Petite Prairie and the chemin Falconnier) will be re-appropriated and transformed into a new kind of urban use. The aim of the event is to let members of the public see the alternative possibilities that can be created with parking spaces. Several organisations will be taking part such as Pro Vélo, Demain La Côte, Improvizanyon and the Collectif Hapax 21. Members of the public will have the opportunity to test a "bike-blender " allowing them to make smoothies with a bike, to decorate the future neighborhood exchange boxes and to discover various artistic projects. Music and sun loungers will also available for passers-by. Note: the main car parks in Nyon will still be open on this day!

La Côte daily newspaper will celebrate 125 years of publishing with a big party on Friday 23rd June 2017 at the Signal de Bougy from 15:00 - 22.00. There will be food stands, live music, demonstrations from the hockey club of Nyon and Morges, the basketball club of Nyon, the Capoeira club of La Côte, a Magic club and more. The event is open to all La Côte readers with a "verre de l'amitié" on offer at 18.00. See the full schedule here. There will be a special "vintage" newspaper published on the 22nd June and a magazine issued on the 5th October which will be full of surprises. Note: there will be navette buses running from Rolle railway station to and from the party which will connect with the train system. Click here for the timetable The Living in Nyon editor has been writing a weekly column (in English) in the newspaper for over eight years and will be present at the event. The column is a light-hearted look at living in the Nyon and local area and is published every Monday on the back page of the paper under the "Communautés" section. If you haven't read the paper yet, why not buy a copy and take a look? It's full of useful information and local news. There is a digital and printed version of the paper for you to choose from.

There is a film screening coming up this week which will take place at the Château of Nyon. "The Duchess" (in English) starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes will be screened from 19:30 to 23:00 on Friday 23rd June. This film is to coincide with the château's new exhibition entitled, “A Masked Ball, 18th Century & Contemporary Art”. There will be a guided tour of the exhibition, a buffet, followed by a projection of the filmfor just 25 CHF. Reserve by emailing info@chateaudenyon.ch or call 022 316 42 73. The exhibition itself displays everyday objects: toiletry sets, coffee pots, silver candlesticks, silk garments and porcelain. These 18th century luxury items were the exclusive reserve of the elite over two hundred years ago. The Age of the Enlightenment is also reflected in the world of cinema, and in the many films devoted to Marie Antoinette or Madame Du Barry, the favourite of Louis XV. In addition to clothes by Gianni Versace and Vivienne Westwood from the 1990s, this exhibition also features the work of six contemporary artists, all born in the second half of the 20th century.

There will be a book launch (in English) on Thursday 22nd June in Rolle from 18:30 -19:30 by local author Joy Stephens. The book, "In and Out of the Maasai Steppe" evokes the beauty of the arid landscape of the Maasai Steppe of Tanzania and is an intimate journey into the life of Maasai women documenting their struggles to develop their livelihoods. It explores their current plight threatened by climate change, land seizures and the divide between their old and new ways of life. The author (see final photo) is originally from Kent in the UK and now lives in the Jura mountains. She says in the summer months when she hears the cow bells ringing, she is transported back to the Maasai Steppe as Switzerland and the Maasai share of love of dairy cattle! Joy has worked in overseas and international development for over 40 years. The launch is at the l'Arentèle café at Grande-Rue 24 in Rolle. For more info - contact jpoppestephens@gmail.com The book is also available through Payot in Nyon.

It's the Fête de la Musique on Saturday 17th June in Nyon, with all styles of music on offer. Rock/Pop Reggae/ Chorale/ Classical/ Electro/ World Music/ Hip-Hop will be played (free concerts!) at the following nine venues across the town: the Place du Château, Place St-Martin, Usine à Gaz, the garden area in front of the Conservatoire, Le Temple in Nyon, La Jetée, the Esplanade des Marroniers, the Elastique Citrique venue and the Cactus Jack pub. There is something to suit all tastes. Full programme and timings here. The pianos are back in town! These pianos, with the slogan, "Play me, I am yours" are now installed across Nyon and are free for the public to play. See map below of where they are located. They will be in the town until the 27th June. Over in Commugny on the 17th June, there will be a free chamber music concert at 17:00. See poster below. Voluntary work - on 17th June in Nyon. Want to help clear up the rubbish/trash found along the lakeside? There will be a collecting session (meet in front of the Usine à Gaz at 13:30 ) which will continue until around 15:30. This is organised by the Sol à Tous group. Go along with a fluorescent jacket/gilet, gardening gloves, sun tan cream and drinking water. Email solatous@gmail.com for more info or call 0041- 795609958

Summer is here, the lavender by the lake road is coming into bloom and Metéo Suisse is predicting high temperatures in the Nyon area this weekend (28° on Saturday and up to 31° on Sunday). With this forecast, here are links to some of the local outdoor swimming pools - Nyon, Morges and Divonne Here are the links to all the beaches along Lac Léman. If you want to rent a stand-up paddle board or a sailing boat (note: some boats require a sailing licence) here's the link to the paddle centre in Prangins and a boat hire centre, also in Prangins. If you prefer cooling off by walking in the shade of woodland, here's the link to the Arboretum in Aubonne which has over 200 hectares of forest to wander round and is a lovely spot for a picnic. Finally a reminder that Caribana Festival continues until Sunday night, there's lots more music on offer! See reviews and photos of Wednesday and Thursday night's Caribana to give you an idea of what the festival is all about.

There was a relaxed atmosphere early on Thursday evening at Caribana. Geneva band "Le Beau Lac de Bâle" performed first on the main stage and got the crowd dancing to a medley of their rock and funk numbers. Swiss band "Fai Baba" followed on the lake stage with a laid back sound which they ramped up later on. However, it seemed that a lot of concert-goers were waiting to see Roger Hodgson who was one of the main headline acts that night. He didn't disappoint the crowd, he played all their favourite hits: Logical Song, Dreamer, School and more, and the crowd sang along. Hodgson conversed with the crowd in in French when he could, saying he was very pleased to be in Suisse Romande and how everyone was lucky to be living in such a lovely area. The Living in Nyon editor didn't stay for the concert by Foreigner, but could still hear it a few miles away in the centre of Nyon! Below are a few photos from Thursday night. There are live video posts of the night on the timeline of the Living in Nyon Facebook posts Photo above and below - Happy festival goers Photo above and below - Le Beau Lac de Bâle band Photo above - Dancing to the Le Beau Lac de Bâle Photo above and below - Fai Baba Photos below - Roger Hodgson in concert plus crowd

The first night of Caribana festival was sold out with a big crowd attracted to the various bands playing on the stages that night, thankfully it was also sunny and it is set to stay that way for the rest of the week. This year as in previous years, there are food stalls and bars around the grounds, some familiar ones and a couple of new ones including a pie stall! Because of the crowds, it can take a while to arrive at Caribana so leave plenty of time to get there. There are free buses leaving from Nyon, Gland and Coppet to and from the grounds - Click here for transport details. On Wednesday night, After Sum 41 rocked the main stage, Rag 'n' Bone Man appeared on the Scène du Lac stage to a delighted and packed crowd. He engaged with the audience with his soulful singing and switched between darker songs and "happier" ones. He seemed happy too, thanking the audience for inviting him to sing in such a "beautiful place". His rendition of his hit song "Human" had all the crowd singing along with him. Note: there is a short video of this performance on the Living in Nyon Facebook page. There are still tickets available for the next four nights of Caribana

This weekend it's the l'Interculturelle in Nyon, an annual celebration which takes place over two days. There will be a variety of entertainment on Saturday 10th by the Rive area of town (where the ice skating rink is situated in winter) and there will be theatre, Greek music, a buvette with food from 19:00 onwards. On Sunday from 11:30 there will be traditional dancing, food from around the world, stands from various organisations and a Capoeira demonstration. There is currently a photography exhibition called "Le temps d'un regard" by Nadir Mokdad held in Nyon on the foyer of the l'Elastique Citrique building (the big red building next to the Salle Communale).

There will be one final free concert in Nyon on Wednesday 7th June by the group of visiting U.S musicians from the Caroga Lake Music Festival and the Chamber Music Connection. The musicians have been staying in the Nyon area over the last couple of weeks, they have performed in various private and public concerts and worked with students at the C.O.V the Conservatoire de l’Ouest Vaudois in Nyon. The concert will take place in the Salle Communale in Nyon at 19:30 with the following programme Bartok Romanian Dances David Stone 1st and 3rd mvts. Debussy Dances McMichael with piano Prince, Misirlou, Grappelli, etc. featuring David Wong Barber Adagio Dvorak America Quartet 2nd mvt. Mendelssohn Octet 4th mvt. Dvorak American Quartet 4th mvt. This concert is supported by the Ville de Nyon and the Commune of Begnins and there will be a reception after the concert. On Tuesday, the group visited Nyon's three museums and took a trip on a CGN boat over to Yvoire. Listen to Stephanie (a violist with the Caroga Lake Music Festival) and hear her impressions of the town (and its ice cream!) and what it was like to work with the other students from the Conservatoire. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am0krQBvitI&feature=em-upload_owner

There's an interesting selection of events coming up in the first two weeks in June to cater for most readers' tastes. See previous posts on this site for details of other events including the Vaud wine weekend, Spring Market in Nyon etc. It's also the season for picking strawberries! There are several self-service strawberry farms in the region, in Rolle, in Genolier and further afield. Events coming upCaribana Festival (7-11 June) kicks off on Wednesday evening with Sum 41, Evanescence on the main stage and Rag'N Bone Man on the lake stage. Tickets are now sold out for the first night but there are still tickets available for Thursday - Roger Hodgson and Foreigner, Friday - Kungs, Saturday - Ira May, Sunday - Alvaro Soler. There are plenty more artists on the lineup. Click here If you have never been to Caribana before, it's one of the first big music festivals in the area and takes place in a pretty park along the lakeside in Crans-Près-Celigny not far from Nyon. How to get there - click here Photo above - courtesy Caribana - The Caribana main stage. 6,000 audience capacity Photo above - courtesy Caribana - The Kungs Variety Evening On the 15th, 16th and 17th June there will be an evening of variety with song and dance numbers from great American and British shows from Jersey Boys to Can-Can girls and more, for a fun foot-tapping evening performed by the Geneva Amateur Operatic Society. The show will take place at the Salle des Spectacles in Founex. Dinner will be served before the show various packages are available. Full details here Classical Music On the Sunday 11th June at 17:00 there will be a free classical music concert (Orchestra da Capo) in the newly renovated Temple of Nyon (in the old town). Retiring collection. Young talented musicians from various music schools (including the Conservatoire de l'Ouest Vaudois) will be performing works from Bach, Haydn, Vivaldi and more under the direction of Ahmed Handy. Details here Note: The Orchestra da Capo is currently recruiting musicians. Click here for more info Shakespeare in English "Twelfth Night" by William Shakespeare will be performed in English on June 9th and 10th at 19:30 in the courtyard of the Château de Prangins. This castle courtyard is a great place to watch a Shakespearean play, note - this is a rain or shine event! "Twill endure wind and weather..." Details here.

This weekend the 3rd and 4th June, it's Caves Ouvertes across Vaud. Lots of caves (wine cellars) across the Canton will be open for wine tasting from 10:00 - 18:00. Just CHF 20 buys you a wine "passport/glass" which then entitles you to try out the wine in over 300 cellars! There is even an App indicating where the cellars can be found. There will be free navettes (buses) operating between the main railway stations and the cellars. There's also a special Railaway discount offered on train journeys on that day for those who buy a wine passport. Nyon will also be taking part with wine tastings in the cave of the château, with a bouncy castle outside to keep the children amused. Click here for details