H Stories

An exceptional event with a varied programme and open-minded approach, Lucerne Festival provides a stage for star performers and opens doors for new names on the music scene. For the first time in its long history, the main event was pre-empted by a short but emotionally charged spring festival in 2022.

Let’s climb into this time machine and turn the dial back to August 6th 1971. Back to the day of an exciting première. The first-ever Piazza Grande screening at the Locarno Film Festival. Ticino-based architect Livio Vacchini came up with the idea to transform the entire piazza into a open-air cinema. Gazing out onto the square in the centre of the city from his office window, he realised that it would be a fantastic location for the festival.