The second edition of the Caprices Festival will take place from 20 to 22 September on the Eggli in Gstaad. Vincent Schwab, one of the organisers, explained in an interview with AvS why the festival is now one day longer and has grown in size. 
The first international Caprice Festival in Gstaad last year was a huge success. Five thousand people danced to techno music on the Eggli, with many ending the night at the afterparty in the curling hall. Dance enthusiasts have travelled from as far afield as Egypt, Spain, Qatar, and India, as well as from Switzerland and its neighbouring countries, and many of them have already registered for this year's festival.

Vincent Schwab, techno fans can dance for three days at this year's event instead of just two like last year. How did that come about?
Our premiere last year was ideal; everything went perfectly. So, we can extend the festival this year with a clear conscience. Transporting the necessary infrastructure to the Eggli is indeed costly, and the event here costs us about 25 percent more than the Caprices in Crans Montana. But if the entire infrastructure is already in place, using it for an extra day makes sense.

And the visitors? Based on your experience last year, are they mainly day visitors, or do they stay for the weekend?
Many people travel to the Caprices Festival in Crans Montana for just one day, but here in Gstaad, most people stay the whole weekend. The hotels in and around Gstaad are very well booked during the festival weekend. Our challenge is that we have incredibly high accommodation prices here, attracting a different clientele. In any case, the Caprices Festival extends the season and fills the destination—that is our goal. The festival is a positive side effect for the tourist region.

The Caprice Festival is not only for guests but also a fantastic event for locals.
Exactly. Last year, about half of the partygoers were locals. Incidentally, this is another challenge for us: we also want to make the region attractive for young people so that they work here and don't move away from here or only come during the high season.

Do only younger people come to the mountains to dance? 
No, not at all. Most partygoers are around 30, but we also have many much older chalet guests from the region who love techno and come to us on the mountain.

What is the line-up like this year? Which DJs are you particularly looking forward to? 
Two of the most hyped international DJs are attending: the Canadian Blond:ish and the Turkish DJ Carlita. Both play at the most significant festivals worldwide, for example, in St. Tropez or Ibiza, sometimes in front of 50,000 people.

This year's event is not only one day longer, but the individual concerts on the mountain also last longer.
Yes, exactly. Last year, the event ended at midnight, but now the concerts will last until two o'clock in the morning. After that, the particularly hardy can move on to the after-party in the Grotto in Schönried. Today, the Insta generation needs movement and different locations. That's why we have two different stages at Eggli this year. The side stage will be in an even bigger yurt than last year, and the main stage will be in the tent where the Eggli-Menuhin events also took place.

Do the partygoers only come up to the mountain and back down at certain times?
No, no. The mountain railway runs all the time. We have excellent cooperation with the BDG. The journey is ideal: it only takes six minutes, and the panoramic view at the top is simply incredible. The Eggli is the ideal mountain location; we will certainly never change that.

Who else supports you at this mega-event? 
This year, we have many local sponsors again, even more than at the first event. The team of helpers is also back: we have about the same organising committee of ten to fifteen people as last year and about 80 helpers during the event itself. Everyone is thrilled to work with us and make the event as perfect as last year.

Get your ticket here