Press Releases  ·  05 | 04 | 2017

Piazza Grande and the Locarno Festival screen at Swissminiatur

© Locarno Festival

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April 5th 2017 saw the inauguration of a new model of Locarno’s Piazza Grande at Swissminiatur, celebrating the Locarno Festival’s 70th anniversary.

There are now just four months to go before the official opening of the 70th Locarno Festival, when once again the heart of the event will be the open-air theatre in the city’s Piazza Grande. Swissminiatur has taken the opportunity to include a faithful reproduction of the historic Piazza and at the Locarno Festival screen in 1:25 scale. For 70 years the Festival has transformed the scenic Canton Ticino city into the movie capital of Switzerland for 11 days each summer, with the Piazza Grande becoming a meeting point for both international guests and moviegoers from all over the world, as well as local visitors.

This year Swissminiatur decided to enhance its attractions with a new feature that emphasizes the ties between the famous miniature park, the splendid city of Locarno and the world of global cinema.

Raphaël Brunschwig, Deputy COO and Head of Sponsorship at the Locarno Festival: “Thousands of miniature seats and meticulous craftsmanship make this Piazza Grande into a tiny masterpiece, which when seen by the 200,000 annual visitors of Swissminiatur will bring significant added value in terms of visibility for the Locarno Festival and our host city. A permanent presence in the miniature park, going beyond the geographical and time limits of the Festival itself, makes this a perfect part of the celebrations for our 70th anniversary. We’re very grateful to Swissminiatur and its director Dominique Vuigner, whose enthusiasm made this initiative possible.”

Dominique Vuigner, Director of Swissminiatur: “The Locarno Festival is closely linked to its host city and region, but at the same time has an international dimension. As Switzerland’s window on world cinema, it’s a hugely significant tourist draw for the Canton Ticino. I am really proud to be able to present Swissminiatur visitors – who also come from around the world – with a model of the Piazza Grande in Locarno, the heart of the Festival. Swissminiatur and the Locarno Festival have two things in common which make me very proud: despite their age – with the Festival at 70 and Swissminiatur not far behind at 60 – they both continue to grow and develop, and also to surprise their loyal public, and long may they continue to do so.”

The opening of the new model was attended by Locarno Festival President Marco Solari, Swissminiatur Director Dominique Vuigner, the Mayor of Melide Angelo Geninazzi, the Mayor of Locarno Alain Scherrer and the Locarno Festival’s Deputy COO and Head of Sponsorship, Raphaël Brunschwig.

The 70th Locarno Festival will run from 2 to 12 August 2017.

More pictures on the following link.

Swissminiatur information here.

Locarno Festival: pardo.ch

City of Locarno: locarno.ch

 

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