Although Zürich Openair (ZOA) had already announced its 2026 dates, the organisation has communicated today in a press release that this year’s edition will not take place. ZOA writes: „Due to schedule changes for international festivals at the end of August and the resulting changes in the planning basis, it would not have been possible to hold Zürich Openair at the usual high quality.“
The festival further states that they will use this break to focus on strategic development. ZOA plans to return in 2027. „The focus is on content and programme orientation, new dimensions of experience for the audience, and further developed infrastructure and staging concepts. The aim is to make the overall experience even more impressive, surprising and distinctive in the future,“ the press release states.
Zürich Openair first appeared in the local music scene in 2010 and saw a new attendance record last year with approximately 87,000 visitors.
The 2026 cancellation highlights a festival market that grows more competitive year after year. ZOA was scheduled to begin on August 28 and run on two weekends into the beginning of September. However, the opening weekend already faces fierce international competition, with Rock en Seine in Paris and Reading & Leeds in the UK, making booking audience-pulling headliners even more costly.
